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Ember (coach operator)

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Ember Core Ltd
Yutong TCe12 at Fort William bus station in April 2026
Founded11 June 2019; 7 years ago (2019-06-11)[1]
HeadquartersEdinburgh, Scotland, UK
LocaleScotland
Service areaScotland
Routes16
Destinations
Hubs
Depots
Fleet98 [2]
Fuel typeElectric
Websiteember.to

Ember Core Ltd, trading as Ember, is a coach operator based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It operates the first electric intercity coach services in Scotland.[3]

History

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Founding and early development (2019–2020)

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Ember was founded in 2019 by Pierce Glennie and Keith Bradbury, both of whom had previously worked for iwoca.[4] Glennie has stated that the concept for the company was inspired by a long-distance bus journey he undertook from Namibia to South Africa. The name Ember was chosen to reflect the idea of "the end of fire".[5]

Ember's first planned route, numbered the E1[a], was to operate between Dundee and Edinburgh. Originally scheduled to commence in March 2020, the launch was delayed due to government restrictions introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which also postponed the delivery of the company's first electric coach.[3]

To support the launch, Ember received a £490,000 Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan through Triodos Bank.[6][7] The company ultimately began operations in October 2020 with two battery-electric coaches, which recharged using Dundee City Council charging infrastructure at Greenmarket.[8]

Expansion of routes and fleet (2021–2023)

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In February 2022, Ember was awarded £5,562,126 from the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Fund (ScotZEB) to support the purchase of twenty-six battery-electric vehicles and the associated charging infrastructure.[9] The company stated its intention to develop a national zero-emission coach network connecting Scotland's major cities.[10]

In August 2022, Ember launched a new route between Dundee and Glasgow, designated the E3.[11]

In July 2023, Ember placed an order for fourteen tri-axle Yutong GTe14 battery-electric coaches. This order increased Ember's total fleet of Yutong electric coaches to thirty-eight vehicles. Co-founder Pierce Glennie highlighted the reliability of the company’s existing Yutong TCe12 coaches as a key factor in enabling the rapid expansion of its zero-emission route network within three years of launch.[12] As of July 2024, three of the GTe14 coaches had entered service, with the remainder undergoing fit-out and branding.[citation needed]

Network diversification and service enhancements (2024)

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In January 2024, Ember introduced the E10 service, described by the company as a "short but useful" route, operating between Dundee Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc and Dundee city centre. The service operates more than forty times per day in each direction, calling at three pre-booked stops. The route was designed to make productive use of depot movements that would otherwise constitute dead mileage, while also providing connections with Ember's Edinburgh and Glasgow services, with future through-ticketing planned.[13]

In May 2024, Ember launched the E3X express service between Perth city centre and Glasgow, operating four services per day in each direction, with two services extending to Dundee. The service commenced on 7 May. During the same month, Ember introduced the E1X service operating between Dundee, Kinross, Edinburgh and Wallyford Park and Ride, where vehicles utilised newly installed charging facilities, before returning to Dundee. The E1X service was withdrawn on 22 October 2024.[14]

In September 2024, Ember announced plans to launch a new route linking Bridge of Don and Aberdeen city centre with Edinburgh via Dundee, with intermediate stops including Brechin and Forfar. The route also provides a connection to Edinburgh Airport. Full service commencement was scheduled for 22 October 2024, with twenty services per day operating throughout the week. The introduction of this route doubled the frequency between Dundee and Edinburgh to forty services per day, providing a half-hourly service for much of the day.[15] To support operations, Ember established a new depot in Bridge of Don, complementing its existing depot in Dundee.[16]

Further network growth (2025)

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In April 2025, Ember announced the introduction of a new route between Fort William and Edinburgh. A further announcement in May 2025 confirmed the launch of a Fort William to Glasgow service.[17]

In June 2025, the E7 route between Aberdeen and Inverness commenced operations.[18]

