Bus Éireann Cork depot saved 20 tonnes of carbon emissions in 2021, according to report

BUS ÉIREANN'S bus depot at Capwell in Cork city saw a 14 per cent reduction in energy consumed in 2021, saving 20 tonnes of carbon emissions, according to the company's first annual sustainability report.

The report, published yesterday, is the first to detail Ireland’s national bus company’s progress towards the ambitious goals set out in its ‘Driving Change Sustainability Strategy, 2021-2030’ published in May 2021.

Bus Éireann, which employs 570 people in Cork, also reported a 50 per cent cut in lighting energy consumption at the Capwell depot last year. 

Elsewhere in the country, 61 hybrid and three hydrogen buses procured by the National Transport Authority (NTA) delivered 150,000 emission-free kilometres of passenger journeys in Galway, Limerick and Dublin commuter routes.

In 2021, Galway became Ireland’s first city with an entirely hybrid bus service, funded by the NTA and operated by Bus Éireann. 

Diesel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced by 30 per cent as a result.

Bus Éireann said these buses, the first in an increasingly sustainable fleet, are crucial to progress towards its plan to become one of the greenest national transport companies in Europe.

The company has commenced planning for the reconfiguration of its bus depots in Athlone, Limerick, Cork and Galway, to accommodate electric vehicles, in addition to training the company’s craft workers to facilitate the transition from diesel to electric.

Other sustainability milestones achieved in 2021 include supplying 1,700 Bus Éireann employees with new uniforms made from ethically sourced and recycled material, avoiding plastic waste ending up in landfills or oceans.

"We are putting sustainability at the centre of everything we do. While the transformation is fundamental and the challenge is enormous, we’re pleased that we’re on track for most of our targets," Stephen Kent, chief executive of Bus Éireann, said.

"Total emission-free kilometres are still low in the scale of our operations, but this was the first year of emission-free kilometres ever operated in Irish public bus transport. That makes 2021 a really significant year.

"Facilitating 90 million journeys a year, we can and are making a real and lasting positive difference by encouraging people to make sustainable travel choices, and by working together to reduce our carbon footprint and energy consumption."

PROGRESS

Rory Leahy, chief safety and sustainability officer at Bus Éireann, said the company is making progress towards its 2030 targets but still has more to do. 

"As we work to achieve our ambitions, we continue to review and monitor our performance and identify additional areas for development and improvement.

"One such area is in waste, where we recognise the need to significantly increase our recycling rates," he explained.

"We are planning a series of in-depth waste audits at our key sites, and our target is to increase the number of commercial recycle bins by at least 20 per cent this year."