Ember plans to include Forres in its new service between Aberdeen and Inverness

Bus passengers have some good news in the same week as a much-criticised national operator announced another local service cut.

Stagecoach’s number 12 bus will only operate between Forres and Elgin from July 7, rather than onwards to Inverness, however, all-electric intercity operator Ember plans to include Forres in its new service between Aberdeen and Inverness later in the year.

Ember’s head of Scotland, Andy Mason, confirmed its new express service E7 runs between Inverness and Aberdeen with a limited number of stops for the first phase including at Nairn, Elgin, Keith, Inverurie, Blackburn, Aberdeen Airport, Aberdeen P&J Live, Aberdeen Union Street, Bridge of Don Park & Ride.

He said: “Once we run a fully registered service, we will include many more stops in between, including Forres. The reason we are not stopping in Forres in the first instance comes down to where we are allowed on an unregistered service.

“The requirement is that the 'as the crow flies' distances between two stops must be greater than 15 miles.

“Unfortunately this means that we have to make difficult choices about which communities to service on unregistered services when the distance between towns is less than 15 miles.”

Ember was started by Keith and Pierce in 2019 as the world's first all-electric intercity bus operator. It is based in Edinburgh with offices in Aberdeen and Dundee.

The E7 service launched on June 5.

Ember’s buses can go up to 350 miles on a single charge using cobalt free LFP batteries, meaning it is quieter, with no engine rumble or rattles. The coaches have 5G Wi-Fi and USB points at every seat with additional plugs and capacity for bike storage.

Live tracking is available so passengers can always see where their bus is.

Tickets are fully flexible, with the ability to change or cancel at any time. Passengers with a Scottish bus pass can travel free and anyone can buy a ticket onboard except at pre-booked only stops. Children under five can travel for free.

It is recommended that passengers book online at least 10 minutes before boarding for pre-booked stops. However, it is cheaper to book online and drivers do not accept cash onboard.

“Some of the most enthusiastic uptake of services has been in places that have been traditionally less well-served by directly connected public transport,” said Mr Mason. “Places such as Bridge of Earn, Forfar and Brechin on our E1 route between Aberdeen and Edinburgh, for example.

“We're delighted to now be able to launch new routes that will offer that same high-quality experience to towns and villages across the Highlands.

“We don't yet have the exact date of when we will begin running the registered service and add a stop in Forres but we hope that it will be around mid-September.”

For more information visit https://www.ember.to/