Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 July 2018
815. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the amount of funding available under the green public transport fund in 2017 and 2018; the projects funded under this programme in 2017 and 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30764/18]
View answerWithin my Department's overall funding allocation, €5.5m was assigned in Budget 2018, and €29 million from 2019-2021, specifically to provide for a Carbon Reduction Programme to support measures which aid in decarbonising the transport sector. From within this allocation, funding is sourced for the Green Public Transport Fund which was established to support the uptake of low carbon, energy efficient technologies within the public transport sector. The Fund is intended to support piloting and uptake of energy efficient and alternatively fuelled technologies for PSO operators within the bus fleet and small public service vehicle (SPSV) sector, as well as bridging the price differential between such technologies and conventionally fuelled vehicles.
In 2017, no funding was drawn down; later this year an up-to-date and comprehensive set of vehicle trials is being planned to commence to help inform purchasing decisions for new buses over the coming years. It is envisaged that in 2018 the NTA will employ the Fund to support these urban bus fleet trials. In addition, the Fund is also supporting the transition of the national SPSV fleet to alternative technologies through the establishment of a new Electric Vehicle SPSV Grant Scheme. By the end of May 2018, €45,221 had been drawn down from the Fund to pay grants under this scheme.