In July 2025, Ember announced that the E6 route, operating between Inverness and Thurso & Scrabster, would begin on 9 July.[19] Later that month, on 23 July, the company launched the E11 route between Dundee and Aberdeen via Braemar.[20]

In September 2025, Ember introduced the E4X express service between Edinburgh and Fort William.[21]

On 22 October 2025, Ember commenced operation of the E8 route between Glasgow and Inverness.[22] This was followed by the launch of the E9 route between Edinburgh and Inverness on 5 November 2025.[23]

Coach hire and fleet expansion

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In September 2025, Ember expanded beyond scheduled intercity services with the launch of Ember Coach Hire, a zero-emission private hire service utilising its electric coach fleet. By late 2025, Ember operated a fully electric fleet of seventy-eight vehicles. A further tranche of coaches funded through the second round of the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Fund (ScotZEB2) is expected to increase the fleet to approximately 138 vehicles in Scotland by the end of the first quarter of 2026.[24][25]

In March 2026, Ember were awarded £13 million of funding from the Scottish Government as part of the third and final round of the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Fund (ScotZEB3) to support the purchase of 100 new Yutong coaches.[26]

Charging infrastructure

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Ember's charging infrastructure has expanded alongside its fleet growth. In addition to its original hub in Dundee, the company operates charging facilities in Fort William, Thurso and Inverness, with further sites under development in Oban, Perth, Livingston and Glasgow. The network supports both scheduled services and private hire operations.[24]

Routes

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  • E1 Bridge of Don – Edinburgh, via Aberdeen and Dundee[b]
  • E3 Dundee – Glasgow, via Perth and Stirling
  • E4 Fort William - Edinburgh, via Stirling
  • E4X Fort William - Edinburgh (express)
  • E5 Fort William — Glasgow
  • E6 Inverness — Scrabster
  • E7 Bridge of Don — Inverness, via Aberdeen
  • E8 Glasgow - Inverness, via Perth[c]
  • E9 Edinburgh - Inverness, via Perth
  • E10 Dundee City Centre – Dundee Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc[d]
  • E11 Dundee – Bridge of Don, via Aberdeen
  • E12 Glasgow - Carmyle
  • E14 Inverness - Oban, via Fort William[27][28]
  • E15 Edinburgh - Oban, via Stirling[27][29]
  • E16 Glasgow - Oban[27][30]
  • E17 Perth - Aberdeen, via Dundee[27][31]
  • E18 Inverness - Ullapool Ferry Terminal[27][32]
  • E19 Livingston - Edinburgh Airport[33][34][35]

Fleet

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Ember's first two Yutong TCe12 battery electric coaches were delivered in 2020. A further two were added in 2021, and four more in 2022, funded by the Scottish Utra-Low Emission Bus Scheme.[10] Ember has taken delivery of fourteen Yutong GTe14 tri-axle electric coaches in early 2024 – the first operator to order the coach model.[36] Ember was also awarded government funding in March 2021 for four single-deck Arrival buses,[37] the development of which was ultimately postponed in 2022. The company also had eight new additions to the fleet of Yutong TCe12s in 2023.[citation needed]

Notes

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  1. ↑ The service used to have a counterpart the E2. The E1 ran from Dundee to Edinburgh (and still does), and the E2 ran from Edinburgh to Dundee. Ember renumbered the E2 to E1 while keeping the same route, so now the service has the same route number in both directions.
  2. ↑ Half of the services will terminate in Dundee, the others will continue to Bridge of Don.
  3. ↑ 3 services each way per day are non-stop Glasgow - Inverness.
  4. ↑ These services continue to Edinburgh and Glasgow as services E1 and E3, through services can be booked.

