New sustainable transport eHub opens in Letterkenny

Donegal County Council, Atlantic Technological University (ATU), Trinity College Dublin (TCD), ESB, and Enterprise Car Club has launched a new sustainable transport initiative, the ROBUST eMobility Hub at Justice Walsh Road, Letterkenny.

Two shared electric vehicles (EVs), one e-cargo bike and four e-bikes are available to book by the public for an hour or by the day to suit a range of travel needs. Funded by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) under the SEAI Research, Development & Demonstration Funding Programme, the academic lead partner is Trinity College Dublin supported by ATU academics in the Galway and Sligo campuses.

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The launch in Letterkenny was attended by Charlie McConalogue, TD, Minister of State at the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport, Cllr Paul Canning, Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council, Cllr Ciaran Brogan, Mayor of the Letterkenny Milford Municipal District and Dr Orla Fylnn, ATU President.

The event was also attended by local Oireachtas members, elected members from the Letterkenny-Milford Municipal District, members of the ROBUST project team and invited guests.

Letterkenny is one of four eMobility hubs in Ireland opening this year, one each in Waterford and Galway city, and Dundrum, Dublin. They are part of a wider strategy in Ireland to encourage public use of shared transport, help reduce congestion and parking problems in our cities and towns and meet emission targets. Shared mobility is increasingly recognised as a practical solution to the challenges posed by urban development and climate and environmental concerns.

The eHub sites will allow people to select the most suitable mode of transport for their needs, aiming to provide a range of shared public travel options. By providing alternative solutions, it will help to encourage people to try different mobility options. Charlie McConalogue, TD, Minister of State, welcomed the launch of the eHub in Letterkenny which underlines the commitment from the Government to offer sustainable mobility options to our citizens.

He said: “I am pleased to launch this facility with Donegal County Council and its partners. Our National Sustainable Mobility Policy aims to deliver at least 500,000 additional daily active travel and public transport journeys by 2030 and a 10% reduction in the number of kilometres driven by fossil fuelled cars. In order to do this we need to make it easier for people to choose walking, cycling, to use public transport daily and to have alternatives to having to use a petrol or diesel car.”

Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council Cllr Paul Canning commented that Donegal County Council was pleased to work with partners to deliver the first of its kind facility in the county. He said that: “This eHub will offer both residents in Letterkenny and visitors alike an alternative, pay-as-you-go, sustainable mobility option to explore the town and its hinterland or the wider county. Donegal County Council has a wide range of transport projects at various stages of delivery that will support the continued development of Letterkenny as a strategic regional centre for the North-West, and this eHub will support this also.”

Dr Orla Flynn, ATU President, said: “I am delighted to see ATU’s continuing involvement in the expansion of the eMobility hubs initiative across the northern and western region. I’m particularly

pleased to see the kind of engaged research that we envisaged in our strategic plan, with tangible impacts in communities, businesses and the environment.”

Cllr Ciaran Brogan, Mayor of Letterkenny and Milford Municipal District said: “The councillors in the Letterkenny and Milford Municipal District are very ambitious for the future of Letterkenny and have worked tirelessly with the Executive of the Council in this regard. Projects such as Letterkenny 2040 which will make the town centre a more attractive and vibrant place where people choose to live, work, invest and visit; the redevelopment of the old Courthouse and our extensive range of transport projects will help us deliver on this ambition. This eHub is also another part of the jigsaw to support sustainable growth in Letterkenny.”

Professor Brian Caulfield, project lead from Trinity’s School of Engineering, said: “Our research will examine how these hubs can offer an alternative to private car ownership at each of our four testbeds and we will also measure the emissions, cost and time savings from using these shared mobility options at each of the hubs.”

Dr Brian McCann, Lecturer, Dept of Civil Engineering and Construction, ATU Sligo campus, added: “This new hub is another step towards sustainable mobility in our region and we are delighted to be the academic partner with Trinity, expanding our research capacity in transport, and providing valuable insights into travel behaviour, transport efficiency, and the impact of policy interventions.”

Donal Phelan, Head of Innovation, ESB, said: “ESB continuously strives to explore the potential of new technology and business models to achieve our Net Zero by 2040 strategy through three key objectives: decarbonising energy, building resilient infrastructure and empowering customers to live more sustainably.

“Our commitment to sustainability and innovation is at the heart of this eMobility Hub pilot, which we hope will provide a viable model for shared EVs as a form of public transport. We are very pleased to work with our key partners to deliver this pilot ensuring that we are collectively working towards a cleaner, greener, and more connected urban future.”

Kerrie Sheehan, Head of Research, Innovation and Electricity, SEAI, said: “Ireland is one of Europe’s most fossil fuel dependent countries for our energy needs. A key measure to move away from this overreliance is to reduce unnecessary car journeys and make shared sustainable alternatives more widely available. SEAI are delighted to support this research project conducting travel behaviour trials around Ireland. The provision of electric mobility hubs will assist a switch to sustainable energy options in transport. Knowledge and data from the project will be shared with a wide range of stakeholders involved in future decision making for clean energy in transport.”

Brendan Grieve, General Manager of Enterprise Mobility Ireland, said: “We are delighted to be part of the roll-out of the mobility hub in Letterkenny and other hubs across the country. We are excited to support this project which will provide additional mobility solutions for residents and visitors and to allow people to try different types of mobility options that they might not normally have considered or had access to.”

For more information, please visit the ROBUST project webpage To book the e-bikes please visit the ROBUST project webpage for more information about the app required.