Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
The Clare Byrne Show on Newstalk. With Aviva Insurance. The Public Accounts Committee heard yesterday that over 100 electric buses worth tens of millions of euro have been left sitting idle due to a lack of charging infrastructure across the country. Some of them haven't been in use for nearly 900 days.
Well, to share their thoughts on this, I'm joined by the Assistant General Secretary of the National Bus and Rail Union, Thomas O'Connor, and environmental scientist Tara Shine. Thomas, I'll start with you. You're welcome to the programme. Thanks for coming in. What do you think about these buses sitting there idle?
Yeah, unfortunately, it's not the first time that we've had to comment on this.
Chapter 2: What is the main issue with electric buses in this episode?
The upshot of it is the buses that are out there in place of these new electric buses, the AX and EV type buses. I drove those over two decades ago. I mean, little did I think that I'd be standing at a bus stop today putting my hand out and getting on those same buses. For one, it's not good for the environment.
They're still in use, those much older buses.
They were taken out of a field up in Ardee, deep cleaned and put back into service. They're not conducive to good public transport from a driver perspective. The maintenance regime at Dublin Bus is very good, highest standards. But even though these buses have probably a million kilometres on the clock,
No matter how well maintained they are, there's going to be metal fatigue, there's going to be rattles.
Chapter 3: How long have some electric buses been sitting idle?
Even though the seats were replaced, there's a million kilometres on them, there's a lot of miles. They're not comfortable, they're not the highest spec. And from a travelling public point of view, they're single-door vehicles. So we've gotten used to the double doors. We've gotten used to how quick it is to get on and off the buses. Single doors restrict that.
And the engines, the EV bus, I think it has a D7C engine. It's a 7.3 litre diesel engine. The AX bus has a D9B engine. It's a 9.3 litre. These are diesel engines. We're in the middle of a climate emergency and we're trying to bring these buses in. to reduce carbon emissions, and yet these diesel polluters... And these new buses, they're not in the depots, are they?
I think some of them, the committee heard, some of them are with the manufacturers still, because you can't take delivery of them if you can't use them.
No, they're up in Ballymena, they're up in Wright Bus, up in Ballymena.
In Antrim, sitting there waiting to come in. Are you aware of the problems with securing chargers? What have you heard about when the fix is coming? Well,
The article this morning went some way. I believe there's a framework agreement for the procurement of contractors to install it. One would have thought from a corporate governance point of view that when the NTA board decided to buy 600 buses, they would have put a framework agreement back in then.
The planning issue, like when they first went to the Summerhill in Fisbrook, there was delays and there was delays from a planning perspective in Fisbrook because of a stone wall and the substation or the charging infrastructure didn't respect the heritage of a stone wall. That's ridiculous to me. We're talking about public transport. We're talking about the common good.
If it comes down to offending a few people with hang-ups about historical matters or the common good, the eyes have it. The common good wins every time.
People are entitled to object and protect
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Chapter 4: What challenges are faced in securing charging infrastructure?
Our kids need to be able to travel on safe, affordable routes. clean public transport, our bus drivers need to have that better experience that's been described. People walking in the street won't be breathing in the diesel fumes.
Like it's just such a winner, winner, no brainer that whatever it takes, I just think this is a great example of a micro, of a relatively small singular issue that if we can solve this, we learn from it and then apply that across the other even bigger kind of decarbonisation sustainability initiatives we're trying to roll out around the country.
The Minister for Transport, Dara O'Brien, says that his department has provided significant funding to progress the electrification of urban bus fleets. This isn't about the money, though, as we've seen from what's happening. This is about blockages, as you have mentioned, Dara, in the system.
Yeah. And so the system has to unblock itself. So the heads of all these departments and agencies need to get together and say that we have to find a way to get past this. I just think that that is within our capabilities to do it. I know that upgrading the grid is a challenge, but there is lots of experience in this country. There's heaps of experience amongst our European neighbours.
And I am sure that in this case, where there's a will, there's a way.
The chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Sinn Féin's John Brady, says that this is a shocking incompetence. Buses that cost around half a million euro each, when you think about it, parked up for months and years with no concrete timeline for when they will enter service. It's inexcusable, really, isn't it?
It is. And the half a million per vehicle pales in comparison to the fines that Ireland would be hit with from the EU for missing its climate targets. Billions, tens of billions in fines. So it behoves us all to get this infrastructure in place, remove the blockages, whether it be planning or engineering blockages. But the money is there, the buses are there. We just need some joined up thinking.
So 76 double-decker battery electric buses unused for 500 days, but 14 of those 76 have been parked for 860 days. They won't be new anymore by the time we get them on the road. This is the problem.
We live in a tech age. We've all got battery gadgets. One wonders if a bus is sitting there and it's not being charged and not being used, is there a drain on the battery? Will they be damaged?
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