Edinburgh-based Ratho Coaches has become the first operator in the central belt of Scotland to put an electric coach into service, after taking delivery of a new Yutong TCe12 from Asset Aliiance.
The introduction of the coach will ensure compliance with the existing Low Emission Zone (LEZ) in Glasgow city centre and ahead of the introduction of the LEZ in the Scottish capital on 1 June 2024.
After being certified as an Ultra Low Emission Bus (ULEB) in August 2020, the Yutong TCe12 is the first fully electric zero-emission coach to be made available in the UK.
It means that the 50-seat, fully PSVAR-compliant vehicle is eligible to receive the 30p per kilometre Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) Low Emission Vehicle (LEV) incentive payment in Scotland for qualifying work.
Using an identical electric driveline and control system to Yutong’s E10, E12 and airport buses, the vehicle’s 281 kWh battery offers Ratho Coaches a range in excess of 200 miles on a full charge.
Ratho Coaches currently runs a fleet of 76 vehicles, ranging from people carriers and 16-seat Mercedes-Benz Sprinters to 57-seat Executive coaches and 70-seat capacity coaches.
The company has also applied to the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund (ScotZEB) to help acquire additional EVs.
Charles McIntosh, Co-Owner and Director at Ratho Coaches, said, “It replaces a diesel coach previously used for city tours to places like Glasgow, Stirling and as far as St Andrews, helping the company to reduce its carbon footprint.
“We plan to add more electric coaches to our fleet in the coming years to take advantage of ongoing improvements in battery charging infrastructure for EVs, which will allow us to utilise them for UK-wide tours and further enhance our green transport credentials.”
