Published: Wednesday, June 17, 2026
PRESS RELEASE: Annual Review 2026 - Transport
Ireland must accelerate investment in reliable public transport and EV
infrastructure to reduce emissions and exposure to fossil fuel shocks,
says Climate Change Advisory Council
The Climate Change Advisory Council has warned that Ireland’s dependence on fossil fuels in transport is leaving people, businesses, public services and the wider economy exposed to repeated fuel price shocks, as geopolitical instability continues to disrupt global energy markets.
Launching the Transport chapter of its Annual Review 2026 today, the Council said Ireland must reduce this exposure by accelerating investment in public transport, active travel, electric vehicle charging infrastructure and the grid capacity needed to support cleaner transport.
The Council says recent temporary emergency responses to fuel price increases have not been sufficiently targeted. It recommends that Government addresses the regressive components of emergency measures and introduce targeted supports within the transport sector for those most exposed and least able to avoid fuel costs, while maintaining planned carbon tax increases and continuing to ring-fence revenues for climate action and a just transition.
The Council is calling for targeted measures to increase EV uptake among lower income households, particularly in areas with limited access to public transport and high car dependency. The Government’s recent pilot ICE2EV grant to incentivise the purchase of new electric vehicles by owners of 13 year or older fossil fuel cars is welcome.
In the review, the Council also warns that Ireland needs to accelerate the expansion of EV charging infrastructure, including the real time mapping of EV charging points to give people and businesses confidence in the alternatives to fossil fuel use.
However, continued grid constraints and charging infrastructure gaps are hampering Ireland’s ability to fully embrace electric vehicles. Publicly accessible charging infrastructure remains well below the EU average, while further investment is needed to support the electrification of cars, buses, school transport and commercial fleets.
Public transport passenger journeys increased by 6% in 2025, with TFI Local Link services recording a 19% increase. However, largely unchanged passenger journey data across some bus, rail and Luas services may indicate that parts of the public transport system are operating close to capacity.
The Council is calling for increased funding for public transport and for existing Public Service Obligation services in Budget 2027. Accelerated delivery of priority projects such as DART+ South West, Luas Finglas and the National Transport Authority’s Park and Ride Investment Programme are necessary to increase capacity and to cater for the projected population growth in these areas. Ireland must deliver a modern, reliable and cost effective public transport system to encourage commuters out of their cars and onto lower emission alternatives.
The Council also warns that Ireland’s transport network must be made more resilient to extreme weather. Storm Chandra and prolonged rainfall in early 2026 exposed the vulnerability of road and rail infrastructure, underlining the need for climate risk to be built into transport planning, investment and design standards.
The Council is also calling for the updated National Ports Policy to be finalised and published, for greater investment in climate-resilient regional and local roads, and for vulnerable sections of the rail network to be assessed and climate-proofed.
Alex White, Chairperson of the Climate Change Advisory Council, said: “Fossil fuel shocks are not one-off events. As long as Ireland remains heavily dependent on petrol and diesel for transport, people, businesses and public services will remain exposed to global price volatility and geopolitical crises.
The way to reduce that exposure is to give people real alternatives. That means sustained investment in public transport, a charging network people can rely on, and the grid capacity needed to support the switch to electric across cars, buses and commercial fleets.
This transition also has to be fair. Supports should be targeted at those most exposed to transport fuel costs, particularly people on lower incomes and those who are car-dependent because they do not have access to practical alternatives.
The Government has set the right ambition to end Ireland’s reliance on fossil fuels, the test now is delivery.”
END
To view the full report see: Annual Review 2026 - Transport
If you have any questions or are seeking further comment, please do not hesitate to contact:
Mark Harrington (mark.h@springboardcommunications.ie or +353 86 128 3843)
The Climate Change Advisory Council will publish Sectoral Reviews throughout the year. The publication schedule below is subject to change and indicative only:
| Chapter | Published |
| Our Changing Climate | Published 1st April 2026 |
| Electricity | Published 13th May 2026 |
| Transport | Published 16th June 2026 |
| Built Environment | End July 2026 |
| Agriculture, Forestry and Land Use (AFOLU) | Early September 2026 |
| Preparing for Ireland's Changing Climate | End September 2026 |
| Industry and Waste | Mid October 2026 |
| Biodiversity | End October 2026 |
| Cross Sectoral | Mid November 2026 |
| Irish Translation of Summary document | Mid November 2026 |