Stagecoach has launched the UK's first fully-electric city bus network in Inverness.
The company's 25 new zero-emission Yutong E10 buses are now operating on all city centre routes. The vehicles can operate from morning to evening on a single daily charge, and feature USB charging points at each seat, interior LED lights and contactless payment facilities.
The £10.8m investment was supported by the Scottish Government’s Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund (ScotZEB). Charging infrastructure was installed at the Inverness depot ahead of the launch.
Stagecoach will launch two further fully-electric city bus networks in Perth and Dunfermline in the coming months.
Minister for Transport Jenny Gilruth said: “With this significant introduction of 25 new electric buses, Stagecoach is showing a welcome commitment to help meet Scotland’s world leading climate change targets.
“In addition to better air quality and reduced noise pollution across the city, these modern zero-emission buses will offer an improved customer experience and help more people in Inverness to choose bus.”
Stagecoach Highlands managing director David Beaton said: “It is a challenging time for the industry, and we still have some way to go, but we’re absolutely committed to improving public transport for our customers across the Highlands.”
Stagecoach claims to be on target for a zero emission UK bus fleet by 2035, and has introduced new electric buses across many parts of the country, including one of Europe’s biggest investment in e-buses in Manchester.
A further 159 new electric buses will be introduced in 2023, including those in Inverness, bringing the total to 343.
In the Highlands, Stagecoach will shortly take delivery of 40 new Euro 6 vehicles for Aviemore and Tain to further renew the fleet and reduce carbon emissions on longer distance routes. In combination with the Inverness network, this totals a £40m investment in new vehicles and infrastructure for Stagecoach Highlands in 2022/2023.
Stagecoach Highlands also confirmed that its airport service will operate via the new Inverness Airport railway station, connecting rail passengers with the airport terminal.
Officially opened yesterday, the new station features signalling technology manufactured by Siemens Mobility in the UK, which should improve journey efficiency, as well as the carbon footprint and cost efficiency of Scotland’s rural rail lines.
An 80-strong Siemens Mobility team, based out of Glasgow, installed the modular system, including 10 new signals, 30km of signalling cable and 7km of power cable.
The technology is central to the infrastructure behind the new station layout, which features a double-track, enabling a higher frequency of journeys. The delivery of Scotland’s newest railway station has been done in collaboration with Rail Systems Alliance Scotland and BAM Nuttal.
Campbell Braid, delivery director at Siemens Mobility, said: “We are proud to deliver this cutting-edge technology for the first time to Scotland and specifically to Inverness.
“Our task was to pioneer a new approach to the re-signalling of rural lines, with the primary aim of reducing both installation and ownership costs, whilst at the same time providing an enhanced experience for passengers.”
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