The Government today announced the Green Transformation Roadmap of Public Buses & Taxis which includes subsidising franchised bus operators to purchase electric buses (e-buses) and the taxi trade to purchase electric taxis (e-taxis) as major measures.

Secretary for Environment & Ecology Tse Chin-wan told reporters at a launch event today that in promoting the green transformation of public buses and taxis, the roadmap adopts three guiding principles - primarily by “carrots but not sticks”, a gradual and orderly approach and no additional costs to passengers as far as possible.

The Government will subsidise the procurement of 600 e-buses and 3,000 e-taxis and will issue letters to invite eligible taxi owners and the franchised bus companies to participate in the subsidy schemes within this month.

In addition, the Government will continue to take a multipronged approach to encourage the industry to expand charging facilities. It is expected to provide at least 500 fast chargers throughout Hong Kong by the end of 2027 to cater for the expected growth in the number of electric vehicles (EVs).

In the future, the Government will also accelerate the participation of the private market in the construction of public charging facilities to fully utilise the power of the market and establish a business model applicable to the market.

With rapid technological advancements and an increasing supply of EVs, Mr Tse said he expected that the price differences between EVs and conventional vehicles will continue to narrow in the future, and EVs may even be cheaper than conventional vehicles, such that the Government's subsidy may no longer be needed.

Looking forward, Mr Tse said with new smarter technologies such as fast charging emerging, and new models of EVs entering the market continuously, the availability of e-buses and e-taxis continues to rise and their prices are decreasing.

The Government will lead the comprehensive green transformation of public buses and taxis in the most cost-effective manner, step by step, to achieve zero vehicular emissions and attain carbon neutrality before 2050, he added.

Click here for the roadmap.