Business

Limerick sees new fleet of cleaner, quieter electric buses

15 of 35 electric charging stations have been installed at Bus Éireann’s Roxboro depot as part of overall effort to ‘green’ public transport

Stephen Kent, CEO of Bus Éireann, Eoin Gillard, head of public transport investments at the NTA, Miriam Hughes Bus Eireann chairwoman and Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan at the launch of Ireland's first electric town bus service in Athlone last year. Limerick is the latest to embrace the new technology. Photograph: Alan Betson

Ciara O'Brien
Fri Apr 12 2024 - 12:18

Bus Éireann is rolling out a fleet of new electric buses across Limerick as part of a €54 million investment by the National Transport Authority (NTA).

It will include 55 new double decker buses, with 34 battery-electric buses already in Limerick and a further 21 to enter service in early 2025.

To support the roll-out, 35 charging stations will be installed at Bus Éireann’s Roxboro depot. Fifteen of the stations have already been installed and are operational while the remaining 20 will be in place next year.

“Our mission is to help make life better and this transformative €54 investment in new zero emission fleet, funded by the NTA, helps us reduce greenhouse gas emissions, providing a cleaner and greener public transport solution for everyone in Limerick city,” said Stephen Kent, chief executive of Bus Éireann.

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The new buses will support more than 2.1 million kilometres of emission-free travel across Limerick city services per year.

The fleet, which was officially unveiled on Friday by Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan, follows a similar bus service in Athlone.

“It is great to see the launch of electrified bus services in Limerick city today,” he said. “This follows on from the successful roll-out of a fully electrified town bus service in Athlone last year and the ongoing decarbonisation of the Dublin bus fleet.”

Mr Ryan said the Government was committed to the greening of public transport services and the latest roll-out would help climate targets while also providing a quieter, cleaner bus service for the people of Limerick.

“In other city and town locations people have responded to the transformation of our public transport services in their droves and I fully expect it will be the very same here in Limerick.”

Ciara O'Brien

Ciara O'Brien

Ciara O'Brien is an Irish Times business and technology journalist

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