Electric Public Transport: Cost vs. Emissions and the Path to Sustainability

Public transport offers significant public good by reducing private cars, congestion, pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions, improving urban centers and road safety. This aligns with global efforts to combat climate change and reduce 6.7 million annual premature deaths from air pollution, as reported by the United Nations Development Programme.

Annunziata Esposito Amideo, UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, emphasizes a holistic approach to decarbonizing transport, including private electrification and grid capacity. While a single bus can replace up to 75 cars, cutting emissions by 70% when full, the primary step is increasing public transport ridership, with electrification as a complementary, later stage. The transition to electrified transport is seen as a process that will eventually become the predominant technology.

Operating costs for electric buses are complex. A 2019 American Public Power Association study found electric city buses cost $750,000 to buy versus $500,000 for diesel, but projected $400,000 in fuel savings and $125,000 in maintenance savings for electric. However, a 2021 study in Offenburg, Germany, showed higher electric bus operating costs, expected to reverse by 2030 due to cheaper batteries and higher diesel costs. A 2025 World Electric Vehicle Journal study advised electric buses for countries like Finland and France, but diesel for Malta and Cyprus, based on national electricity costs. These studies often don't account for renewable energy growth or diesel price volatility. Ultimately, increasing public transport use, even with diesel, reduces emissions, and adding electric power further enhances this benefit.