Greener public transport fund went virtually unused

Virtually no multi – million dollar government fund put in place last year to encourage the use of greener buses in Irish cities was spent.

Transport Minister Shane Ross's $ 2.5 million Green Public Transportation Fund was announced last year as one of the six flagship measures of his department in climate change.

It was established to help buses and taxis to abandon the use of diesel and gasoline.

However, Mr. Ross revealed that, for what is spent up to here, no part of the money was spent on buses, while only € 45,000 – less of 2% – were used as part of a grant program. for taxis.

Only € 500,000 of the fund was reserved for taxis.

The national development plan, the government's master plan for the country over the next few years, stipulates that fossil fuel-powered buses in towns and villages will be replaced by cleaner alternatives.

However, state-owned transportation companies will continue to purchase diesel buses until next July, as part of the National Transportation Authority's BusConnects Fleet Renewal Program [19659008]. buses – will be low-emission vehicles by 2023 and provide for a complete conversion of the fleet by 2030.

One of the objectives of the Green Public Transport Fund was to revive the use of energy efficient and alternative vehicles. bus among so-called public service bus operators.

These are state-subsidized bus services – deemed necessary but not financially viable – run by Dublin Bus, Éireann Bus and M & A Coaches.

"No funding was pulled down [for buses] in 2017," Ross said.

"However, a set of updated and comprehensive vehicle tests is scheduled to begin later in the year to guide decisions to purchase new buses in the years to come. "

Urban Bus Trials

Ross said "it is expected" that the National Transport Authority will use the fund to start alternatively powered city bus tests this year.

Only seven taxi drivers have received a grant under the fund since the beginning of this year. There are more than 20,000 taxis in Ireland.

The Republic is the second-worst EU member state to fight climate change, after Poland, the largest coalition of European NGOs working on climate and energy issues , said last month.

The Climate Action Network Europe, supported by the European Commission, has ranked the state in second position in the efforts to achieve its goals under the Paris Agreement on Change climate.

"Ireland should miss its climate and renewable energy targets for 2020 and is also outside its ambitious emissions targets for 2030," he warned. . , the Republic "faces annual non – compliance costs of about 500 million euros".