Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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437. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the amount that his Department has allocated to a scheme to incentivise the use of electric vehicles among taxi drivers for 2018. [51023/17]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I was delighted to secure funding as part of Budget 2018 to support a range of low carbon transport options, including the transition of our SPSV (Taxi/Hackney/Limousine) sector to electric vehicles. This sector plays a vital role in championing the use of electric vehicles to members of the public, and in reducing harmful tailpipe emissions particularly across our urban areas.

€5.5m is allocated in 2018 and €29m from 2019-2021 for the Carbon Reduction Programme to fund measures to support decarbonising the transport sector.

A ‘Green Public Transport Fund’ will support use of low carbon technology in the public transport fleet e.g. emerging low emission technologies, particularly for buses.  The fund will bridge the price differential between conventional and alternative fuelled vehicles and infrastructure.

Funding will also be targeted in support of the LEV Taskforce’s efforts to increase electric vehicle (EV) uptake e.g. encouraging the transition of the national taxi fleet to alternative technologies including the new EV Taxi Grant and introduction of a tolling incentive.

The electric SPSV grant scheme will be administered on behalf of the Department by the National Transport Authority (NTA) and will open to applicants early next year.

Further details of the electric SPSV grant scheme will be made available soon and will be on the NTA website and SPSV industry newsletter.