John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am sorry the Minister did not start at the end of his reply instead of the beginning, which had nothing to do with the question I asked. I specifically asked about the bus trials. He was getting to that when time ran out. I specifically want to know whether fully electric buses were included in that trial. They are being trialled in many other European cities. Alternatively, was the trial restricted to hybrid buses?

Second, if we move from full diesel to diesel-electric hybrids, which are the buses currently on trial, what will be the net reduction in our carbon emissions? I was disappointed when the Minister indicated that from July 2019 we would no longer buy all-diesel buses, but then bought diesel buses at the start of that year and effectively pushed the decision on hybrid vehicles into next year. This is important because the Minister's influence is not confined to Dublin Bus and buses in the national fleet. The Government's actions impact on other purchasers and can make electric or hybrid buses the norm, rather than what they are at the moment. Perhaps the Minister might comment specifically on the trials.

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