Coach company Scottish Citylink is to introduce free email and web access for passengers commuting between Glasgow and Edinburgh.

From December 10, passengers travelling between the two cities by bus will be able to access the internet and send and receive emails during the 90 minute journey.

Citylink is investing £20k in rolling out the new Wi-Fi technology across the fleet of state-of-the-art coaches - making it the first bus company in Scotland to offer the service.

The announcement is the latest step by the transport provider in its campaign to persuade commuters to switch from the train or car to the bus.

Wi-Fi access will be particularly attractive to business travellers, who are most likely to use laptops, Blackberries, PDAs or mobile phones to access the internet while commuting.

All 65-seater vehicles in the Glasgow to Edinburgh fleet are being equipped with Wi-Fi technology supplied by Moovera Networks and the system will be in operation from Monday December 10.

Graeme Hoggan, Commercial Manager at Scottish Citylink, says the move is further evidence of the company's commitment to making commuting easier. 

He explained: "Thousands of people commute between Glasgow and Edinburgh every day and being able to work online or check emails during the journey will be a major advantage for them.

"When you add this to the fact that taking the bus is £160 cheaper every month than the train and the fact you are guaranteed a seat, bus travel looks an increasingly attractive option for commuters."

Citylink will introduce Wi-Fi on a 12-month trial basis on the route between Glasgow and Edinburgh, with a view to rolling it out to services elsewhere in Scotland.

Around 5000 passengers a day travel on Citylink services between the two cities, with coaches leaving every 10 minutes at peak times.
 
In addition to the main bus stations at Buchanan Street (Glasgow) and St Andrews Street (Edinburgh), passengers can board the service at a number of key points including the Gogarburn headquarters for RBS, Baillieston, Murrayfield and Haymarket.

Earlier this year Citylink launched a  £60k advertising campaign to highlight the benefits of travelling by bus between Glasgow and Edinburgh, which has resulted in a 40% increase in people using the service.

In May, 16 state-of-the-art 15-metre (50ft) coaches were introduced on the route, all with environmentally-friendly engines and designed to carry as many passengers as 13 fully loaded cars.

The new 65-seat vehicles (the first of their kind to be manufactured in the UK) are fitted with seatbelts and air-conditioning and have a special lift for wheelchair passengers.

A monthly Citylink travel pass between Glasgow and Edinburgh costs £100.50, compared to £261.20 for a monthly rail pass and around £270 for petrol.

Citylink is Scotland’s leading coach company with a comprehensive network linking over 200 towns and cities and offering more than 400 services every day on comfortable, modern coaches.

For information and to book Citylink services between Glasgow and Edinburgh and across Scotland, see www.citylink.co.uk or call 08705 505050.

Issued by the Big Partnership on behalf of Scottish Citylink.

For further information, images or interview requests, contact Ross Barker on 0141 333 9585 or 07967 328004 or ross.barker@bigpartnership.co.uk or Kim Munro on 0141 333 9585 (office), 07967 328004 (mobile) or kim@bigpartnership.co.uk.