The 250th Yutong battery-electric vehicle for the UK has been delivered. It forms part of a further batch of 41 supplied to McGill’s Buses, work that has taken that operator’s Yutong zero-emission fleet to 96.
Part-funding for the second tranche of McGill’s Yutongs came from the initial round of the Scottish Zero Emission Bus challenge fund. Supplier Pelican Bus and Coach says that the procurement process from order to delivery took less than 12 months. It adds that the milestone bus is also the 134,000th zero-emission vehicle produced by Yutong.
McGill’s Buses CEO Ralph Roberts (pictured, left) has welcomed the further vehicles into service. He describes Pelican and Yutong as “the perfect delivery partners” in the operator’s journey to net-zero, and has given the E10 and E12 products a vote of confidence.
“When we were researching our options at the beginning, the Yutong product stood out head and shoulders above the rest. The milestone of 134,000 zero-emission vehicles lets everyone understand why – there is real strength in depth in the product.
“The Yutong zero-emission buses cover over seven billion miles and rising per annum worldwide. This kind of success is built on performance, not chance. We are very happy with the product, with the service delivery and with the relationships.”
Head of Yutong UK Ian Downie (pictured, right) notes that in the McGill’s fleet, the Yutong battery-electric product – which is now a mix of the E10 and E12 models – has functioned well, saying that the buses “thrive in Scotland’s operating conditions.”
He adds: “We are delighted to have worked with McGill’s to be at the vanguard of delivering a sustainable passenger transport solution for the West of Scotland population. The customer centric specification that McGill’s has developed will ensure that more passengers will enjoy quiet, air-conditioned journeys while encouraging model shift onto public transport.”
