Ember: Electric coach service

[scot14]

I can't see who want to buy the company, Ember only has to good routes, E1 and E11, the rest is just cabin copies of other operators, with extra places added on. Have they grown too fast? its been 5 years.

The E7 has quite literally changed how bus travel is working in Moray and Aberdeenshire. The majority of us are use to Evora buses or deckers on the journey between Inverness and Aberdeen. The amount of people who say how nice the ember buses are is quite shocking, it’s the first time a bus company has offered a good product up here in a very long time.

 

[AndrewTaylor95]

The E7 has quite literally changed how bus travel is working in Moray and Aberdeenshire. The majority of us are use to Evora buses or deckers on the journey between Inverness and Aberdeen. The amount of people who say how nice the ember buses are is quite shocking, it’s the first time a bus company has offered a good product up here in a very long time.

When I'm up that way I'll see whatever is on the E7 or the M96 and I'll make my decision, Baffles me why they put Evoras and E400MMCs on the M96, Stagecoach Yutongs Seats are actually a bit comfier than the Ember TCe12s I find if one is on an M96 I'll take that over Embers offering, I've been on an Evora on the M96 from Aberdeen to Inverness and It’s had no more than 10 people on, last one from Aberdeen so was more than adequate for capacity in fairness, Ember have the upper hand because they practically run a round the clock service which is great as well, I love having a couple a Family members that live up North and on that route, Can visit them anytime and I'm not stranded to get back to Glasgow and they're the same vice versa, Ember have certainly made travel easier in the wee hours to travel round our Country, Work schedule dictates the hours of travel, Suited to my needs

 

[Buzby]

I'll take that over Embers offering

So, despite a ringing endorsement for ember, you’ll not use them in preference? For the last 3 years I’ve made a point of supporting their initiatives in preference to Stagecoach or CityLink. It’s not just the ‘green’ angle. Their technology use has been innovative and groundbreaking. What will you do when these ‘round the clock’ services stop? Use it or lose it!

 

[Sealink]

The E7 has quite literally changed how bus travel is working in Moray and Aberdeenshire. The majority of us are use to Evora buses or deckers on the journey between Inverness and Aberdeen. The amount of people who say how nice the ember buses are is quite shocking, it’s the first time a bus company has offered a good product up here in a very long time.

I think they are certainly better than the X99 with their E6. (Caithness - Inverness)

They opened the Georgemas area, Watten, Haster to Inverness services (years and years ago Citylink used to cover this route, but now only go via Castletown), opened connections to the 0755 Highland Chieftain to London.
Brought Tain back with faster services to Inverness and introduced direct buses from Caithness to Dingwall. They also have earlier, later and more services than the X99 - especially Sundays (!).
The problem is, this is an area with a very low population so I do wonder if it can last.


Stagecoach weren't bad on the X99 but also weren't that good.

I also think they alienated lots of customers in Wick years ago by re-routing the X99 along the A9 to Thurso, Wick and Lybster passengers had to change in Dunbeath.
That system is long gone but there was a lot of tinkering with the service, then complaints that the buses were not good for boarding by anyone less able to stand, wheelchair users etc.

And with Ember in general, their tech for booking is excellent, with no cancellation or amendment fees, and automatic refunds for delays of over 30 minutes.

 

[Statto]

I think they are certainly better than the X99 with their E6. (Caithness - Inverness)

They opened the Georgemas area, Watten, Haster to Inverness services (years and years ago Citylink used to cover this route, but now only go via Castletown), opened connections to the 0755 Highland Chieftain to London.
Brought Tain back with faster services to Inverness and introduced direct buses from Caithness to Dingwall. They also have earlier, later and more services than the X99 - especially Sundays (!).
The problem is, this is an area with a very low population so I do wonder if it can last.


Stagecoach weren't bad on the X99 but also weren't that good.

I also think they alienated lots of customers in Wick years ago by re-routing the X99 along the A9 to Thurso, Wick and Lybster passengers had to change in Dunbeath.
That system is long gone but there was a lot of tinkering with the service, then complaints that the buses were not good for boarding by anyone less able to stand, wheelchair users etc.

And with Ember in general, their tech for booking is excellent, with no cancellation or amendment fees, and automatic refunds for delays of over 30 minutes.

It's a shame the E6 doesn't connect with the sleeper, that's would make it more useful, could the 08.21 Northbound service from Inverness be moved to 09.21, & the 13.37 Southbound from Thurso moved to 15.37, which would mean the 18.39 Northbound from Inverness being moved as well & could connect with the train from London, which doesn't arrive at Inverness until 20.08?

