McGill’s launching electric route in Paisley

McGill’s Buses is to launch its first fully-electric bus route later today.

The operator has invested £32.5 million in 68 zero-emission buses. These include 55 Yutong E12s and one BYD ADL Enviro200EV for Renfrewshire and Glasgow routes, as well as 12 BYD ADL Enviro400EV double-deckers for Dundee operations.

The operator is to launch its first electric bus route in Paisley, with a further two routes to follow next month.

The McGill’s 26, 23 and 38 electric routes, all branded Switch, will be live by the end of October just as Glasgow prepares to host world leaders at COP26. The company has launched a marketing campaign to encourage more residents to make the switch from their cars, including video content starring local people and McGill’s very own animated zero heroes.

“This is just the beginning as we look to provide more and more game-changing technology to improve air quality in our towns and cities” – Ralph Roberts, CEO of McGill’s Group

Ralph Roberts, CEO of McGill’s Group, said: “The scale of our investment truly demonstrates our commitment to the green agenda, and cements us as leaders in clean, zero emission journeys. This is just the beginning as we look to provide more and more game-changing technology to improve air quality in our towns and cities.

There is a big call for bus operators to build back better, and even though the last two years have been extremely challenging, that’s exactly what we intend to do. There’s never been a better time to be a zero hero.”

The £32.5million investment is partly funded by the Scottish Government’s Scottish Ultra Low Emissions Bus Scheme (SULEB), which was set up to help drive the adoption of sustainable transport in Scotland.