Minister Ross welcomes the Low Emission Bus Trial
Foilsithe
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Teanga: Níl leagan Gaeilge den mhír seo ar fáil.
Foilsithe
An t-eolas is déanaí
Teanga: Níl leagan Gaeilge den mhír seo ar fáil.
The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross T.D., together with the National Transport Authority, Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann, have this week launched the Low Emission Bus Trial. The trials which began yesterday will test a range of technologies and fuels under real-driving conditions on selected routes in both Dublin and Cork. Supported by the Green Public Transport Fund, full electric, hybrid-electric, hydrogen and compressed natural gas/biogas buses will be tested alongside retrofitted diesel buses. The buses will be assessed under a number of headings including CO¬2 and air quality pollutant emissions, energy efficiency, costs, and infrastructural requirements. The trials will run until April 2019 and will help to further inform future purchasing decisions for the urban public bus fleet.
Minister Ross said “2018 has been a watershed year for recognising the impacts of climate change. These vehicle trials confirm the commitment expressed in the National Development Plan that from July next year, no diesel-only buses will be purchased for the publicly-owned urban bus fleets. We are determined that the choice of fuels or technologies that we make will be the right one for our urban bus fleets and will support the continued provision of effective public transport services as well as contributing to decarbonising the transport sector and improving our urban air quality”.
The buses will be trialled on the Number 9 route in Dublin City and on the Number 207a route in Cork City over the next four months. The buses will simulate real-driving conditions and so will stop at or near bus stops, doors will open and close but they will not carry any passengers. The trial will not affect existing schedules or service capacity; normal bus services will continue on these routes. Where possible the buses in the trial will be identifiable by their front scroll reading ‘Low Emission Bus Trial – Not in Service’ as well as signs affixed to the windows.
Minister Ross noted that “the most important transformation in the transport sector in the coming years will be the replacement of conventionally fossil fuelled vehicles on the roads with cleaner more efficient alternatives. This is a formidable adjustment but one that with vision, investment and resilience can actively set Ireland on the right path to decarbonisation and cleaner air”.
ENDS
Notes for Editors
[More information about the trials is available from http://www.dttas.ie/public-transport/english/climate-change and from Transport for Ireland.]
Fuels and technologies being tested will include: