Electric bus service set for Limerick following Athlone project

Bus Éireann is set to launch its first electric regional city service in Limerick, following its first electric town bus service in Athlone, Co Westmeath.

It comes as the Athlone ‘Pathfinder’ project has passed the one-year mark.

In January 2023, 11 electric buses were launched in Athlone by Bus Éireann, with a €10 million investment by the National Transport Authority.

Bus Éireann said that during the first year of service the 11 electric vehicles completed over 530,000 emission-free kilometres eliminating more than 400,000kg of tailpipe CO2 emissions when compared to traditional vehicles.

The company said it has also seen passenger growth of 25 per cent in 2023 compared to the same period in 2022.

The Athlone service bus fleet is composed entirely of Enviro200EV single-deck battery-electric buses supplied by British bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis, which are in use in a number of major cities in the United Kingdom, including London and Glasgow.

The next phase of the electrification of Bus Éireann-operated public bus services will commence next month in Limerick, when a first tranche of 34 double-deck electric buses begin entering service.

Drivers and staff at Limerick’s Roxboro depot have been undertaking testing and training on the buses in recent weeks, in preparation for the launch.