My Department has been in contact with the Department of the Environment and Local Government, which has the overall responsibility for implementing Directive 96/62/EC concerning ambient air quality. It has indicated its support for a joint approach by both Departments to the promotion of a suitable mix of fuels for public transport vehicles.
My Department will be very supportive of any measures in the public transport area designed to improve air quality. Improving the quantity and quality of public transport will have a particularly important role to play in so far as it encourages people to transfer from the private car. The recent initiatives I have announced, including direct Exchequer support for bus and rail investment, will make a major contribution in this regard.
If Dublin Bus was to specify alternative fuels for all or part of the order for 150 additional buses, it would have to begin a new tendering procedure. This would significantly delay both the date for the first deliveries and the overall delivery schedule. Given the existing critical traffic situation in Dublin, this course of action would not be desirable. There are no funds available to me to provide a special subsidy.
While I appreciate the benefits of alternative fuels, there are a number of detailed issues which will have to be considered. These include possible additional fuel and vehicle costs, additional infrastructure costs involved in new fuelling and storage facilities and safety considerations. My Department has, therefore, suggested to the Department of the Environment and Local Government that an informal working group representative of both Departments and Dublin Bus should be established to address these issues in the context of the company's ongoing bus replacement programme.
