The National Transport Authority, in partnership with The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann, recently launched the Low Emission Bus Trial, to test a range of technologies and fuels under real-driving conditions on selected Dublin and Cork routes.
Supported by the Green Public Transport Fund, full electric, hybrid-electric, hydrogen and compressed natural gas/biogas buses are being tested alongside retrofitted diesel buses. The buses are being assessed under a number of headings including CO2 and air quality pollutant emissions, energy efficiency, costs and infrastructural requirements. The trials will run until March 2019 and will help to further inform future purchasing decisions for the urban public bus fleet.
The buses will be trialled on the Number 9 Route in Dublin City and on the Number 207a route in Cork City on weekday afternoons and evenings over the next four months. The buses will simulate real-driving conditions and 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. 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”.
The different technologies being tested include fully electric, electric-hybrid, hydrogen and compressed natural gas/biogas powered buses.
For further information on the trial please visit www.dttas.gov.ie
