The Scottish Citylink network will gain its first liveried zero-emission coach in the form of a battery-electric Yutong TCe12 operated by Hairy Haggis Coaches.
It will be deployed on a new daily service between Glasgow and Troon from 29 March, to link with the Caledonian MacBrayne ferry to and from Brodick on Arran. That coach route will see four round trips per day, although the timetable shows that on weekdays it is not possible for the same vehicle to operate all of them. Troon town centre will also be served.
Charging of the TCe12 will be handled at the Caledonia depot of First Glasgow in a further example of that facility’s provision of such services to third parties.
Speaking about the battery-electric development, Scottish Citylink Managing Director Simone Walsh says: “This new service will allow people a hassle-free way to travel between Glasgow and Troon to connect with ferry services to Arran, and it is another example of the ways that we work hard to join up journeys for our customers.
“We are also delighted to be introducing the first electric vehicle onto our network. It is a great opportunity for us to make this an even greener route, and we hope our customers enjoy travelling on this state-of-the-art coach.”
Separately, Scottish Citylink recently announced that its summer timetable – which runs from late March to September – will deliver a claimed uplift of around 10,000 extra seats per week compared to the previous winter schedule.
Among improvements are a doubling of the number of services between Edinburgh and Glasgow to Dundee and Aberdeen between Thursday and Sunday, and a doubling of direct services between Edinburgh and Inverness.
Ms Smith adds that this year’s summer timetable has “focused on increasing the number of direct journeys.”
