HSE ambulances have broken down 173 times since 2018

The national ambulance fleet currently consists of 303 Mercedes Sprinters with odometer readings at the end of June ranging from 200km to 389,397km. 

Emergency ambulances owned by the HSE have broken down 173 times since 2018, new figures have revealed.

Nearly one in five ambulances currently in service is five or six years old, despite HSE policy dictating that the vehicles should be replaced after five years.