Ember: Electric coach service

[CMBS]

Ember have announced intentions to double their fleet size with backing from private equity within 18 months and introducing more night services, this comes after 6 years in operation.

Flixbus have essentially managed to hover up everything in a large chunk of Europe, and in a very short amount of time. How much of a risk with Ember's model does it pose towards Flixbus in the coming future given it's somewhat ambitious plans? Flixbus follows conventional coach company methods of operation, and certainly in the Scottish market at the moment there doesn't appear to be much innovation from Flixbus at the very moment.

If range in EV coaches does not improve in the future, Ember may be limited to the regional market, unless national routes can be made with charging breaks.

https://www.ember.to/news/#ember-raises-£18m-to-keep-building-the-next-generation-of-public-transport-8-oct-2026

 

[overthewater]

That press released hasn't said anything new or given us in sight what there really up to. There were always going to get another 100 coaches within the next year because of ScotZeb3. If they had told us about what's planned for the Kirkcaldy Depot or if they going to Ayrshire... but they have hinted at England

Looking further ahead, we intend to bring that experience to other countries and regions.

that's the only interesting bit.

 

[Buzby]

Flixbus follows conventional coach company methods of operation,

Really? I look at them as a ‘virtual’ operator - they are a Brand, chose a strident eye-piercing colour, and as far as I can tell don’t own any vehicles nor employ drivers - everything else is sub-contracted. Ember however built everything themselves from scratch, sourcing their vehicles, depots, drivers and an IT system that manages their fleet and retails their tickets to the public. How many operators do that?

 

[Deerfold]

Really? I look at them as a ‘virtual’ operator - they are a Brand, chose a strident eye-piercing colour, and as far as I can tell don’t own any vehicles nor employ drivers - everything else is sub-contracted. Ember however built everything themselves from scratch, sourcing their vehicles, depots, drivers and an IT system that manages their fleet and retails their tickets to the public. How many operators do that?

National Express and Megabus also subcontracted the vast majority of their routes. Flixbus seems to do much the same, though the details of contracts may be different.

 

[CMBS]

Really? I look at them as a ‘virtual’ operator - they are a Brand, chose a strident eye-piercing colour, and as far as I can tell don’t own any vehicles nor employ drivers - everything else is sub-contracted. Ember however built everything themselves from scratch, sourcing their vehicles, depots, drivers and an IT system that manages their fleet and retails their tickets to the public. How many operators do that?

Meant in UK terms, not sure how things work in Europe. It's generally conventional at least here for intercity operators to contract services out to smaller coach operators and Citylink/DubEx in Ireland also exercise this.
I know Flixbus also contracts out in Europe.

 

[HighlandStorm]

That article Ember posted talks about their real impact coming with 10,000 coaches!

 

[route101]

That article Ember posted talks about their real impact coming with 10,000 coaches!

And Ive heard they've nearly finished their expansion in Scotland.

 

[overthewater]

And Ive heard they've nearly finished their expansion in Scotland.

There still 75 coaches worth of work still to be found for these new coaches coming in. You could fudge it and say the oringal 26 have now done 5 years work they can go else where.

Talk is Glasgow to Falkirk to Edinburgh plus a Kirkcaldy to Dundee route. That 15 coaches? there still 60 spare coaches.

 

[Deerfold]

That article Ember posted talks about their real impact coming with 10,000 coaches!

Though that isn't restricted to Scotland, or even Europe.

 

[Spsf3232]

And Ive heard they've nearly finished their expansion in Scotland.

No where near finished. They still have approx 40 vehicles still needing work and that's at current use rates. If they tightened up Charging times for vehicles they could run more intense services as currently all vehicles are not utilised to the max mostly.

Each depot has many vehicles parked not charging at any time. I think Livingston is the one that's probably hardest used just now.

 

[overthewater]

No where near finished. They still have approx 40 vehicles still needing work and that's at current use rates. If they tightened up Charging times for vehicles they could run more intense services as currently all vehicles are not utilised to the max mostly.

Each depot has many vehicles parked not charging at any time. I think Livingston is the one that's probably hardest used just now.

So there around 140 coaches that need work over the coming year?

 

[Volvodart]

So there around 140 coaches that need work over the coming year?

The article says 18 months.

 

[Spsf3232]

So there around 140 coaches that need work over the coming year?

I never said 140, I said 40 or so still to be actively used however most are in service they just are not used effective way. They have the ability to have around 30 to 40 extra vehicles pushed onto new routes just now without even considering new orders for next year

 

[overthewater]

Yes you said 40, but there is still 100 more coming with Scotzeb3 so that mean there could have work or need to find work for 140 coaches.

 

[Spsf3232]

Yes you said 40, but there is still 100 more coming with Scotzeb3 so that mean there could have work or need to find work for 140 coaches.

Im refering to vehicles that have arrived this year not due next year

 

[CSB0241]

In a first for me I’ve not been able to use Ember due to them cancelling one of their trips (in this case the 1310 E15 off of Oban). I intended on getting it back into Edinburgh from Grangemouth however on their website the journey had been greyed out completely & wasn’t tracking.

Is this particularly common with Ember on other parts of the network? I’ve certainly never experienced it with any of their services prior.

 

[Spsf3232]

In a first for me I’ve not been able to use Ember due to them cancelling one of their trips (in this case the 1310 E15 off of Oban). I intended on getting it back into Edinburgh from Grangemouth however on their website the journey had been greyed out completely & wasn’t tracking.

Is this particularly common with Ember on other parts of the network? I’ve certainly never experienced it with any of their services prior.

Yep pretty common as they struggle for drivers due to the contracts they offer

 

[scottishtrains]

In a first for me I’ve not been able to use Ember due to them cancelling one of their trips (in this case the 1310 E15 off of Oban). I intended on getting it back into Edinburgh from Grangemouth however on their website the journey had been greyed out completely & wasn’t tracking.

Is this particularly common with Ember on other parts of the network? I’ve certainly never experienced it with any of their services prior.

I had an E7 cancel on me today when I went to book it, has happened before to me aswell with one journey being sold out and the other being cancelled

 

[NWSpotting]

So the other week, SG26XRL was in Preston on 28th August... I meant to ask, does anyone have a single clue why? Genuinely confused why an Ember coach was so far south

 

[GusB]

So the other week, SG26XRL was in Preston on 28th August... I meant to ask, does anyone have a single clue why? Genuinely confused why an Ember coach was so far south

It was maybe on a hire.

 

[Volvodart]

It was maybe on a hire.

It was said to be charging on a Blackpool hire.

 

[Spsf3232]

So the other week, SG26XRL was in Preston on 28th August... I meant to ask, does anyone have a single clue why? Genuinely confused why an Ember coach was so far south

They do private hires