Borders Buses has invested £750,000 in bike-friendly buses.
The Berwick-upon-Tweed operator has bought three custom-built ADL Enviro400 ‘deckers with two bike bays in each to serve its X62 Peebles-Edinburgh route.
If successful, additional bays will be added to each vehicle by the end of May.
The buses have been designed with local and touring cyclists and commuters in mind. The operator wants to minimise car journeys by encouraging people to use bike and bus together.
It says that one bike-friendly bus could take 76 cars off the road.
Lee Young, Operations Manager at Borders Buses, says: “We recognise the way we travel is changing and active travel is increasingly becoming a popular choice with people from all walks of life. As a key transport provider, we are committed to continuously tailoring our product offerings to meet those changes in travel demand.
“With congestion in our towns and cities an ongoing issue it makes sense for commuters to ditch the car in favour of bus and bike.”
The new buses also have free wi-fi, comfortable seating and tables, wireless and USB charging points, and device-friendly seatbacks.
At the same time, Borders Buses has also rolled out contactless payments across its network.
Charlie Miller, Regional Sales Manager at ADL, says: “We are delighted to see the buses on the road. Developing them has been a real partnership approach between Borders Buses and Alexander Dennis.
“We have worked together to find this fantastic solution to carrying bikes on buses. Built locally in Scotland, these new Enviro400 buses will be a real boost to active travel in the Borders.”
The service should also appeal to tourists, as the Borders is one of the most popular cycling destinations in Scotland.
Scottish Borders Council’s Leader, Councillor Shona Haslam, says: “Tweeddale in particular has an excellent offering for cyclists of all ages and abilities, including the recent extension of the Tweed Valley multi-use path and opening of the e-Bike Hub in Innerleithen.
“The provision of these brand new bike friendly vehicles by Borders Buses on the main service through Tweeddale will be hugely welcomed by local people and visitors and we hope will see even more people travel here to experience the Scottish Borders.”
Councillor Gordon Edgar, Scottish Border Council’s Executive Member for Roads and Infrastructure, says: “The Council has worked with a variety of partners in recent years to encourage local people to jump on a bike and get active, as well as visitors to come to the Scottish Borders. This is another positive move by our partners Borders Buses which will not only benefit cyclists, but also bus passengers in general who will now have a series of modern facilities on offer on the X62 service.”
Borders Buses enlisted local cyclists Colin Cotter and Steven Cooper to create a short video showing how to load your bike onto the bus.
