Ireland's State of the Environment Report 2024

298 Chapter 11: Environment and Transport Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan. The NTA’s Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan is delivering new rural bus services in towns and villages at a rate of approximately one new service every week, with over 110,000 vehicle-kilometres a week added to the public transport network in 2022 through new services, more frequent services and route extensions. As a result, over 50 settlements were newly connected to the public transport network, facilitating crucial access to health services, education and employment opportunities and reducing reliance on private transport. The key commitments made in Connecting Ireland are as follows: ■ 70% of people in rural Ireland to have access to public transport services that provide at least three return trips to the closest large town ■ over 100 rural villages to benefit from frequent public transport services for the first time ■ over 100 rural areas to benefit from a regular service to their county town for the first time ■ over 60 new connections to regional cities from surrounding areas ■ an innovative approach to improving mobility for people in remote areas. Micromobility. Encompassing small, lightweight vehicles such as e-scooters, e-bikes and bicycles, micromobility presents a promising solution for sustainable transport in Ireland. These vehicles are designed for short distances of up to 15 kilometres and have the lowest GHG emissions per vehicle-kilometre of any form of urban transport (ITF, 2020). Micromobility has the potential to increase the affordability and sustainability of transport (Kathiresh et al. , 2022). Micromobility can be a good alternative to private cars for trips of 2–5 kilometres and is attractive during congested periods (Liao and Correia, 2022). The results of the National Travel Survey suggest that these modes were used for approximately 2–4% 7 of all trips in 2021 (CSO, 2022a). Among electric micro-vehicles, e-bikes, e-scooters and e-cargo bikes are the most popular (Liao and Correia, 2022). e-Bikes are sometimes seen as an option for the first or last mile of trips made by public transport. 7 Electric micro-vehicles are included in either ‘cycle’ (alongside bicycles) or ‘other’ modes of travel, making it challenging to determine the exact share of trips. 8 www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/5e95b-e-bikes-e-mopeds-and-e-scooters/ 9 The EU Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation ((EU) 2023/1804) mandates minimum infrastructure requirements on the European transport network. 10 www.nationaltransport.ie/news/minister-ryan-launches-irelands-first-all-electric-town-bus-service-in-athlone/ (accessed 31 July 2024). With the right policies and frameworks, micromobility can play a significant role in creating a sustainable, efficient and inclusive transport network in Ireland. Ireland’s Road Traffic and Roads Act 2023 sets out the regulations for legal categories of light EVs. For instance, the new legislation regulating e-scooter use (and also e-bikes and e-mopeds) is expected to improve the safety of both e-scooter riders and other road users 8 . Improvement actions. A number of actions are seeking to make the transport system more efficient by reducing the emissions per unit of distance travelled. These include moving to EVs, improved fuel efficiency or blending fossil fuels with biofuels. Electric vehicles. As part of the Climate Action Plan 2024, electric cars (and the associated national EV charging infrastructure strategy 9 ) play an important role in achieving climate targets in the transport sector. Fleet electrification targets assume 845,000 private EVs in the fleet by 2030, with a requirement for 30% of BEVs in the total passenger fleet. At the end of 2023, battery electric cars accounted for 4.5% of the passenger car fleet. New registrations of EVs have grown steadily over time. However, there is uncertainty around achieving the targets, as sales over the last two years show slower growth, and the trends show a preference for SUVs, which consume more energy. Athlone became the first town in Ireland to have a fully electric bus fleet in 2023. A fleet of 11 electric Bus Éireann buses is expected to carry 10,000 passengers per week and reduce CO 2 emissions by 400 tonnes a year. 10 The introduction of the first 100 double-decker battery electric buses to Dublin city services is almost complete, with 85 of these buses now in service and completion anticipated by the end of 2024. In 2024, the bus network in Limerick is expected to be fully electrified with 34 new electric buses; depot electrification plans are also being progressed in Cork, Galway and Sligo. Shared mobility. The average private car is in active use only 3–4% of the time, and for the remaining time it occupies space parked at home or elsewhere (Government of Ireland, 2021). Simulations for Dublin show that shared mobility services have the potential to replace 20% of private car trips, which translates into a reduction in emissions of more than 20% (ITF, 2018).