Ireland’s first electric bus fleet will be on Athlone streets “later this month”

Athlone will see the first electric buses on its streets later this month following confirmation from Bus Éireann that the formal launch of Ireland's first fully-electric bus fleet will take place in the town on Friday next, January 20.

The project is being funded, and the vehicles procured, by the National Transport Authority (NTA) in collaboration with Bus Éireann. The new fleet is understood to include 11 buses, and the projected cost is estimated to be in excess of €5 million. Bus Éireann has estimated that 60 tonnes of carbon per bus could be saved annually when the switch over to a fully electric fleet is completed.

See full story in this week's Westmeath Independent print edition.