Inverness is driving a green revolution on its roads after introducing the first fully electric buses in Scotland.

A £1.1million fleet of five eco-friendly buses will operate on two popular services into the city centre.

Councillor David Alston launched the new Optare Enviro EV buses at the Stagecoach depot in Inverness yesterday, with other local councillors, local businesses and stakeholders also in attendance.

The smart buses are manufactured in Leeds and are the first of their kind to be used in Scotland.

They will look identical to conventional models but have an electric power pack in place of the diesel engine. The buses take just two hours to reach full charge in addition to the braking system generating electrical energy when the brakes are applied.

The new vehicles will mainly be used on services seven and nine in the city. Service nine connects South Kessock to the city centre and service seven connects Culduthel to the city centre and Raigmore. These routes carry more than 24,000 passengers every month.

Stagecoach has invested £600,000 in the new buses, with a further £495,000 being provided through the Scottish Government’s Green Bus Fund and £30,000 from transport agency Hitrans.

Steve Walker, managing director of Stagecoach North Scotland, said: “We are committed to reducing the impact of our operations on the environment, whilst continuing to offer high quality, affordable travel.

“We have seen the success of similar electric vehicles in other parts of the country so we’re delighted to be launching these new buses in Inverness, particularly as they are the first fully electric buses to operate in Scotland. We will look forward to welcoming more people onto our greener, smarter bus network.”

The launch of the eco-friendly vehicles marks Stagecoach Group’s seventh annual Green Week, which takes place from June 1- 5.

More information about the electric vehicles and Green Week is available at stagecoachbus.com