Launch is most recent of £4m investment in East Scotland fleet improvements
Stagecoach has further enhanced its environmental credentials with the introduction of hybrid dieselelectric buses in Aberdeen.
The Lord Provost of Aberdeen George Adam was on-hand to officially launch the £2.5 million fleet on Monday less than a week after Sir Brian Souter launched similar vehicles in Perth under a similar scheme.
The new Enviro 350s, manufactured by Alexander Dennis, utilise technology developed by BAE systems. They are the first hybrid buses launched in the North of Scotland and are aimed at reducing the company’s fuel consumption on this route in the future.
Stagecoach has invested a total £5m in the new buses, with £1.8m provided through the Scottish Government’s Green Bus Fund.
The vehicles operate on Aberdeen’s Hospital Direct route 59, and on Perth’s Route 7 Gold Route.
The Hospital Direct 59 route, which runs on the Northfield – ARI – Guild Street – Balnagask route every 10 minutes during the day, carries around 23,000 passengers per week and will also feature free Wi-Fi for customers. The route provides a vital link to the hospital site from across the city as well as a link to the bus and rail station at Union Square.
The Stagecoach Gold number 7 service, which runs on the Hillend- City Centre-Scone route every 10 minutes during the day, carries around 21,000 passengers per week and will also now feature free Wi-Fi for customers. It operates as a premium local bus concept to tempt motorists out of their cars with the promise of luxury comfort and service guarantees.
Stagecoach East Scotland Managing Director Charlie Mullen said: “This is the latest of over £4m investment in fleet improvements spent in the East of Scotland in the last year and it is due to the constant investment, route monitoring and developments and innovative marketing the number of people we carry every day continues to rise – last year we carried a staggering 3.3 million passengers on our Perth routes alone.”
Andrew Jarvis, Managing Director, Stagecoach Bluebird said: “We have seen the success of electric-hybrid vehicles in other parts of the country so we’re delighted to be launching these new buses in Aberdeen, particularly as they are the first to operate in the North of Scotland.”
At the unveiling outside Marischal College in Aberdeen July 9, which was attended by local councillors and stakeholders, Lord Provost George Adam said: “I welcome the £2.5m investment from Stagecoach and the Transport Scotland Green Bus Fund in the latest evolution in clean green technology.
“I’m very excited about the development of a greener, smarter bus network in Aberdeen, the introduction of the low-emission buses constitutes a welcome contribution to the environment in which we all live and breathe as Emissions from vehicles are a major cause of poor air quality which can damage health and affect the attractiveness of the urban environment.”
