New fleet of buses set to hit the road
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NEW hybrid double-decker buses have been bought by Stagecoach North Scotland and will be based at the Macduff depot.
Fifteen vehicles have been added to the fleet in the north east of Scotland.
The buses mark a £3.5 million investment by the company.
The fleet of electric-hybrids will operate on service 35 between Aberdeen, Banff and Elgin.
The new buses are low floor easy-access and are fully equipped with leather seats, seatbelts, free wi-fi, USB charging points and contactless payment facilities.
The new vehicles are also equipped with the most up-to-date vehicle tracking system which means passengers will be able to track exactly when their bus will arrive by looking up their bus stop in the "bus stops nearby" section of the Stagecoach mobile app or by visiting www.stagecoachbus.com
For the past three years the Stagecoach Macduff depot has been awarded the Christopher Ball Memorial Award for being the best depot in the UK for eco-driving.
A system called GreenRoad is installed on all Stagecoach vehicles and uses a traffic-light LED system on the dashboard to give drivers instant feedback on their driving manoeuvres, encouraging smoother, safer, and more fuel-efficient driving.
The 15 brand new electric-hybrids will build on the achievement by the driving team in Macduff and will further reduce the CO2 and NOx emissions in the north east.
The fleet will replace the existing coaches used on the route and will provide around 45 per cent more capacity for those travelling on the service.
Managing director of Stagecoach North Scotland, David Liston, said: "We are absolutely thrilled to be introducing even more new buses for the communities in Aberdeenshire and Moray.
"We know that service 35 is a vital service for the communities we connect and our new fleet will not only reduce the impact of the bus on the environment, but they will also allow us to improve our punctuality for customers.
"We will look forward to welcoming everyone on board in April."
