Replacing old Hong Kong buses will save hundreds of lives, says study
If 5,000 vehicles built to earlier emission standards are replaced now with cleaner models, the health and economic benefits will be huge
Replacing Hong Kong's ageing buses with those meeting newer, more stringent emission standards could help save hundreds of lives, a study shows.
The study, published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Benefit-Cost Analysis, says that 1,260 lives can be saved in the next 13 years if the city's 5,170 buses built to Euro I, II and III standards are replaced now with cleaner Euro V models.
At an estimated cost of HK$15 billion split evenly between the government and bus operators, the bus replacement would generate HK$26 billion in "net economic benefits" for Hong Kong by 2026, including lower hospital costs and regained productivity, the study says.
The government already plans to phase out all pre-Euro V buses in 18 years and under this plan Euro IV models would stay on the roads in the meantime.
The European emission standards define acceptable limits for exhaust emissions, with newer standards meeting stricter levels.
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