SCOTTISH CITYLINK
Scottish Citylink has welcomed a number of new vehicle types to its fleet in recent weeks. The company’s AIR service, which is operated by West Coast Motors and runs between Glasgow and Edinburgh Airport, has received eight new 53-seat Irizar i6S Efficient coaches, representing a £2.5million investment. In line with the switch from double-deckers, the operator has introduced a frequency increase with services now operating up to every 20 minutes, compared to the previous 30 minute frequency, on the route, which runs 24 hours a day. Citylink says the route, which launched in 2013, has seen continued passenger growth over a number of years.
Scottish Citylink Managing Director Simone Walsh said: “Our AIR route provides an important service for people arriving and leaving Edinburgh Airport. We continually invest in our services and these high-quality new vehicles, and increased frequency, are great news for customers. We look forward to welcoming even more passengers on board over the summer and beyond.”
Chief Executive of Edinburgh Airport Gordon Dewar added: “Connectivity is integral in making Edinburgh Airport accessible to a wider reach of people, so we want to work with our partners to make it as easy as possible to get to and from Scotland’s busiest airport, especially between our two largest cities. This route from Edinburgh Airport into the centre of Glasgow is incredibly popular so it’s great to see Citylink providing a more frequent service on board the newly refreshed fleet.”
Managing Director of West Coast Motors Colin Craig commented: “West Coast Motors is pleased to operate the AIR service on behalf of Citylink. Our continuous investment in our fleet ensures a comfortable and hassle-free travel experience for customers, reflecting our commitment to providing excellent and reliable transport.”
Further investment
Meanwhile, the operator has also introduced two new electric coaches on one of its most popular routes, alongside more new Volvo 9700DD double-deckers. The new 53-seat Yutong GTe14 coaches have gone into service on the M92 between Edinburgh and Aberdeen, and wear a slightly revised livery with ‘electric blue’ flashes on the sides in place of the pale blue used elsewhere. Simone continued: “We’re delighted to be adding these vehicles to our network. Reducing the impact of our operations on the environment has always been a priority for us and we will continue to look for opportunities to reduce our emissions as a business. These new vehicles deliver comfort and reliability for our customers and we look forward to welcoming passengers on board in the coming weeks.”
The Yutong coaches are operated on behalf of Citylink by HH Coaches, which also operates a Yutong TCe12. On the operator’s high-frequency Edinburgh-Glasgow 900, a new £7million fleet of 18 81-seat Volvo 9700DD vehicles has also gone into operation. The new vehicles were officially welcomed on 14 April by Glasgow Lord Provost Jacqueline McLaren at a launch event held at the city’s Transport Museum.
The service is operated on Citylink’s behalf by Stagecoach West Scotland and Parks of Hamilton. Simone added: “Our Service 900 has been operating for decades and is the go-to route for customers travelling between Glasgow and Edinburgh, with great links to other locations along the route as well. This brand new fleet of vehicles is a huge investment in the route and is a real commitment from us to continually improve our offering to customers, and to continue to showcase coach travel as the most affordable and hassle-free way to travel between Scotland’s two largest cities.”
The coach operator, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, also recently added 200 new TransMach contactless ticket machines to its fleet, which accept contactless payments along with ITSO smartcards and QR codes generated by travel apps and booking systems.
