Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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128. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport in relation to reports received highlighting issues with the 56a bus route (details supplied); if he is aware that this bus is frequently late or fails to turn up at all; if the NTA foresees these issues and if they will put a plan in place to prevent delays or no shows; and what actions are the NTA taking to resolve these issues. [20479/24]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport; however, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally and for the scheduling and timetabling of these services in conjunction with the relevant transport operators, Dublin Bus in this instance.

In light of the NTA's responsibility in this area, I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the NTA for direct reply, pertaining to the Deputy's NTA specific queries.

Additionally, have forwarded the Deputy's question to Dublin Bus for direct reply on the operational matters of the 56a. Please advise my private office if you do not receive replies within ten working days.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Ireland has committed to transitioning to a low carbon economy by 2050 and the transport sector has a significant role to play. The decarbonisation of heavy-duty vehicles will be key to achieving this objective within the sector.

Since the establishment of the previous Alternatively Fuelled Heavy-Duty Vehicles (AFHDV) purchase grant schemes (2021-2023) and the 2024 Zero Emission Heavy-Duty Vehicle (ZEHDV) purchase grant scheme, we have offered purchase grant funding to support commercial bus operators to make the transition to EVs.

There was a total of €11m made available in funding for the purchase of HDVs under the AFHDV Purchase Grant Schemes from 2021-2023, including buses. The maximum spend for each year did not exceed availability.

Funding up to €3.5m has been made available to ZEHDV in 2024. To date 10 grant applications have been received for a total of 15 vehicles. There is still funding available in the ZEHDV scheme for 2024.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Ireland has committed to transitioning to a low carbon economy by 2050 and the transport sector has a significant role to play. The decarbonisation of heavy-duty vehicles will be key to achieving this objective within the sector.

To promote the decarbonisation of the heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs), the Department of Transport launched the Alternatively Fuelled Heavy-Duty Vehicle (AFHDV) Purchase Grant Scheme in March 2021. The Scheme was intended to help bridge some of the difference in purchase price between conventional HDVs and those powered by alternatively fuelled power-trains.

Changes to the General Block Exemption (Reg. 651/2014) in July 2023 impacted the AFHDV Grant Scheme and made it no longer viable under the new regulations. In response, the Department established the Zero Emissions Heavy Duty Scheme (ZEHDV), with a focus on incentivising the purchase of zero emission heavy duty vehicles.

Under the AFHDV Purchase Grant Schemes from 2021-2023 there was a total of €11m made available in funding for the purchase of HDVs, including buses.

• 2021 - €3m
• 2022 - €3m
• 2023 - €5m