References

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  1. ↑ "EMBER CORE LTD overview". Companies House. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  2. ↑ "Why has the world's first hydrogen double-decker fleet failed?". BBC News. 27 February 2026. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
  3. 1 2 "UK set to launch first all-electric coach service from Edinburgh to Dundee next month". inews.co.uk. 21 September 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  4. ↑ Peat, Chris (11 September 2019). "Ember to trailblaze electric coaches". Bus & Coach Buyer. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  5. ↑ Aitken, Ben (10 October 2020). "The clean, green, smog-fighting machine". The Times. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  6. ↑ "UK's first all-electric inter-city coach service launches between Dundee and Edinburgh". Business Traveller. 2 October 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  7. ↑ "Triodos Bank funds UK's first 100% electric intercity coach service". Tridos Bank. 21 September 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  8. ↑ Calder, Simon (30 September 2020). "Zero-emissions electric bus service launched between Edinburgh and Dundee". The Independent. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  9. ↑ "Scottish Zero Emission Bus challenge fund". Transport Scotland. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  10. 1 2 "Ember Core aims to develop a national network". Buses Magazine. 15 April 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  11. ↑ "Electric coach firm Ember to expand Scottish network with Glasgow-Dundee service followed by Fort William". The Scotsman. 13 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  12. ↑ Team, routeone (12 July 2023). "Ember orders 14 Yutong GTe14 battery-electric tri-axles". routeone. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  13. ↑ Sinclair, Ashleigh (9 January 2024). "Ember launches local Dundee route". CBW. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  14. ↑ "Express Services With Perth City Centre and Wallyford Stops". www.ember.to. 5 May 2024. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  15. ↑ "New Aberdeen to Edinburgh Service and Other Improvements". www.ember.to. 22 September 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  16. ↑ "Work at Ember". ember.to.
  17. ↑ "New Edinburgh to Fort William Service". www.ember.to. 9 April 2025. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  18. ↑ "New Aberdeen to Inverness Service". www.ember.to. 30 May 2025. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  19. ↑ Ember [@RideEmber] (2 July 2025). "**NEW ROUTE** - Ember will be launching the E6 on Wednesday 9 July with stops in Dingwall, Tain, Brora, Dunbeath, Wick and Scrabster. The route will begin with four return services per day, and we will be adding more stops soon" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
  20. ↑ "New Dundee to Aberdeen Service via the Cairngorms". www.ember.to. 18 July 2025. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  21. ↑ "Additional Service on our Fort William to Edinburgh Route". www.ember.to. 2 September 2025. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  22. ↑ "New Glasgow to Inverness Service". www.ember.to. 7 October 2025. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
  23. ↑ "New Edinburgh to Inverness Service". www.ember.to. 29 October 2025. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
  24. 1 2 Crawford, Alex (15 December 2025). "Ember: next stop, zero-emission coach hire for everyone". routeone. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  25. ↑ May, Tiana (18 November 2025). "Ember Launches New Electric Coach Hire Service". Bus-News. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  26. ↑ Crawford, Alex (25 March 2026). "Scotland allocates £45 million for coach and bus as ScotZEB3 concludes". routeone. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  27. 1 2 3 4 5 "Map". www.ember.to. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
  28. ↑ "E14 - Between Inverness and Oban". bustimes.org. 2 April 2026. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  29. ↑ "E15 - Between Edinburgh and Oban". bustimes.org. 1 June 2026. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  30. ↑ "E16 - Between Glasgow and Oban". bustimes.org. 2 April 2026. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  31. ↑ "E17 - Between Aberdeen and Perth". bustimes.org. 2 April 2026. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  32. ↑ "E18 - Between Inverness and Ullapool". bustimes.org. 1 June 2026. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  33. ↑ "New Livingston to Edinburgh Airport Service". www.ember.to. 29 June 2026. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
  34. ↑ Courier, West Lothian; Storie, Isla (30 June 2026). "Edinburgh Airport and West Lothian to get new bus connections". Daily Record. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
  35. ↑ "E19 - Between Edinburgh Airport and Livingston". bustimes.org. 3 July 2026. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
  36. ↑ "Ember orders 14 Yutong GTe14 battery-electric tri-axles". routeone. 12 July 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  37. ↑ Holley, Mel (22 March 2021). "Scottish Government awards £40m second round of the Scottish Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme". ITT HUb News.
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