Freezing Hong Kong buses "damaging to health and environment"
Mon Aug 8, 4:29 PM ET

HONG KONG (AFP) - An environmental group and medical experts warned that Hong Kong's air-conditioned buses are so cold they could cause passengers health problems.

A survey by Green Sense found that temperatures onboard the tropical city's buses, which are as as low as 17 degrees Celcius, could bring on headaches, cause breathing problems and worsen allergic reactions.

"Passengers' psychological needs are satisfied when they board air-conditoned buses in the heat, however, their physiological needs are not," Green Sense vice-chairman Jan Lai told AFP.

"The cold temperatures are only causing harm to their bodies," Lai added.

The group presented its report to bus companies in Hong Kong, suggesting they raise bus temperatures to 25.5 degrees Celsius as recommended by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers, which helped identify so-called "air-conditioning sickness".

They also suggested the bus companies install windows that can be opened.

The temperature rise would be beneficial to the environment too, they said, as less fuel would be used resulting in lower emissions of carbon dioxide, a major cause of global warming.

The report comes weeks after Hong Kong Friends of the Earth declared Hong Kong "the coldest air-conditioned place in the world" in a survey that found temperatures in shopping centres and trains were as low as 16 degrees centigrade.

Opening windows only lets in the dog-breath heat from outside. That's why they got rid of them in the first place. They should raise the A/C temperature by 2-3 degrees. Saves energy and doesn't freeze people.

Here's my idea - and I don't know if it will work - but I think that they SHOULD install windows that can open, but can also be locked (during the hotter weather, of course).

However, I still prefer the A/C buses to the "hot dog" buses. I would wait an extra 8-15 minutes if I see a hot dog bus coming, in hopes of riding an A/C one.

Leaking during the heavy storm is a big problem like those old CMB Dennis Dragon and Leyland Olympian; esp. it rains so much in HK.

by adding windows woundn't that waste alot of energy.

Bus air-con gives medics the chills
Albert Wong
Hong Kong Standard
Friday, August 18, 2006

The combination of fridge-like conditions on buses and the choking, hot roadside air is increasing the health risks for Hong Kong commuters, doctors and environmentalists have warned.

While air-conditioned buses burn up more fuel and spew more pollutants at those waiting in the furnace conditions of a bus stop, passengers on the buses also face risks to their health.

One Citybus along route 8X, dubbed the "fridge route," registered temperatures of 15.1 degrees Celsius when the outside temperature was 31.2 degrees.

Roy Tam Hoi-pong, president of Green Sense which conducted the survey, warned of "air-con sickness," wherein a person is hit with cold symptoms and a headache because of the sudden change in temperature.

"When the bus is too cold, and people are constantly going from a hot to cold environment, it weakens their immune system and makes it easy to catch colds," said Dr Alvin Chan Yee-shing, a Medical Council and Hong Kong Medical Association council member.

"Patients often complain that they feel more congested, or get stuffy noses, when sitting on a bus."

He suggested revisions to the current vehicle models in which one is unable to open the windows and has no choice but to suffer the air-conditioning set by the bus company.

"The buses should not all be air- conditioned. It gives people no choice to open windows and breathe fresh air. We should buy new buses that have the option of being air-conditioned or not, so that in the wintertime, we can just open windows. It will save on energy consumption too," Chan said.

Medical constituency lawmaker Kwok Ka-ki said from personal experience the temperatures in buses were obviously too low. He said healthy people with strong immune systems should be able to resist the sudden temperature change but those with a weak immune system, such as the elderly, or those taking medication face health risks.

A big temperature change could cause a sudden contraction of blood vessels and affect blood pressure.

According to a survey of 5,400 buses conducted between June and this month, 89 percent had temperatures lower than the government recommended 25.5 degrees.

Tam said the cold temperatures indicated buses were burning unnecessary diesel fuel, causing greater emissions of unburned carbon particulates and other pollutants.

Green Sense researchers also found that exhaust fumes and roadside temperatures increased when temperatures inside the bus were low.

"The colder it is inside, the hotter the exhaust fumes outside," Tam said.

During the days of the Green Sense survey, the bus stop temperatures averaged 30.3 degrees while the inside bus temperature averaged 22.8 degrees, a difference of 7.5 degrees.

Green Sense investigated 19 buses from Kowloon Motor Bus in a single day and in a single bus terminal, when it was 30.6 degrees. The 17 air-conditioned buses emitted exhaust fumes ranging between 32.1 and 36.1 degrees, while the two non-air-conditioned buses registered 31.2 and 32.8 degrees.

Tam said he personally researched the "fridge route," on Citybus 8X.

"I remember that day really well. I was literally shivering," he said.

Two other KMB routes recorded low temperatures of 19.2 and 18.4 degrees.

A spokeswoman for Citybus and New World First Bus said customer feedback and advice from the air- conditioning suppliers led to a "suitable" temperature setting in the buses.

An automatic thermostat control system also adjusted the temperatures. But because the environment inside a bus is subject to many conditions, the vehicle cannot maintain a stable temperature like inside an office, the spokeswoman said, adding the opening and closing of doors, time of day, length of journey and number of passengers all affected the inside temperature.

A KMB spokeswoman offered the same explanation, adding that if the temperature had been taken near the doors, there would have been much higher readings.

However, she said KMB air- conditioned buses are set at 23 degrees.

Tam urged the government to legislate against excessive use of air-conditioning, and hoped the public would understand that an artificial temperature below 25 degrees was not normal and bad for the environment.

A spokeswoman from the Environmental Protection Department said the government urges all public transport companies to try and maintain temperatures around 25.5 degrees.

A study by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air- Conditioning Engineers showed that people were most comfortable in temperatures ranging from 22.5 to 25.5 degrees. Taking this into consideration, the government decided upon the upper limit since such a temperature would be both comfortable as well as energy- saving, the spokeswoman said, adding Japan, Singapore and the United States all recommended the same temperature.

However, she said the government understood a bus climate was hard to monitor and maintain, citing the same factors listed by the bus companies, and decided against legislation.