Company Information

KMB operates extensive bus services covering Kowloon, the New Territories and Hong Kong Island. It currently employs some 12,000 staff and runs a fleet of more than 4,000 buses on 400 routes, making around 2.7 million passenger trips a day.

Case Background/Context

KMB's continuous commitment to environmental protection and high quality bus services drove the Eco-Driveline initiative. The pioneering Eco-Driveline system is effective in reducing exhaust emissions by 6-10% with a corresponding reduction in fuel consumption, thus further improving air quality for the people of Hong Kong.

The Main Objective of the Case

The objective of the Eco-Driveline initiative was to reduce exhaust emissions across the entire KMB fleet on both urban and commuter routes and thus to enhance local air quality.

Problems and Difficulties

A number of difficulties faced KMB as it sought to develop the Eco-Driveline initiative:

  • transfer of emerging technology from manufacturers required perseverance;
  • local fleet application required great engineering know-how and in-house engineering competency;
  • high investment costs would yield negligible economic returns.


KMB was able to develop the Eco-Driveline System with the support from one of the OEM suppliers and achieve a successful result for both parties.

Outcomes

As a result of the implementation of the Eco-Driveline System, overall exhaust emissions have been reduced by up to 6% on urban routes and 10% on commuter routes. The System reduces the emissions of Carbon Monoxide, Hydrocarbons, Nitrogen Oxides and particulates by an average of 6-10% compared with a Euro III engine equipped with a conventional driveline.

Additionally, the capacity to operate at low engine speeds and the reduction in jolt created by the control shift bring further benefits in terms of a more stable and comfortable bus journey

Lessons Learned

Partnership development between manufacturer and fleet operator has exciting potential for future industry developments, as engineering competency is provided by both parties. The partnership development concept has been extended to many KMB manufacturers/suppliers in the supply chain.

Documentation

  • KMB's Efforts in Environmental Protection booklet can be downloaded from here
  • The press release on the Eco-Driveline System is available here

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