ACTIVITY2026

Student Seminar by Mr Hui Wang on Nov 18, 2026, 2:30PM

Title: Travel as an Experience: Can Soundscape Improve the Metro Journey?

Speaker: Mr Hui Wang (Department of Geography)

Date: Nov 18, 2026 (Wednesday)

Time: 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Venue: CLL(1010) 10/F, Jockey Club Tower, HKU

Registration Link: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/H7nrKwNxAk

ITS Student Committee will provide snacks and beverages for registered participants.

Abstract: Travel is an experience shaped by what people see, hear, and feel along the journey. While increasing attention has been paid to the experiential and health dimensions of travel environments, the auditory experience of everyday travel remains relatively underexplored, particularly in high-intensity settings such as underground metro systems. This seminar presents a collaborative project between the University of Hong Kong and University College London that investigates how soundscape interventions may improve passenger experience in metro environments. A controlled experiment with 85 participants was conducted at UCL’s Person-Environment-Activity Research Laboratory, where participants walked through a simulated underground environment while being exposed to recorded London Underground sounds and four soundscape interventions: music, nature sounds, pink noise, and attenuation. Physiological responses were continuously measured using heart rate variability, together with subjective evaluations of emotional responses. The seminar will present the experimental design, key findings, and individual differences in responses to different soundscape interventions, and discuss the potential of soundscape design for improving everyday metro travel.

Bios: Hui Wang is a PhD candidate (PhD viva passed) in the Department of Geography at the University of Hong Kong, supervised by Prof. Becky P.Y. Loo. His research focuses on (i) accessibility and urban form, (ii) sustainable mobility and health, and (iii) transport operations and optimization. He has received the HKU Research Postgraduate Student Innovation Award, Sino-British Fellowship Trust Visitorships and the First Prize in the INFORMS Railway Applications Section Problem Solving Competition.

Student Seminar by Miss Zhaojing Yang on Nov 11, 2026, 3:00PM

Title: An optimization method for discrete berth allocation considering pier transitions

Speaker: Miss Zhaojing Yang (The Hong Kong Polytechnic University)

Date: Nov 11, 2026 (Wednesday)

Time: 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Venue: Tam Wing Fan Innovation Wing Two, G/F, Run Run Shaw Building, HKU

Registration Link: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/QKYrrVmmtg

ITS Student Committee will provide snacks and beverages for registered participants.

Abstract: Maritime transportation is vital for global trade but is experiencing increasing pressure at ports due to rising freight volumes and fleet sizes. This study addresses the problem of optimizing berth allocation to enhance port efficiency. A mixed-integer linear programming model is proposed to minimize the product of ship cargo loading duration and ships' cargo loading completion times, reflecting the combined impact of these factors. The model uses cargo loading duration as a proxy for ship size to determine berth allocation and incorporates dynamic arrival times, draft compatibility between ships and piers, and necessary transitions between deep-and shallow-draft piers. A case study of Hong Kong Port demonstrates the model's practical applicability and effectiveness in providing feasible berth allocation solutions. A sensitivity analysis of transition times between piers reveals a phased pattern in the objective function value, which stabilizes after reaching a certain threshold. An additional sensitivity analysis examining the number of quay cranes (QCs) shows diminishing marginal returns as QC deployment increases. The findings provide practical insights for port managers for optimizing berth allocation plans and improving operation efficiency. The study also suggests adjusting ship speeds to manage transition times and identifying the optimal number of QCs.

Bios: Yang Zhaojing received her Bachelor’s Degree from Beijing Jiao Tong University in 2023. She is currently a PhD student under the supervision of Prof. Hans Wang Shuaian in The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Her research interest is using Operations Research to solve shipping scheduling problems.

30 Oct 2026 (Fri) 14:00-15:00 | Distinguished Industrial Seminar by Mr. Roger Lee (KMB), Mr. Zetao Zhu (DiDi), and Mr. Swint Ma (DiDi)

Distinguished Industrial Seminar Series 2026

On-demand public transport services in Hong Kong: A dialogue of KMB with DiDi

Speakers:

Mr. Roger Lee 李澤昌先生 (九龍巴士(1933)有限公司董事總經理)

Mr. Zetao Zhu 朱澤濤 先生 (滴滴司機和供給發展平台&泛快拼車品類總經理)

Mr. Swint Ma 馬源濤先生 (滴滴網約公交負責人)

Moderator:

Ms. Emily Cheung (Commercial Director, KMB)

Date: 30 Oct 2026 (Fri), 2026

Time: 2:00pm – 3:00pm

Venue: Rm 7.15, Jockey Club Tower, Centennial Campus, HKU

Language: English & Putonghua

Abstract

KMB is committed to advancing public transport services in line with evolving mobility needs through effective resource allocation, operational efficiency and a passenger-centric approach. In this context, KMB regards the development of mobility-on-demand (MOD) services in Hong Kong as an important step towards enhancing service flexibility and better aligning transport provision with passenger demand.

九巴一直致力推動公共交通服務與時並進，透過優化資源配置及提升營運效率，積極回應乘客日益多元化的出行需求。九巴認為，在香港發展按需出行（Mobility-on-Demand，MOD）服務具有重要意義，有助提升公共交通服務的靈活性及供需配對效率，為乘客提供更便捷、更切合需要的出行選擇。

DiDi (滴滴) has introduced on-demand public transport services in over 20 cities across Mainland China, using digital booking and dynamic routing to better match services with passenger needs. As Hong Kong explores demand-responsive public transport outlined in its Transport Strategy Blueprint, this sharing session provides a timely opportunity to learn from DiDi’s practical experience and draw on its operational insights as a reference for local development.

滴滴已在中國內地超過20個城市推出按需響應式公共交通服務，透過數碼化預約和動態路線規劃，使服務更切合乘客需求。香港在《運輸策略藍圖》中提出發展需求響應式公共交通，本次分享會適逢其時，讓各方有機會借鑑滴滴的實踐經驗與營運心得，為本地相關服務的發展提供參考。

The sharing session will also provide a platform for exchanging views on the future of public transport and how innovation can better serve changing travel needs.

本次分享會亦將搭建交流平台，讓各方共同探討公共交通的未來，以及如何透過創新更好地滿足不斷變化的出行需求。

All are welcome!

Prof. Fangni Zhang presenting a souvenir to Mr. Roger Lee, Managing Director of KMB

Prof. Fangni Zhang presenting a souvenir to Mr. Zetao Zhu, 滴滴司機和供給發展平台&泛快拼車品類總經理

Group photo - ITS Fellows with Speakers and Guests