Annual Report 2023

66 2023 Annual Report Transport International Holdings Limited SUSTAINABILITY REPORT Exploring Renewable Energy and Zero- emission Bus Technologies KMB and LWB strive to explore renewable energy and zero- emission technologies, demonstrating KMB’s and LWB’s determination to introduce green public transport in Hong Kong. Attaching great importance to pursuing the Government policy of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, KMB and LWB have rolled out an electrification roadmap. In the long run, KMB hopes that new energy buses will be deployed in the entire fleet to help make Hong Kong a green city. Currently, KMB and LWB have 30 single-deck electric buses. Together with the 52 double-deck electric buses, KMB and LWB have over 80 electric buses, forming the largest electric bus fleet in Hong Kong. Other environmental facilities in KMB and LWB’s bus fleet: KMB has introduced the third-generation solar panels on double-deckers, which reduce the air temperature in the bus compartment and supply power to electronic devices in the bus compartment, thereby reducing fuel consumption. The third-generation solar panel bus can save 3-4% of fuel consumption on each bus daily, which is equivalent to reducing about six tonnes of carbon emissions per bus annually. The system has now become a standard feature in newly purchased buses; About 30,000 solar panels are installed on buses, at depots and bus stops. Up to 13 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity will be generated annually, equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 4,176 households in Hong Kong, reducing about 12,587 tonnes of carbon emissions. As two franchised bus companies with the largest solar panel systems in Hong Kong, KMB and LWB aim to lead the public transport industry toward the new green era and promote carbon neutrality; KMB has successfully designed wind curtains that help reduce energy wasted due to the loss of cooled air of buses and obtained patents that were granted by the Intellectual Property Department. The facility, installed at the rear exit of a bus, will be activated when the exit door is opened, creating an airflow to separate the hot air outside from the cooled air inside. According to tests conducted at the ambient temperature of 32°C, the temperature measured in the area near the exit door inside a bus compartment with wind curtains is 4°C lower than that in a bus without. KMB installed the facility on 600 buses; and The scheme to retrofit the fleet with lower-powered LED strips, which will create a softer and more comfortable travel environment for passengers compared to the old LED lighting, is completed. This initiative helps reduce the carbon emissions of our buses by 5,600 tonnes of carbon emissions per year. The old LED light strips will be reused across bus depots and bus stops for lighting. The 52 electric double-deck buses self-purchased by KMB, with solar panel systems being a standard feature in its new purchases, have made a substantial contribution to achieving carbon neutrality in Hong Kong