Minister confirms Carlow will have all-electric town bus service

Carlow has been ear-marked as a town to benefit from an all-electric town bus service, after the first service of its kind was introduced in Athlone during the week. 

Athlone’s town bus service was officially launched by Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan in Athlone on Friday

Speaking at the launch, Minister Ryan said: "We have to electrify everything in transport. It makes for a better bus service, they are quieter and cleaner and the fuel cost is a lot cheaper, as well as the maintenance costs. 

"We are rolling out town bus services in Carlow, Mullingar, in Ennis - all over the country, because when you provide a good quality transport service, the Irish people respond," Minister Ryan said. 

Operated by Ireland’s national bus company, Bus Éireann (BÉ), and funded by the Department of Transport through the National Transport Authority (NTA), physical works to transform the Athlone town bus service into a 100% electric operation began last year, with the service due to commence operations on the 29 January.

The project, a €10 million investment by the NTA, is the first to launch under the Government’s Pathfinder Programme – a package of exemplar transport projects to be delivered by state agencies and local authorities around the country within the next three years.

The Pathfinder Programme forms a key part of the implementation of the National Sustainable Mobility Policy, which sets out the government’s plan to meet Ireland’s requirement to achieve a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 in the transport sector.

This Pathfinder project, an additional investment in public transport, will see 11 new state-of-the-art electric buses operate Athlone town services. 

The new fleet will reduce CO2 emissions by 400,000kg annually and will deliver a quieter, cleaner bus service for the town and passengers. Over 540,000 kilometres are operated on the Athlone town bus service each year, with over 10,000 passengers now using the service weekly – a 20% increase on 2019 figures.

The new buses will be charged using newly-installed charging infrastructure supplied with power from the newly-constructed electricity substation within the Bus Éireann depot on Station Road, Athlone. Construction and installation work here was carried out by ESB Smart Energy Services.

In preparing for the commencement of operations, Bus Éireann drivers and mechanics underwent a comprehensive training programme – more than 500 hours – on the driving, maintenance and operation of the new buses which will deliver emission-free public transport.