Paul Murphy demands clarity on idle electric buses
Paul Murphy questioned why newly manufactured electric buses are not yet in service and called for written follow-up for detailed timelines and causes. He said 65 buses for the Dublin area and 47 for other cities have completed manufacturing but appear to be held back from the operational fleet.
Manufactured buses awaiting deployment
He noted that a further 65 buses for the Dublin area and 47 buses for other cities have completed the manufacturing process and are said to enter the operational fleet over the coming months, but that this information does not explain how many electric buses are currently not in operation because supporting facilities are lacking.
Questions posed to the transport authority
He urged that officials should be asked for more detail - specifically when the buses will be operational, the dates they were manufactured, when they were ready for use and how long they have been in storage.
Possible causes highlighted
He asked whether a lack of charging capacity has been a factor in delaying deployment, or whether shortages of drivers or other issues are responsible for buses remaining unused.
Next steps recommended
He recommended writing back to request clearer timelines, manufacturing and readiness dates, storage durations and confirmation of the reasons for any delays so that the status of the electric bus rollout can be properly understood.
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Yeah, basically just I think we need to follow up further on the issue of the electric buses. It was something I and other members were asking about. And the answer we've got is that a further 65 buses for the Dublin area and 47 buses for other cities have completed the manufacturing process and will enter into the operational fleet over the coming months, which effectively doesn't answer the question as to how many buses, electric buses, are sitting there not currently in operation because the facilities aren't there for them. So I think what we should write back to them asking for more detail on when they will be operational, what date they were manufactured, when they were ready for use, how long they've been in storage and whether a lack of charging capacity has been a factor in delaying their deployment or whether it's lack of drivers or another issue.
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