John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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558. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the amount of funding allocated to the green public transport fund in budget 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42105/19]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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The Green Public Transport Fund was established by my Department in 2017 to support the uptake of low carbon, energy efficient technologies within the public transport sector. Within my Department's overall funding allocation, €9m has been assigned in Budget 2020 specifically to provide for a Carbon Reduction Programme to support measures which aid in decarbonising the transport sector. From within this allocation, funding is sourced as required for Green Public Transport Fund projects.

The Fund was envisaged to support the piloting and uptake of energy-efficient and alternatively fuelled technologies for Public Service Obligation (PSO) operations within the bus fleet and small public service vehicles (SPSV) sector, as well as bridging the price differential between such technologies and conventionally fuelled vehicles. The role of the Fund has, however, evolved in line with new policy commitments and increased climate ambition.

Implementing our commitment under Project Ireland 2040, since this summer, Ireland is no longer buying diesel-only urban public buses. The Deputy will be aware that a decision was taken by the National Transport Authority (NTA), which is responsible for procurement of vehicles in the public bus fleets, to purchase hybrid-electric buses in the short term. Dublin Bus has now taken delivery of six electric-hybrid buses, with a further three expected to be delivered before year end, supported by the Green Public Transport Fund. In addition, the Fund was deployed earlier this year to support the Low-Emission Bus Trials, the findings of which will help inform our longer term purchasing decisions for new buses over the coming years. The Climate Action Plan sets out a clear commitment that by the end of 2020, the first one hundred low-emission buses will have entered the urban bus fleet; I expect to deploy the Fund to contribute towards meeting this target.

Funding has also been targeted to support the transition of the national SPSV (taxi, hackney and limousine) fleet, where electrification presents an achievable decarbonisation pathway, to alternative technologies. I established the Electric Taxi Grant Scheme in 2018, providing grants of up to €7,000 for battery electric vehicles and up to €3,500 for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, in addition to the range of other incentives supporting electric vehicles. This initiative has resulted in the registration of 65 electric taxis to date and will be continued and expanded in 2020.

It is also important to note that while the Green Public Transport Fund has an important role to play in the transport emissions mitigation effort, it is only one small element of a far wider range of transport measures being implemented to help reduce emissions including: the range of incentives to encourage a transition away from conventional fuels towards lower emitting alternatives, such as EVs; increasing the proportion of biofuels in the fuel mix; improving efficiency standards for vehicles; and of course the significantly enhanced funding I am making available to support the development of new and improved public and sustainable transport infrastructure.