Bus operator Stagecoach Bluebird has unveiled the first of 22 electric double decker buses it is soon putting on the streets of Aberdeen.
The company has invested £11.2m in the BYD-ADL Enviro 400 EV double deck buses with £4m in finance coming from the Scottish Government’s Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme.
They have low-floor easy-access, are fitted with eleather seats – a material made entirely from recycled leather – and include on board stop announcements.
Stagecoach ordered the buses last year and they were assembled at BYD-ADL’s plant in Falkirk.
The fleet will be based at the Tullos depot to operate on services 59 and 727, connecting the city centre with Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, The Event Complex Aberdeen (TECA) and Aberdeen International Airport, as well as running through residential areas.
Stagecoach says it has been training its team of drivers and engineers ahead of the arrival of the new buses and it is planning to put the vehicles into service later this month.
Peter Knight, Managing Director at Stagecoach Bluebird said, “Sustainable transport is critical to the future of our planet: decarbonising local journeys, reducing road congestion, improving air quality and tackling climate change.
“Travelling by bus, when we can, is one of the easiest ways to address climate change through carbon reduction of our own journeys.
“Major investment in new zero-emission 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.”
