Stagecoach has further expanded its battery-electric bus fleet in Scotland with the arrival of Volvo BZL single-decks for the East Scotland business. Some have allowed conversion of the JET747 service between Fife and Edinburgh Airport to zero-emission operation.
For that route, six of the BZLs are at Dunfermline depot in a purple and white livery that is also carried by other vehicles used to Edinburgh Airport. The JET747 runs around the clock and will be the first fully zero-emission bus route to the air travel hub.
Part-funding for the BZLs has come from the second round of the Scottish Zero Emission Bus (ScotZEB2) fund. Stagecoach East Scotland Interim Managing Director David Frenz (pictured above, left) says that the JET747 shift to battery-electric “is a significant milestone on our journey to net-zero.”
Zenobē led the successful ScotZEB2 consortium approach, with Director of EV Fleet, UK and Nordics Bradley Fox noting how such a delivery method ensures that subsidy goes further and has unlocked more electric buses for Scotland. Six further BZLs are for Arbroath depot.
Meanwhile, others will shortly enter service from St Andrews on route 99 between that town and Dundee. It runs up to every 10min, with a partnership between Stagecoach East Scotland and the University of St Andrews soon to celebrate its third anniversary as the electric buses enter service.
That collaboration began in late 2022 as a cost-of-living measure with carbon-cutting benefits. It gives a 75% discount that has proved so successful it was extended to include fellow operator Moffat and Willamson in 2023.
Says University of St Andrews Strategic Lead on Sustainability Professor Ineke De Moortel: “We are delighted to work with Stagecoach in supporting the introduction of fully electric buses on service 99.
“This partnership reflects our shared commitment to sustainability, providing our university community with greener, more affordable transport while moving us closer to our net-zero ambitions by 2035.”
Additionally, to coincide with National Car Free Day on 22 September, Stagecoach West Scotland formally launched an existing fleet of 26 Alexander Dennis Enviro400EV double-deckers onto route 11 between Ardrossan and Kilmarnock.
That service – once in the hands of the A1 Service co-operative – sits alongside each of the operator’s mainland depots in Ayrshire now having battery-electric charging points following installation of those at Ardrossan garage. They support 92 electric buses, with investment in more such vehicles planned, Stagecoach says.
