First Aberdeen is to relaunch its coaching arm as King Coaches. It says that an investment of over £1.2m will soon see a fleet of 16 vehicles available, with the overhauled brand based on a metallic green livery.
The King Coaches name is based on the location of the First Aberdeen depot on King Street in the Granite City, which also houses the principal office of FirstGroup. The operator says the rebranded coaching unit will pursue corporate and private hires, school contracts, sporting event movements and tour work.
A spokesperson for First Aberdeen says that the change will herald a small expansion of coach fleet strength, “but more importantly, a renewed focus and strategy to the coaching unit as a whole, which was spart of the reason for the rebrand.”
The non-Euro VI vehices that have been added to the King Coaches fleet as part of the upgrade have been sourced specifically as being suitable for retrofit to achieve that standard and satisfy the pending Aberdeen Low Emission Zone (LEZ). “That process is already underway in terms of application for current Scottish Government funding. The work will then be done ahead of the LEZ coming into force,” the spokesperson continues.
Adds Commercial Director Graeme MacFarlan: “We are delighted to announce this investment in our coaching fleet to serve the city of Aberdeen. It will ensure that we have a strong offering for hires and it helps us to better serve new and existing customers in the marketplace.
“We hope to be able to get the new vehicles on the road over the coming months and we are excited for the beginning of a new era for our coaching offering.”
