The days of taking in sooty lungfuls of diesel-filled air when a bus passes you by are on the way out. Electric buses are making significant inroads into public transport services, so instead of a choking black cloud, these days you’re likely to notice the gentle whirr of an electric motor.
Buses are an ideal use case for electrification in these early days of the shift away from fossil fuels. Unlike private electric cars, they operate only on clearly defined routes and head out from a central depot each day, which dramatically simplifies charging issues. Indeed, most EV bus designs can tackle an entire day’s driving on one charge – electric buses generally have a driving range of around 350km, depending on the conditions.
The Transportation Research Board in the United States estimates that an electric bus has emissions that are some 62 per cent lower than those of a diesel bus, even if it’s being charged from a relatively emissions-heavy electricity network.
How are we doing in Ireland? Dermot O’Gara from the Department for Transport told The Irish Times that at the start of 2024, there had been “an overall investment in 488 buses”.
“By April 2024 a total of 55 single-deck electric buses have been ordered, of which 45 have been delivered to date, with 11 of these in service on Ireland’s first zero-emission town bus service in Athlone since January 2023,” said O’Gara. “Single-deck electric buses are also now in use in Dublin ahead of their full introduction into service later in 2024.
“In respect of double deck electric vehicles, an initial order for 120 vehicles was placed in 2022, comprising 100 double-deck electric buses for Dublin Bus and 20 double-deck electric buses for Bus Éireann. A second order for 91 vehicles was placed in 2023 comprising of 50 double-deck electric buses for Dublin Bus and 41 double-deck electric buses for Bus Éireann.
“In Dublin, the introduction into passenger service of the double-deck battery-electric buses is advancing, and some 100 of these are now in service, with additional vehicles being added into operation each week. In respect of the Bus Éireann fleet, 34 double-deck battery-electric buses are now in Limerick and are being used on a variety of routes in the city since February 2024. A further 21 of these double deck battery-electric buses are expected to enter service in early 2025.”
It’s important to note that some of these 488 buses aren’t purely electric, as a significant proportion are still diesel-hybrids. But that’s still impactful, as some studies – notably one undertaken in Stockholm – have found that hybrid buses can be, in some circumstances and in certain conditions, as effective at reducing total emissions as a fully electric bus. There are also a tiny number – just three so far – of hydrogen-powered buses, being operated as part of a pilot project.
The obvious advantages of electric buses – lower emissions, less noise, better city-centre air quality – are also backed up by the fact that electric models tend to need much less servicing and maintenance, resulting in better overall reliability and in-service numbers, which makes for better timetabling.
Of course, electric buses are great for urban areas but perhaps less so for more rural services; while an electric bus would be great, any bus at all would be something of a miracle for some rural dwellers. However, this too is changing.
“With the increasing number of routes offered by the Connecting Ireland programme each year adding to the existing public transport network and active travel network, it is becoming easier for people across Ireland to travel in a more environmentally friendly manner,” said O’Gara. “However, there are some outlying areas where connectivity will be improved as the Connecting Ireland programme continues its roll out. When fully implemented, we anticipate that the Connecting Ireland network will provide over 70 per cent of those living outside the cities with access to a public transport service that provides at least three return trips each weekday to a nearby town.”
Connecting Ireland has already launched 24 new bus services across the State, and upgraded 41 existing services, adding 122,000km of extra routes and handling 800,000 passenger journeys.
How long will it take before all buses are fully electric? Some time yet, it would seem – an electric bus costs a whopping €675,000 for a double-decker, although that is for a vehicle intended to remain in service for at least 12 years. The National Transport Authority’s plan is that by 2032, 85 per cent of all bus routes in the metropolitan Dublin area will be operated by low or zero-emissions buses, with a fully zero-emissions service in place by 2035.
Given that, currently, only 9 per cent of Dublin Bus’s urban vehicles and 15 per cent of Bus Éireann urban vehicles are electric, that’s a lot of work to do in 10 years. But that work starts here.
