Thurles Information

Idle Electric Buses are latest symbol of a Government that cannot control waste.

Serious questions must be answered over unused electric buses and repeated public spending failures.

The revelation that more than 130 State-funded electric double-decker buses remain unused because there is no charging infrastructure in place, is yet another example of waste, poor planning and failed delivery in the use of public money. RTÉ reported yesterday March 19th 2026, that the buses are lying idle because there is nowhere to charge them, with some not expected to enter service until 2027.

People are entitled to ask a simple question: how can buses be bought before the infrastructure needed to operate them is ready?

This is not just a transport failure. It is part of a wider pattern in which major sums of taxpayers’ money are committed without proper planning, proper oversight or proper accountability. Time and again, the public is expected to pay the price for decisions that should have been better managed from the very beginning.

This latest controversy adds to growing public anger over other extraordinary examples of waste and overspending. These include the now infamous €336,000 Leinster House bicycle shelter, the €1.4 million security hut at Government Buildings, and the €753,528 spent on 14 steps, a handrail and a ramp at Deerpark, in Mount Merrion, a project whose original budget was about €200,000.

At the same time, families and schools were left deeply concerned earlier this year by the attempted reduction in Special Needs Assistant allocations. The Government later confirmed there would be no reduction in SNA numbers for the 2026/2027 school year and announced an additional €19 million in funding after a significant public backlash.

That contrast speaks volumes.
There always seems to be money available when projects spiral out of control, when costs overrun, or when basic planning is missing. But when it comes to essential services, supports for children with additional needs, and reliable public transport for communities, the public is too often told to accept delay, confusion and excuses.

Serious questions now need to be answered;
(1) Who approved the purchase of these buses before charging capacity was in place?
(2) What was the plan for the delivery of the necessary infrastructure?
(3) How much public money is now tied up in buses that cannot be used?
(4) How many older diesel buses have had to remain in service because these electric vehicles are still sitting idle?
(5) Who was sacked or demoted for their incompetence?

With nobody minding the shop, the Public Accounts Committee has now stated it will seek further clarity from the Minister for Transport and the National Transport Authority.

Public money must be treated with care, competence and respect. It should be spent on projects that are properly planned, properly costed and properly delivered. The public is entitled to transparency, accountability and far better value for money than this.