Bus Éireann launches electric regional city bus fleet in Limerick

James Cox

The streets of Limerick are about to become a lot quieter as the city rolls out an electric bus fleet.

It will see 55 battery-electric buses on the roads across Limerick city.

The double-deckers will be charged at 35 stations being installed at Bus Éireann's depot in Roxboro.

It is part of a €54 million investment by the National Transport Authority (NTA).

The new service is to be officially launched by Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan TD at Limerick’s Colbert Station later on Friday.

The NTA’s investment builds on recent double-digit year-on-year passenger growth across Bus Éireann’s Limerick city services. In 2023, Bus Éireann operated over 44 million passenger journeys nationally. Of those, 4.6 million were in Limerick, representing a 15 per cent increase (600,000 additional journeys) compared to 2022.

In preparation for the new all-electric service, Bus Éireann drivers and mechanics have undergone a "comprehensive training programme" – more than 500 hours – on the driving, maintenance and operation of the state-of-the-art new fleet.

An electric bus fleet was launched in Derry city in August 2023. Ireland's first all-electric town service was launched in Athlone in January 2023.