Athlone gets Ireland’s first all-electric town bus service

The first fully-electric buses will enter service in Athlone, Co Westmeath later this month, marking the start of the first all-electric town bus service in Ireland.

The project is being funded, and the vehicles procured, by the National Transport Authority (NTA) in collaboration with Bus Éireann, which operates the Athlone town bus service.

The NTA says it has invested €10 million in the project, purchasing 11 new buses and reconfiguring the Bus Éireann depot in Athlone with nine new high-powered electric vehicle charging units and a new ESB substation.

UK bus and coach manufacturer Alexander Dennis Limited will supply the 11 BYD ADL Enviro200EV single deck buses.

Bus Éireann estimates that 60 tonnes of carbon per bus could be saved annually when the switch over to a fully electric fleet is completed.