McGill’s Buses, owned by former Rangers directors Sandy and James Easdale, is introducing a further 41 new electric buses to its fleet in a £20 million investment.
The company noted it had now announced investment in electric fleet totalling £55 million since the end of 2021, which it said placed it “in the top three companies in the UK for fleet decarbonisation”.
McGill’s now has a total of 109 electric buses – accounting for nearly 20% of its fleet – with McGill’s noting there would be “further purchases to follow”.
The majority of the new buses will be used around Inverclyde and Renfrewshire, with the new vehicles also being deployed in Ayrshire and Dundee, through Xplore Dundee.
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As part of the latest vehicle investment, McGill’s has also financed substantial infrastructure upgrades at four of its depots to enable charging and maintenance of the electric fleet.
A training programme is under way to “upskill vehicle technicians to support the next generation of buses entering service”.
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James Easdale, chairman of McGill’s Group, said: “This is the latest milestone investment for McGill’s Group as we seek to get more people viewing bus travel as a go-to option.
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“The purchase of an additional 41 new electric vehicles is not only important for the environment as Scotland pursues its net-zero target but also serves our passengers and the wider economy. We have also invested heavily in infrastructure and training.”
Sandy Easdale, McGill’s Group director, said: “McGill’s has one of the most modern bus fleets in the UK and we intend to build on this as we phase out older vehicles, particularly in our recently acquired McGill’s Scotland East business.
“James and I have invested substantially not only in vehicles but also growing the business by expanding our reach across Scotland. The company is also seeing hugely positive results from our long-distance coach partnership with FlixBus. We firmly intend to continue this upbeat approach into the future.”
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