Dublin Bus is testing its first e-buses. NTA has ordered another 210 vehicles from Wrightbus

Nine e-buses have been delivered in Dublin out of a 120-units NTA order dating back to June 2022. Driver training, vehicle testing and route piloting has got under way, as these are the first battery-electric buses that have arrived in Dublin.

The NTA board has recently approved the ordering of an additional 210 buses from Wrightbus for delivery in 2024 under the framework agreement (which provides for a maximum of 800 vehicles in five years). This is in addition to the 120 ordered in June 2022, and the 91 ordered in Dec 2022. This brings to 421 the total number of electric buses due to enter service during the next 24 months. In other words, within two years, about a third of Dublin Bus urban bus fleet will already be zero-emission.

Test of electric buses started in Dublin

Testing, commissioning plus driver familiarisation will continue through August and September using the new buses.

Dublin Bus is currently undertaking an extensive training and piloting programme with drivers from the Phibsboro and Summerhill depots. There is a selection of routes being used to test the range of the electric fleet and provide valuable information that will feed into operational plans for the rollout, including routes C1, C2, 9, 15a, 15b, 122, and 123. A total of 760 drivers will be trained up in the coming months.

The vehicles are being charged via the chargers already installed for the previously-purchased hybrid diesel-electric buses. The testing/training phase will take about three months.

CEO of the NTA, Anne Graham, said: “It’s very encouraging to see the arrival of these buses and to see them out on the streets for training and testing. “There is no doubt that people are looking to us to provide better, more sustainable transport alternatives in all areas, and it is incumbent on us as an Authority to respond to that demand in a positive way. In so doing, we will reduce the need for personal vehicles, making the quality of the air we breathe healthier for everyone. When it comes to taking climate action, we in the NTA want to play our part and we want to lead by example. We are doing that by transitioning our public transport fleet away from fossil fuel to zero emission technologies. This process is already under way, and when complete in 2035 will result in public transport emissions being massively reduced.”

Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan said:  “These buses are a critical component of the effort to transition our fleet to zero-emissions and to make public transport more sustainable than ever. “But they will also offer a much-improved customer experience, and as somebody who had an opportunity to travel on one last week, I was very impressed with how quiet and comfortable the journey was. “And of course electric buses mean that every community will get to benefit from cleaner air.”Dublin Bus CEO Billy Hann said: “We are in the midst of an extensive training and piloting programme, which is progressing well, and I am delighted to report the feedback on the new bus from our drivers and operations team has been overwhelmingly positive. This ground-breaking project fills us with great excitement as Dublin Bus embraces the opportunity to transform public transport and pave the way for a greener and cleaner future for generations to come. As we embark on this new and exciting journey, we firmly believe electric buses will bring about meaningful change for our customers, the environment, and the people of Dublin.”