THE Easdale brothers have splashed out £15m on a fleet of all-electric buses for McGill’s.

The Greenock company, now the UK’s largest independent bus operator, has ordered 33 new vehicles from Pelican Yutong.

The electric buses will be delivered in the second half of this year and the investment has been 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.

This deal takes McGill’s capital investment since 2014 to more than £65m.

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

Sandy Easdale co-owner of McGill’s, added: “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."