1 point 6m investment in Perth and Kinross bus fleet

• 6 brand new buses have joined the fleet at Perth and Blairgowrie depots
• A further 2 electric vehicles to join the Perth fleet next month
• £1.6m fleet investment

Stagecoach have welcomed six brand new diesel minibuses to the Perth & Kinross bus fleet this month, with three to operate from Perth depot and three from Blairgowrie. The vehicles will primarily operate on rural routes, ensuring that the company’s continued investment reaches more communities in the region.

A further two brand new zero emission electric buses will enter the Perth city fleet later this year too, adding to the existing electric fleet of sixteen fully electric vehicles already operating within the city. The E100 buses, built by Falkirk based Alexander Dennis, form the final batch of vehicles ordered during the ScotZEB round of funding in 2023, meaning they have been partially funded by the Scottish Government fund and Stagecoach.

This latest fleet investment of over £1.6m follows years of spend in the local area since the pandemic:

• Commencing with 9 fully electric single deck vehicles for Perth in March 2022 as part of the Scottish Government’s Ultra Low Emission Bus Scheme
• A further 8 electric vehicles added to the Perth fleet in early January 2023 (partly funded by ScotZEB funding), which created the second fully electric city bus network in Scotland
• Later the same year, 4 double deck vehicles began service in November 23 within Blairgowrie at a cost of over £1m.
• Finally, 5 luxurious double deck coaches were purchased for Perth depot in spring to operate contracts on behalf of Scottish Citylink – the Volvo 9700 coaches offer increased capacity on the busy cross-country routes.

Further investment is on the way for other parts of the Stagecoach East Scotland network, which will include new buses for Arbroath depot, as well as some depots across Fife. Stagecoach were also successful in securing 78 electric vehicles as part of a consortium bid by Zenobē Energy Ltd to the second and final ScotZEB2 round of funding, with 46 vehicles bound for East Scotland by the end of 2026.

The new diesel buses for Perth and Blairgowrie include passenger comfort features such as seatbelts and USB charging points and are now on the road in those areas.

Douglas Robertson, Managing Director, Stagecoach East Scotland commented: “Whilst the ScotZEB funding afforded the opportunity to develop the Perth city network with a fleet of zero emissions within the last 2 years, this latest investment allows us to bring a modern fleet to many of the rural communities we serve across the county too.  With longevity and sustainability at the heart of our operations we’re delighted to be able to develop our fleet to provide the best possible journeys for passengers whilst also improving staff satisfaction too.

“Work is also in progress to add audio visual announcements on the new fleet – and soon the Perth city network and a number of other local buses will have this technology available on board, helping to guide customers as to their location, where to alight the vehicle and will greatly improve accessibility.”

Stagecoach recently posted some minor timetable changes planned for November in the Perth & Kinross area, which, in discussion with Perth & Kinross Council, are planned to improve reliability and connections in the region. 

Mr Robertson added: “We’re constantly reviewing our network and the small tweaks to timetables proposed for November simply address some timing issues which have been raised to us, from the community, from our drivers and from Perth & Kinross council officials.”

More information on the local bus network is available at stagecoachbus.com.