Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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283. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the estimated additional Exchequer funding that will have to be provided to Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus in each year to help them achieve a 50% reduction in their carbon emissions by 2030 as outlined recently in their respective plans; if this funding has already been committed to; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31842/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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As the Deputy is aware, purchase of PSO bus fleet is a statutory responsibility of the National Transport Authority (NTA) with funding provided by the Exchequer. The previous National Development Plan (NDP) committed to ending the purchase of diesel only buses for the urban PSO bus fleets and that commitment has been fulfilled. The revised NDP, which is currently being finalised, will continue to fund the transition of our urban PSO bus fleets to low/zero emission buses and the NTA will liaise with the transport operators in that regard.

Outside of the main urban centres, it is expected that fully electric PSO town bus services will begin to be introduced, while my Department is also funding several electric vehicle pilot projects in rural areas under the Local Link programme. It is the case that for some of the longer distance regional PSO services the transition to low/zero emission fleet will take longer as the technology required needs to develop further.