Stagecoach has placed an order for 200 Enviro400 double deck buses from Alexander Dennis, representing the UK bus industry’s largest single order by number of vehicles since 2019.

The new buses will be built in Britain and will have Alexander Dennis’s SmartPack efficiency technology, giving them Low Emission Bus status and helping Stagecoach to cut emissions in the communities it serves.

All are expected to be delivered in 2023 and to start going into service early next year.

They will allocated to depots across England, ranging from Torquay in the South West to Newcastle upon Tyne in the North East.

The investment means that Stagecoach will remove older buses from its fleet, benefitting local air quality.

Sam Greer, Engineering Director at Stagecoach, said: “These new double decker buses will complement the investment we are already making with our electric buses to modernise our fleet in some of Britain’s major towns and cities, enabling reduced pollution and meaning customers can benefit from more comfortable, quieter and newer vehicles on their everyday journeys.”

Paul Davies, Alexander Dennis President & Managing Director, said: “Our low-emission Enviro400 is a tried and tested product that combines efficiency with high passenger capacity. Robust and easy to maintain, the 200 new buses will integrate seamlessly into Stagecoach’s fleet.

“After the challenges both operators and manufacturers in the UK bus industry have faced in the last years, it is a heartening step on the road to recovery to see significant volumes of vehicles being ordered again by the country’s largest bus operator, Stagecoach.”