STAGECOACH  West Scotland has unveiled its fleet of 12 world-first, electric midibuses which will add to the all-electric Ayrshire bus routes this autumn.

The £5million investment sees the introduction of a dozen electric midibuses for the region, boosting the total Stagecoach electric bus fleet across Ayrshire to 60 vehicles.

The midibuses, built in Scotland by Alexander Dennis, are the first of this vehicle type to be used anywhere in the world.

Local communities will benefit from these smaller EV buses which are not only emission free but are nimble enough to travel through areas that larger buses are not able to service.

The midibuses will operate on a single daily charge with no engine noise or emissions and offer customers onboard USB charging points and contactless payment.

(Image: Peter Devlin) At the launch in Stagecoach’s Ayr depot, guests including Siobhian Brown, MSP for Ayr and Elena Whitham, MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, were able to get a first glance at the new midibuses.

The £5million investment is in addition to the major investment of £15.7million in 2023 which launched 27 single-deck buses into the area.

Stagecoach West Scotland managing director Fiona Doherty said: “These 12 new EV midibuses are an important addition to our service and they will serve communities in Ayr, Irvine and Kilmarnock in particular with zero-emission transport.

"This £5million investment comes on top of the £15.7million invested in the transition to electric in 2023 making bus travel in Ayrshire one of the greenest forms of transport available.”

The bus operator has also invested in installing 21 new charging stations during recent upgrades to their Kilmarnock and Ayr depots.