Electric Bus Operator Ember Lands £5 Million Funding Boost from Triodos Bank UK

Image Credit: Ember

Scottish all-electric bus operator Ember, a beacon of hope for sustainable transport, announced today that it has secured a £5.6m loan from Triodos Bank UK to expand its fleet of zero-emission coaches. This significant funding will allow Ember to purchase 14 new coaches, increasing its total fleet to 38 vehicles, and thereby, significantly reducing carbon emissions. This expansion will enable Ember to offer more passenger trips and extend its route network, a promising step towards a greener future.

Since its launch in 2020 with two electric coaches on the Dundee-Edinburgh route, Ember has expanded to include services to Glasgow, Stirling, and Kinross. The company is also increasing its charging capacity by opening new charging hubs across Scotland to support this growth.

This new loan from Triodos, a long-standing supporter of Ember's sustainability mission, follows previous support from the bank, including a £490,000 loan under the government's Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) for its first two coaches. Additional funding of £4.7m came through CBILS and the government-backed Recovery Loan Scheme (RLS). This strong financial backing from Triodos and other sources is a testament to Ember's financial stability and potential for further expansion.

Ember also received funding from Transport for Scotland through the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund (ScotZeb). Since launch, the company has made significant improvements to its coaches, increasing passenger capacity from 38 to 53 and tripling luggage space. Furthermore, the coaches now offer 5G WiFi and real-time route information via the EmberOS system.

"Triodos have been with us from the very start of Ember and have adapted their approach as we've scaled the business, taking a deeper look into our long-term plans and understanding what financial backing they could provide to support each phase," said Keith Bradbury, Ember's co-founder.  

"Whilst many banks say they are supporting green projects, Triodos stand out from the crowd with their ability to look at a project's merits from first principles to understand the true impact it can deliver."

Norrie Cruickshank, senior relationship manager at Triodos Bank, said: "Supporting the transition to a low carbon economy is an important objective for us as a bank, and to work with a pioneering company in the electrification of transport is an ideal fit for us.

We're excited to have the opportunity to provide further support as Ember continues to expand its provision of high quality, affordable zero-emission transport to a greater number of passengers across more locations."