Kwun Tong set to get fume-free interchange

Hong Kong's first intelligent public transport interchange, with an indoor waiting area for buses, will open in Kwun Tong as early as the first quarter of next year, the managing director of the Urban Renewal Authority, Wai Chi-shing, said.

Wai said the interchange, located at the former public transport interchange that spans Yue Man Square, Yan Oi Court and Tung Yan Street in the Kwun Tong town center, covers around 15,000 square feet.

It consists of two floors, including the bus terminal on the upper floor and the minibus terminal on the lower floor.

Wai said that the bus terminal is designed to allow passengers to wait indoors for buses to prevent them inhaling exhaust vehicle fumes.

"If we adopt the traditional side-by-side method of parking buses in a lane and passengers lining up next to the buses, it will affect their level of comfort, as the ventilation system may not be able to draw out the fumes emitted by buses in time," he wrote in his blog.

Wai said the indoor waiting areas are equipped with smart facilities, including a sensor that is capable of detecting when a bus is approaching and opening the door of the waiting areas for the buses to enter.

"We have been working to introduce more multifunctional smart facilities and prepare adequate hardware facilities so as to meet the needs of a smart city."

Wai said that there will be seats and free wireless internet service available in the indoor waiting areas.

The bus terminal is connected to different passageways that are open 24/7 so that passengers do not have to cross the carriageways when they head to or depart from the bus terminal, which will reduce the risk of traffic accidents.

Wai said the minibus terminal on the lower floor has enough space to accommodate parking for 19 minibuses, along with three spots for charging electric minibuses.

"Charging electric minibuses requires a high voltage electric current, and we initially have to assess if the original design of the power supply facilities has the capacity to handle it," he wrote.

"In addition, we have to strike a balance between that and the space for parking minibuses."

He said that he and the Urban Renewal Authority has also taken initiative and approached different governmental departments to push forward discussions on the mode of operation for electric minibuses.