McGill’s unveils £5m of new buses for west of Scotland

Bus firm McGill’s has announced the purchase of 26 new Scottish-built vehicles in a major investment worth £4.75 million.

McGills co-owner Sandy Easdale. Picture: Contributed

The new fleet, to serve Glasgow and the west of Scotland, takes the company’s capital investment over the past five years to more than £30m, almost £24m of which has been spent on new vehicles.

The new buses, manufactured by Falkirk-based Alexander Dennis, come equipped with the latest technology for passengers including free on-board wifi and a USB charging socket for smartphones on every seat.

The latest engine technology means that the vehicles comply with Glasgow’s low emission zone standard.

McGill’s chief executive Ralph Roberts said: “This is a milestone investment for McGill’s which benefits the environment, our passengers and in turn, serves the wider economy.

“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.”

McGill’s co-owner Sandy Easdale added: “We’ve made more than £30m 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. However, ditching the car only becomes an appealing prospect to people when we are investing in state-of-the-art buses such as these.”