Perth-based transport giant Stagecoach is investing more than £20 million in a new fleet of electric buses.
The firm will introduce 46 new fully electric buses – which have cost £21.4m – in Aberdeen, Perth and Kilmarnock this year.
The multi-million-pound move is part of the Scottish Government’s ultra low emission bus scheme.
It comes as Stagecoach – which announced plans for 80 new jobs at its Perth headquarters in the summer – plans to cut tens of thousands of tonnes of carbon emissions a year.
Stagecoach Scotland regional director Sam Greer said the firm wants to play its part in helping Scotland deliver on its net zero ambitions.
Mr Greer said: “There has never been a more important time to take action to address the climate emergency.
“Our plans start with improving the sustainability of our own business.
“We can also leverage the power of public transport focus on our plans to create a greener, smarter, safer, healthier and fairer Scotland.
“Making net zero a reality – and quickly – is about more than just switching technologies.
“We also need to change how we travel, moving people away from cars to walking, cycling and wheeling, and public transport.
“This needs strong and brave leadership from national and regional governments to create incentives to reward the right choices.
“We need to make sure the country’s transport infrastructure is prioritised for people, such as bus passengers, whose are contributing to a cleaner and healthier country.”
Zero emissions fleet by 2035
The firm, the UK’s biggest bus and coach operator, is aiming to have a zero emissions fleet by 2035.
Investment in clean technologies is expected to help reduce CO2 emissions by about 67,000 tonnes in less than 15 years.
Stagecoach currently has more than 1,200 buses in Scotland.
According to Zero Waste Scotland, the average annual carbon footprint per person in Scotland is 13 tonnes of CO2e.
This means Stagecoach’s plans are the equivalent of reducing the environmental impact of more than 5,000 Scots to zero.
The bus company has already been converting its existing vehicles to cut down emissions.
A third of all its buses in Scotland have been fitted with a new exhaust system.
That cuts down emissions by 95% compared to other buses.
Stagecoach is also working on how to use clean technologies on its coaches which operate on longer routes.
Five Citylink coaches have been fitted with new solar panels to power all on-board electrical equipment.
This reduces the requirement to create electric energy by burning of diesel. The move is estimated to save up to 7,500 litres of fuel and over 20 tonnes of CO2.