One-third of the fleet of stagecoach’s fleet of 30 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter City 45s – originally supplied for its pioneering ‘Little & Often’ network in Ashford, Kent, have started work in North Scotland. They were replaced in Kent by Optare Solos.
Now rebranded from the silver/blue ‘Little & Often’ brand to standard livery, the 10 minibuses are being used services in Aberdeenshire, Moray, Caithness, Orkney and Skye, in what Stagecoach says is a £600,000 investment.
They will service Peterhead routes 81, 82, 83 and 84A/C; one will work Moray’s route 31; three will be used on Caithness’ routes 74/274, 76 and 78; one goes to Orkney for school and daytime routes; one goes to Skye for route 55 and one minibus will be used in Banchory on a contracted schools service.
Stagecoach North Scotland MD David Liston says: “We received feedback from local communities that modern, smaller buses would be their preference for some of the shorter trips we operate.”
Stagecoach North Scotland runs 350 buses and employs 850 people.
