Galway West TD and Minister of State at the Department of Transport Hildegard Naughton has marked the first year since the introduction of hybrid double-decker buses to Bus Éireann’s Galway fleet. The new buses were purchased by the National Transport Authority and, by the week of 16 May, had delivered 200,000 kilometres of emission-free public transport in the city, saving almost 230 tonnes of carbon tailpipe emissions.
Details
The first hybrid bus in the new green-and-yellow Transport for Ireland livery arrived in Galway in May 2021, with the full city fleet – 40 vehicles in total – swapped over to hybrid by September.
Statement By Minister Naughton
Minister Naughton stated, “Government is committed to leading by example in decarbonising the transport sector, and the purchase of hybrid buses for Galway’s fleet is testament to this.
“Providing reliable bus services by way of environmentally friendly buses is key to encouraging more people to use public transport for work, education, leisure, and other purposes. The fleet is also helping to improve air quality in the city, which has obvious health benefits.
“I am delighted that Galway has proven the benefits of this technology, and I look forward to the continued roll-out of clean, green transport systems in all parts of the country as part of our Programme for Government commitment to address climate change.”
Statement By Senior Operations Manager, West, For Bus Éireann
Brian Connolly, senior operations manager, west, for Bus Éireann, stated, “Because the buses have an electric drivetrain to connect the transmission to the axles, we have gained valuable in-service experience out on the road and in the garage. This is proving very helpful as we plan with the NTA for Athlone’s town service, to switch over to a fully electric, zero-emissions fleet. Having Galway City as an entirely hybrid operation has been really positive for Bus Éireann, our customers, and for the city as a whole.”
Further Information
Further information about Bus Éireann’s sustainability strategy is available at buseireann.ie/sustainability.
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