Galway West TD Hildegard Naughton has today marked the first year since the introduction of hybrid double-deck buses to Bus Éireann’s Galway fleet.
By this week, the buses will have delivered 200,000 kilometres of emission-free public transport in the city, saving almost 230 tonnes of carbon tailpipe emissions.
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 of swapped over to hybrid by September – 40 vehicles in total.
The new buses have been very well-received by customers and drivers and offer benefits including quieter operation and cleaner air to everyone in the city.
Galway West Fine Gael TD and Minister at the Department of Transport, Hildegarde Naughton, said that the government is committed to leading by example in decarbonising the transport sector.
“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,” said Minister Naughton.
“The fleet is also helping to improve air quality in the city, which has obvious health benefits.”
The Galway TD said that she is delighted that Galway has proven the benefits of this technology, and that she is looking forward to the continued roll-out of clean, green transport systems in all parts of the country.
The National Transport Authority has committed that no new diesel-only buses will be put into operation in Ireland’s urban areas.
Brian Connolly, Senior Operations Manager West, Bus Éireann, said that because of the buses having an electric drivetrain to connect the transmission to the axles, they have gained valuable in-service experience 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,” he said.
“Having Galway city as an entirely hybrid operation has been really positive for Bus Éireann, our customers and for the city as a whole.”
