Stage set for Scots’ bus firm
PERTH-BASED transport company Stagecoach is Britain’s biggest bus and coach operator.
It runs Megabus, Scottish Citylink, bus services in London and other major English cities, plus rural bus routes in Scotland, Wales and south-west England.
It also operates Sheffield’s Supertram light rail network.
The company has invested £1billion in 7000 new greener vehicles in the last decade.
Some are fully electric, others are hybrid electric and hydrogen and bio-fuel technologies.
These include the UK’s first rural fleet of six electric buses, connecting villages along the Irvine valley with Kilmarnock town centre.
For the first time they will get a rapid charge at Kilmarnock bus station, rather than being plugged in at the garage overnight.
As well as saving tonnes of emissions, they are a pleasant way to travel, with USB chargers and LED lights.
The electric engine is quieter and smoother than the old diesel models – important factors in encouraging people to swap to public transport.
Aberdeen, Perth and Kilmarnock town centre are also in line to expand their electric fleet.
The company is also trialling a hydrogen-powered bus in Inverness.
Sam Greer, Stagecoach’s Scottish director, said: “Sustainable public transport is critical to the future of our planet – decarbonising local journeys, reducing road congestion, improving air quality and tackling climate change.
“As major investment is made in zero and low emission buses, it also enables us to build further on developing in skills and training for our engineering teams to maintain the new greener fleet as we transition to new zero emission technologies. “Investment in zeroemission buses also needs to be matched by better road infrastructure and more bus priority measures to help encourage people to make the switch from car to sustainable public transport.”