A green group on Wednesday called on the government to consider subsiding public transport operators which include eco-friendly vehicles in their fleet.

Green Sense said a large-scale transition to cleaner vehicles is needed if the city is to meet its target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

The group said of the almost 470 people it interviewed between June and this month, the majority of them supported the idea of public transport operators switching to eco-friendly vehicles.

However, around a quarter of them were reluctant to pay higher fares to cover the additional costs.

"We suggest that the government could utilise the Green Bond Programme to subsidise public transport operators to operate and maintain their eco-friendly vehicles, so as to reduce the cost [borne] by the citizens," the group’s research assistant, Ivan To, said.

To also urged the authorities to extend a scheme which offers registration tax concessions of up to HK$287,500 for private car drivers who switch to electric vehicles.

He said the One-for-One Replacement Scheme is due to end next March and should remain in place to encourage more people to take up cleaner cars.