McGills Group, the UK's largest independent bus operator, is taking legal advice after Transport Scotland rejected its £4.3 million application to purchase 33 zero emission buses from Falkirk based Alexander Dennis Limited under the third round of the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund. The £45 million ScotZEB3 fund was instead awarded to five other operators, with coach firm Ember receiving the largest share of £13 million for 100 Chinese electric coaches. McGills chair Ralph Roberts questioned the fairness and transparency of the allocation, noting the original purpose was to convert diesel buses to zero emission vehicles, while Ember's award would not replace any diesel vehicles.
Why it matters: The legal challenge highlights procurement transparency concerns in public EV funding schemes and raises questions about how zero emission bus grants are scored when expansion projects compete against diesel replacement programmes. The outcome also underscores the competitive dynamics between domestic manufacturers like ADL and international suppliers in UK transport electrification tenders.