Students and staff at the University of Stirling will be travelling in style on the ‘best buses in Scotland’, officially launched on campus last week by Minister for Transport Derek Mackay.

The First Midland Bluebird university fleet will be among the most technologically advanced in the country. Operating with Flywheel hybrid technology to deliver a significant reduction in emissions, they also use far less fuel than a ‘regular’ bus.

Five buses in total will run on the ‘UniLink’ route serving the University and Stirling city centre.

A total of £1,132,645 has been invested in the vehicles, inclusive of £196,000 support from the Scottish Government’s Green Bus Fund.

All five buses have been fitted with free Wi-Fi as standard to keep passengers connected on the move as well as USB ports to allow them to charge mobile devices. They also all feature leather seats for added comfort and extra room for buggies and wheelchairs.

Built by Falkirk-based manufacturer ADL, the double deck buses also feature the ‘Gyrodrive energy recovery system’. This technology harvests energy normally wasted when braking and stores it in a flywheel, which runs at up to 36,000rpm. When the driver accelerates the system works in reverse, feeding the energy into a traction motor – similar to the technology used in Formula One racing cars.

The buses also feature Euro 6 engines and test results show that running eight Euro 6 buses produces the same amount of certain exhaust emissions, including Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) and Particulate Matter (PM), as running one bus with a Euro 5 engine.

Derek Mackay, Minister for Transport & Islands, joined Stirling students to give the vehicles his stamp of approval.

He said: “The UniLink bus project is just one example of the ways in which the Scottish Green Bus Fund is delivering real benefits for passengers while encouraging partnerships between Government, local authorities and the bus industry. This is a clear indication of our support and commitment to encouraging cleaner ways to travel in Scotland.

“I am delighted to be part of this launch, along with First and the University of Stirling, and I hope the students who get to experience this new service are encouraged to consider greener transport options as a lifestyle choice.”

The Stirling UniLink provides customers with services every 7-8 minutes, Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm.