McGill’s have invested £4.75million in 26 new buses to serve Glasgow and the west of scotland, the company has announced.
The buses will be used on two routes - X23/23 Erskine – Glasgow and service 26 Glenburn / Nethercraigs to Paisley .
The company says the vehicles are equipped with the very latest engine technology which meets the Euro 6 ULEV (Ultra Low Emission Vehicle) standard. The buses also exceed the Glasgow Low Emission Zone (LEZ) standard which came into effect in the city centre on December 31. They will also include free on-board Wi-Fi for passengers and a USB charging socket for smart phones on every seat.
McGill’s CEO Ralph Roberts believes the new fleet is further evidence of private operators investing to benefit the wider economy.
Roberts said: “This is a milestone investment for McGill’s which benefits the environment, our passengers and in turn, serves the wider economy.
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“We are delighted to be purchasing these buses, from Scottish manufacturer Alexander Dennis, which feature the latest engine and passenger technology. Some campaigners claim that bus operators are not doing enough to tackle air pollution but this investment in 26 new vehicles brings our average bus age down to under seven years old – the youngest large private fleet in Scotland – and demonstrates that we’re going the extra mile and taking a long-term approach to our operations.
“Funding for the new fleet has been found privately with no public subsidies provided. Only by running a profitable business can we invest in the very latest vehicles and it is vital that the government now provides the conditions conducive to allow us to invest further.”
McGill’s co-owner Sandy Easdale added that providing investment for new buses was vital to cutting congestion on our roads.
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Mr Easdale said: “We’ve made more than £30million of investment in our operations over the past five years, with around £24m focused on new fleet and nearly £7m of infrastructure investment including ticket machines, real time tracking, mobile and contactless ticketing and smart card systems.
“Most politicians and policymakers agree that it is vital that we encourage the public to reduce their car journeys and cut congestion in the process. However, ditching the car only becomes an appealing prospect to people when we are investing in state-of-the-art buses such as those we are now unveiling.”
