How John Swinney has promised 100 new bus routes with £40m boost - and where they could run

First Minister John Swinney has announced the Scottish Government is investing £41.7 million to help decarbonise the bus network with these 252 new coaches.

As well as bringing in a host of new zero-emission buses, the funding grant will also help upgrade the nationwide EV charging network that can be used by buses, coaches and HGVs.

Speaking during a visit to the Stagecoach depot in Dunfermline on Tuesday, Mr Swinney said: “Supporting zero-carbon buses as a sustainable means of public transport across Scotland will connect communities and open up new economic and social opportunities.

“This investment will deliver 100 new inter-city bus routes and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 600,000 tonnes over the lifetime of the fleet by encouraging more people to swap the car for efficient public transport, which is crucial to reaching net zero by 2045.”

This money is the second and final round of funding to come from the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund - £113m of Government funding has already been invested in zero-emission buses through this fund.

The bus companies, which will be involved in delivering this new fleet of zero-emission buses, include nationwide operators such as Stagecoach and Ember.

Other operators include Premier Coaches in the north-east, McGills Buses in Greater Glasgow, Renfrewshire, Inverclyde and Ayrshire, Hairy Haggis Tours which operates out of Bathgate, Maynes Coaches in Aberdeenshire and Inverness-shire, D&E coaches in the Highlands, and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

Mr Swinney added: “Every £1 from the Scottish Government will leverage £3.20 of private sector investment, demonstrating that our shared decarbonisation goals can be met by working together when it comes to removing carbon emissions from our bus and coach fleets.

“All bus and coach operators, including those operating in smaller towns and communities, will benefit from both the novel approach to financing and the Scotland-wide charging network that will be delivered, helping other modes of transport make the switch to electric vehicles too.”

The Government funding will be given to Zenobē Energy, an EV specialist, who will administer the funds amongst the various bus operators involved in the project.

During the First Minister’s visit to the Fife bus depot, he also defended his Government’s record when it comes to public transport, highlighting measures such as introducing free bus travel for young people and scrapping peak rail fares on ScotRail.

Mr Swinney said: “We have a very good public transport service in Scotland, and for a very large number of the population - those over 60 and those under 22 - that is free bus travel, which is provided by the Scottish Government.

“We have extended the peak fare pilot scheme which means there aren’t big additional costs for individuals, which is a significant saving to members of the public who use the transport network.

“This is a very important contribution to make sure we’ve got an effective public transport system in place in Scotland today.”