Bus firm steers £5m into fleet

Mcgill’s Buses has ordered more than two dozen lowemission vehicles as part of a £10.3 million investment package over the past 18 months.

The independent bus company is owned by Arranglen, the Greenock-based investment vehicle of the Easdale family. And it has placed a £4.8m order for 26 Enviro200 single deck buses with manufacturer Alexander Dennis (ADL) in Falkirk.

The new vehicles are expected to be delivered by the end of March and comprise part of an £8.3m investment by Mcgill’s to update its fleet.

All 26 buses will feature ADL’S Smartpack technology, and are certified as low-emission buses by the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership and the Carbon Trust.

The order includes 15 longer, 11.5-metre buses with highbacked seats and USB charging ports for passenger use.

The new additions will be used across Mcgill’s Inverclyde, Renfrewshire and Glasgow networks and will be fully compliant with the requirements of Glasgow’s upcoming Low Emissions Zone.

Over the past 18 months, Mcgill’s has invested a total of £10.3m in its buses, IT, ticketing and electronic technology.

Mcgill’s chairman James Easdale commented: “We are delighted to support a Scottish bus manufacturer and my brother Sandy and I are particularly proud that we have done this deal entirely free of subsidies, which is quite unusual in the current business climate. Given there is great uncertainty in the business environment at the moment, this is a strong commitment to the Scottish transport infrastructure as well as the economy at large.”

The news follows the recently announced expansion plans at the Easdale-owned window suppliers Blairs Windows, as well as the brothers’ purchases of Cappielow Trade Park and the former Misco warehouse in deals totalling more than £4m earlier in the year.