 

[overthewater]

Another new route E14 Inverness to Oban, via Fort William: Postage on thier Facebook page.

again another copycat route, would be nice if they tried something orignal.

New route time! Ember's brand new E14 service will link Inverness to Oban, via Fort William

We're launching a new zero-emission route connecting Inverness and Oban, with initial stops in Fort Augustus and Fort William. Services start one week today on Wednesday 25 Feb 2026, with eight return trips daily between Inverness and Fort William - two of which extend all the way to Oban.
We’ll be adding many more stops and some additional daily services (some of which will be the full service all the way through to Oban) very soon, so keep an eye out for more details in the weeks to come.
An adult single is just £13.75 from Inverness to Fort William and £11.25 from Fort William to Oban. As with all our tickets, these prices don't change whether you book weeks before or a minute ahead.
As always:
- there are no hidden 'booking fees' for valid concession card holders, free really means free
- well-behaved pets are very welcome
- each bus has space for two bikes, and we'd recommend that you book your bike space in advance to guarantee your spot
- Ember runs seven days a week, including public holidays
You can see the full route and all the stops on our live map. Tickets for this route are on sale now. To check times and buy your tickets, visit: https://www.ember.to/

 

[Highland050261]

Another new route E14 Inverness to Oban, via Fort William: Postage on thier Facebook page.

again another copycat route, would be nice if they tried something orignal.

The E15 and E16 will also operate as Oban services, running via Fort William to Glasgow and Edinburgh. The destination screens on the buses have been updated and have been seen.

There is no timeline for the E15 or E16 as of yet.

 

[Trainguy34]

The E15 and E16 will also operate as Oban services, running via Fort William to Glasgow and Edinburgh. The destination screens on the buses have been updated and have been seen.

There is no timeline for the E15 or E16 as of yet.

Won't they just duplicate the E4(X) and E5 fully unless they remove them?

 

[Highland050261]

Won't they just duplicate the E4(X) and E5 fully unless they remove them?

They will probably be interworked with those two runs, but we won’t know until nearer the time.

 

[overthewater]

Come on Ember why not try something original like Stirling P&R - Cumbernauld - Hamilton - Carlisle .

I think they are moving away from the original concept of trying to get car drivers and moving towards grabbing Tourist, and fatting up the company to sell if off, which are few others have said. Its a shame.

 

[gingerheid]

Another new route E14 Inverness to Oban, via Fort William: Postage on thier Facebook page.

again another copycat route, would be nice if they tried something orignal.

It's going to be though, isn't it? They have a charging infrastructure cost, so there's an accountant somewhere reminding them it makes sense to place the infrastructure in the biggest cities & larger destinations at the edge of the country, and then join as many dots as possible? As soon as they started the E4 and the E6 we knew this was coming; we just didn't know what order it would arrive in?

 

[GusB]

I think they are moving away from the original concept of trying to get car drivers and moving towards grabbing Tourist, and fatting up the company to sell if off, which are few others have said. Its a shame

It is possible to attract car drivers and grab the Tourist at the same time.

 

[KrisEK]

Won't they just duplicate the E4(X) and E5 fully unless they remove them?

I wonder if the intention is to run it as a loop, e.g. Glasgow - Fort William - Oban - Glasgow, with a number change at some point along the route.

 

[Spsf3232]

I wonder if the intention is to run it as a loop, e.g. Glasgow - Fort William - Oban - Glasgow, with a number change at some point along the route.

Looking at the stop in Fort William the E14 will service the bus station and so I would imagine eventually have it as a through service to Oban from Inverness. To run it as a loop would add in too many unknown issues especially in the summer with accidents and heavy traffic.

 

[Highland050261]

I wonder if the intention is to run it as a loop, e.g. Glasgow - Fort William - Oban - Glasgow, with a number change at some point along the route.

I would Prusume like how only 2 of the 8 runs on the E14 are extended to oban i guess the E15 & E16 will be the same in the way that certain E4 & E5 runs will be extended to oban.

 

[Spsf3232]

I would Prusume like how only 2 of the 8 runs on the E14 are extended to oban i guess the E15 & E16 will be the same in the way that certain E4 & E5 runs will be extended to oban.

E4 and E5 will remain as they are. It would be stupid to then send them back down to Oban doubling back on themselves

 

[RomeoCharlie71]

When are the 58 funded coaches due in 2026 expected?

