PUBLIC
Athlone electric town buses
Summary
Client: Athlone Electric Town Buses
Location: Athlone
Sector: Public & Transport
The Challenge
Bus Éireann in partnership with the National Transport Authority, launched Ireland’s first all-electric town bus service in Athlone in January 2023. This pioneering project was designed to assess the technical and operational implications of transitioning a service to 100% electric provision.
The town’s bus serves a population of approximately 21,000 with more than 10,000 passenger journeys weekly and covers over 540,000 km annually. The project involved detailed planning, a vehicle tender process, upgrading electrical charging infrastructure, and training mechanics and drivers.
The Solution
The Impact
“Since introducing the electric buses, there has been an energy consumption reduction of 55% and emissions reduction of 48% compared to the previous diesel fleet. The quieter and cleaner service resulted in a 40% increase in passenger numbers.”
“The project has led to learnings being applied to other depots, and Bus Éireann plans to introduce EV buses across its NTA-supported services to more cities and towns in the coming years.”
This project was the winner of the 2023 SEAI Energy Awards in the Transport Category.
“The most important thing for a project like this is we've seen over 50% emission reduction and over 50% energy reduction.”
“The people of Athlone now have quieter cleaner busses”
Stephen Kent
CEO Bus Eireann
The Partners
Client
Community Energy Grant
Main Contractor
Grant Co-ordination
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