Ember: Electric coach service

[Buzby]

Is there any evidence that old/young people with free passes use Ember in preference because of the superior service?

I’m one of many who have abandoned CityLink for all journeys (except to Edinburgh). When Ember introduce this from Glasgow, I’ll be a happy bunny.

 

[Strathtay 260]

The E17 is now primarily using TCe12s (the 12m coaches) instead of the GTe14s which probably tells you how "well" the E17 has picked up over 6 months

It isn't due to demand. It's that the E17 uses the least amount of battery of the Aberdeen routes therefore it makes the most sense to use the TCe12s taking some off the E7, which GTe14s are suited to purely because it requires significantly more luggage space as it serves Aberdeen Airport. However both routes will still have a mixture of 12s and 14s.

Ember don't really do advertising I have noticed

They don't due to advertising and never have done because they think the bus is an advert itself.

They keep saying they are a tech company that just so happens to run coach services

I'm not convinced they "keep" saying that. They just aren't a traditional bus operator which is true.

 

[johncrossley]

Flixbus are regularly criticised for not doing advertising but they seem to have conquered nearly all of Europe's coach market. Traditional advertising (TV, radio, billboards etc.) maybe isn't as effective for the likes of Ember and Flixbus.

 

[RomeoCharlie71]

It isn't due to demand. It's that the E17 uses the least amount of battery of the Aberdeen routes therefore it makes the most sense to use the TCe12s taking some off the E7, which GTe14s are suited to purely because it requires significantly more luggage space as it serves Aberdeen Airport. However both routes will still have a mixture of 12s and 14s

Ok, but whatever way you look at it, it's obviously not busy enough to justify the GTe14s all the time

 

[Strathtay 260]

Ok, but whatever way you look at it, it's obviously not busy enough to justify the GTe14s all the time

Yes I'd agree with that, I'm just going off what's been said. And even if it was due to demand I doubt it'd be admitted - they like having a technical reason for most things it seems.

 

[Jordan Adam]

The E7 gets very busy, the use of GTe14s on the service instead of the TCe12s is long overdue.

 

[AndrewTaylor95]

AIR is going stop at newhouse from October change

New timetables are on Traveline, Won't be stopping at Newhouse so was a rumour as I thought

 

[danielhogg2005]

Ember have announced a new E21 route between Inverness & Portree starting next Wednesday.

Link: https://www.ember.to/news/#new-portree-to-inverness-service-30-sep-2026

Quote taken from Ember's website:

30 Sep 2026
New Portree to Inverness Service
On Wednesday 7 October we're launching a new route between Portree and Inverness. There will be one return service per day, leaving Portree late morning and returning from Inverness mid-afternoon. It will run seven days a week.

This new route is on the live map so you can see exactly where we'll stop. Initially, there'll be some restrictions that only allow longer journeys on this route. In a few months' time we'll remove these restrictions to allow journeys between all stops, including within the Isle of Skye. We'll be adding some more stops to this route then too.

Tickets are on sale now. See you onboard soon.

 

[CMBS]

Ember have announced a new E21 route between Inverness & Portree starting next Wednesday.

Link: https://www.ember.to/news/#new-portree-to-inverness-service-30-sep-2026

Quote taken from Ember's website:

Only once a day, I imagine they are struggling to find drivers there? Were they not also going to extend it to Uig? What I thought from the hiring info, but time will tell if it gets added once its registered. Timing matches with the 915 from Uig to Portree (minus the 15 minute wait) almost perfectly so I'd imagine this is the case

 

[CSB0241]

Funnily enough I predicted an Aberdeen to Fraserburgh/Peterhead service would happen

Don't know about it but I'd imagine its a Glasgow to Fife service considering they are recruiting in Fife at the moment, The X24/7 already stops in Forth Valley Hospital.

Citylink are launching a new service M6 from Glasgow to Aberdeen via Falkirk & Edinburgh Airport from late October so I’d imagine it’s something vaguely in conjunction with that. I am aware that Ember are very keen on trying to compete with the car over other coach companies, but with the E19’s Broxburn journeys being very similar to the 902, E20 being a very near replica of the AIR, & the E17 basically just duping the X7, among others, I find it hard to believe that they don’t wish to compete with other operators at least a small bit.

About time there is a Bus Station created at the airport now. The coach stances have been used a few times for this purpose.

I’m personally of the belief that coach stances & bus stances should be swapped around - whenever I’ve been passing the airport I’ve never seen more than 2 of the stances in use at any given time whereas the entrance to the service bus concourse is near enough chock-a-block with Stagecoach Jet7X7 & Ember routes, with the occasional Xplore Dundee Tourismo. A couple stances extra would maybe need bolted on for capacity reasons, but otherwise I think it’d be at the very least somewhat better.