At least 20 of them are at Southampton now

 

[Strathtay 260]

E14 launched today and CHX & CHY are also back in service - the only ones without a toilet.

 

[Ivan24]

E14 launched today and CHX & CHY are also back in service - the only ones without a toilet.

Indeed they are, I managed to by chance photograph CHX at the Inverness Depot

 

[PG]

Stagecoach must have agreed to the fare cap as the First Minister has been visiting them and posted on X Elgin to Inverness going from £15.60 to £2 and Wick to Inverness going from £31 to £2.

From the Transport Scotland news page below, the Western Isles have also joined in the scheme from 23 February 2026, Orkney will from 9 March 2026 and Highland, Moray, Argyll and Bute will from 23 March 2026.

Cheaper bus travel for Highland communities

First Minister announces roll-out of £2 fare cap.

www.gov.scot

Does anyone know if Ember have agreed to the fare cap?
If not then maybe Stagecoach see the cap as a competitive tool?

 

[TheWierdOne]

Does anyone know if Ember have agreed to the fare cap?
If not then maybe Stagecoach see the cap as a competitive tool?

Surely the fare cap will function in the same way as England, where there will still be fares behind the scenes which the government uses to reimburse the difference between that and the cap charged to customers. There’s no way operators of any sort would agree to it otherwise.

 

[38291018]

Surely the fare cap will function in the same way as England, where there will still be fares behind the scenes which the government uses to reimburse the difference between that and the cap charged to customers. There’s no way operators of any sort would agree to it otherwise.

So theoretically can the operator just increase the fare for example from 4.30 to 6 pound so they get 1.70 more reimbursement from the goverment instead of the 1.30 they would get if was 4.30

 

[paravostok]

So theoretically can the operator just increase the fare for example from 4.30 to 6 pound so they get 1.70 more reimbursement from the goverment instead of the 1.30 they would get if was 4.30

Would this not be classed as abstraction and blocked though? atleast if they take it too far

 

[markymark2000]

Would this not be classed as abstraction and blocked though? atleast if they take it too far

You mean, the same as they do with the concessionary passes and the Scottish Govt let them get away with it because they've no backbone? Returns and day tickets priced far lower than singles because they don't count towards the reimbursement.

 

[TheWierdOne]

So theoretically can the operator just increase the fare for example from 4.30 to 6 pound so they get 1.70 more reimbursement from the goverment instead of the 1.30 they would get if was 4.30

I don’t pretend to know the full details but I assume there are mechanisms to prevent abuse

 

[318266]

Would this not be classed as abstraction and blocked though? atleast if they take it too far

Considering this is what literally has been done with concessionary bus fares I'm not sure there is such a function.

 

[CMBS]

Service E16 has appeared on Bustimes, operating from Oban via Tyndrum to Glasgow, supposedly starting on Tuesday but with no announcement or service registration.

https://bustimes.org/services/e16-between-glasgow-and-oban

 

[Deerfold]

Service E16 has appeared on Bustimes, operating from Oban via Tyndrum to Glasgow, supposedly starting on Tuesday but with no announcement or service registration.

https://bustimes.org/services/e16-between-glasgow-and-oban

They don't need to register it, so long as shorter journeys can't be booked.

At the moment, they're not allowing any bookings on the E16.

 

[kkong]

Service E16 has appeared on Bustimes, operating from Oban via Tyndrum to Glasgow, supposedly starting on Tuesday but with no announcement or service registration.

It has now been announced by Ember, along with their new option to book tickets for connecting journeys.

https://www.ember.to/news/

New Route Between Glasgow and Oban and Connecting Tickets

New Glasgow to Oban Route
We're launching a new route connecting Oban with Glasgow, with stops at Glasgow Airport, Gallowhill, Dumbarton, Tarbet and Tyndrum. Services start on 11 March 2026, with four return trips per day, seven days per week.

Like other route launches, we'll be adding many more stops later in the spring — more details to follow.

It's just £18.25 for an adult single from Glasgow to Oban if you book online (whether you book weeks before or a minute ahead).

You can see the full route and all stops on our live map. Tickets are on sale now.

Connecting Tickets
From today, you can book tickets across our network by connecting between services. To give a few examples, you can now travel from Aberdeen to Glasgow for £19.15, Dundee to Inverness for £18.65, or all the way from Thurso to Edinburgh for just £35.15. Have a look at our booking page and see where you can go.

 

[route101]

No surprise this was the next route. E15 do we reckon that's route to Edinburgh?