Mcgill's Places New £15m Order For 33 All-Electric Buses

A new £15million investment in all-electric buses has been announced by McGill’s, the UK’s largest independent bus operator. 

In this latest order, 33 new buses have been ordered by McGill’s from Pelican Yutong, delivering a total of 68 all-electric buses before COP26 in Glasgow. 

This latest deal comes in addition to a £17.5million investment announced last month with Pelican Yutong for 22 Yutong E12 vehicles and with Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) for 12 double-deck buses and 1 single deck (ADL / BYD). 

As part of their investment into the cleanest transport technology, McGill’s has also ordered further electrical charging infrastructure for its depot in Inchinnan. 

The electric buses and infrastructure will be delivered in the second half of this year, in advance of the COP26 conference. 

McGill’s investment is aided by the Scottish Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme. The operator is also in advanced talks with a variety of partners to bring 12 Hydrogen buses into the business in the next 12 months.

The new fleet purchase takes McGill’s capital investment since 2014 to more than £65million – around £55million of which has been spent on new vehicles. 

James Easdale, co-owner and chairman of McGill’s Group, said:

“We’re thrilled to be making this further investment which will bring our total fleet of all-electric vehicles in the west of Scotland and Dundee to 68.

"Notably, these will be delivered before COP26, significantly in advance of other operators who have placed orders.

"We have a strong record of investment in McGill’s and this will continue in years to come.”   

Ralph Roberts, Chief Executive of McGill’s Group, said: 

“The introduction of these additional vehicles into our Renfrewshire and Glasgow networks will bring a significant reduction in CO2 emissions, at over 2 billion grams every year.    

“Having explored the products available on the market, I am confident that increasing the order with Pelican-Yutong will allow us to meet our stringent targets.

"The enhanced passenger features, with air conditioning and USB charging, coupled with a whisper-quiet journey will bring a new level of passenger experience.” 

Sandy Easdale co-owner of McGill’s Group said:

“McGill’s is fully committed to playing our part in creating a clean and sustainable public transport system to ensure more people see buses as a great alternative to taking the car.

"This can help reduce congestion and emissions whilst tackling climate change.

"We led the charge on introducing clean diesel Euro VI fleet and by the end of 2021, the McGill’s Group will operate more electric buses than any other operator in Scotland.”