The Electric Emerald double deck buses will be deployed on one of Dundee’s most polluted streets, helping significantly in the fight to improve air quality. The new vehicles will be manufactured and built in Falkirk by Alexander Dennis Limited, and should arrive in Dundee later in 2021.
The £5.7 million investment in the electric buses and charging infrastructure is supported by the Scottish Government’s Ultra Low Emission Bus Scheme and Xplore Dundee’s new owners, McGill’s Buses, who are also investing in a further 22 EVs from Pelican Yutong, which means that by the end of 2021 the group will have more electric buses than any other Scottish operator.
“We plan to operate the Electric Emeralds on Service 28, a high-frequency route which uses Lochee Road and is an air quality blackspot in Dundee” said Xplore Dundee Managing Director Christine McGlasson. “Although buses only contribute to 5 percent of the emissions on this route, we are proud to be doing our bit to help clean up the air in this area. We hope these new buses will also attract more passengers, which will help take more cars off the road and reduce congestion, further helping to speed up public transport and improve air quality in our city. It’s really exciting to finally be bringing our first fleet of zero-emission buses to Dundee’s streets. We’re committed to making services better for our customers, with more comfortable, quiet vehicles, as well as contributing to public health and the fight against climate change. Cleaner buses means cleaner air in our city, which will benefit everyone.”
Xplore Dundee Managing Director Christine McGlasson added that the company already operates the cleanest diesel buses on its network and that it is in the process of upgrading the older engines to this standard too.
“However, these twelve Scottish-built EVs are a significant step towards phasing out diesel buses altogether and building our zero emission fleet” said Ms McGlasson. “We’re investing in the future - to create a better experience for our passengers and a better environment in our community.”
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