The National Bus and Rail Union has described it as “ridiculous” that 76 electric buses worth tens of millions of euro are not being used because of a lack of charging infrastructure. 

Most of the buses were purchased a year and a half ago, but Public Accounts Committee chairman John Brady has revealed they are simply “sitting idle” at their manufacturers in Ballymena, County Antrim. 

The Sinn Féin TD described this as “shocking incompetence” from the National Transport Authority. 

The NTA has said it has encountered issues obtaining planning permission for the chargers. 

On The Claire Byrne, National Bus and Rail Union Assistant General Secretary Thomas O’Connor said the delay was unacceptable in the “middle of a climate emergency”. 

“I believe there is a framework agreement for the procurement of contractors to install it,” he said. 

“One would have thought from a corporate governance point of view that when the NTA board decided to buy 600 buses, they would have put a framework agreement back in then.”

An electric bus in London. Picture by: Alamy.com. 

Mr O’Connor continued that he understands the delays to construction of the charging infrastructure are to due to concerns about the  charging “heritage” of the area. 

“That's ridiculous to me,” he said. 

“Like we're talking about public transport, we're talking about the common good. 

“If it comes down to offending a few people with hangups about historical matters or the common good, the eyes have it, the common good wins.”

The Government has set a target that 30% of all vehicles of Irish roads will be electric by 2030. 

Last year, there were only 195,000 EVs.

Main image: An electric bus. Picture by: Alamy.com.