All 55 battery-electric Yutong E12s on order for McGill’s Buses will be delivered ahead of the COP26 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, which gets underway on 1 November.
The Greenock operator was awarded funding through the first round of the Scottish Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme (SULEBS) for vehicles including 22 E12s. It has since been granted further money from the second round of SULEBS for an additional 33 E12s. Both successful bids include provision for supporting infrastructure.
Yutong has completed the first E12 for McGill’s and it will be shipped from Shanghai on 4 April. All 55 of the buses will be used on the operator’s networks in Glasgow and Renfrewshire, where they will reduce CO2 emissions “by 2bn grammes every year,” says Chief Executive Ralph Roberts.
“Having explored the products available on the market, I am confident that increasing the order with Pelican Bus and Coach and Yutong will allow us to meet our stringent targets,” adds Mr Roberts. “The enhanced passenger features, with air-conditioning and USB charging, coupled to a whisper-quiet journey, will bring a new level of customer experience.”
Head of Yutong Bus UK Ian Downie adds: “Pelican is delighted to receive this order from McGill’s for our state of the art, market leading product. This is out largest order to date in the UK, as well as our joint largest in Europe.
“This significant investment will mean that McGill’s will have one of the highest percentage zero-emission fleets in the UK. It makes a real statement of intent to the citizens of Glasgow and Renfrewshire on the decarbonisation of passenger vehicles.”
