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I've Just Seen the Future of UK Inter-city Coach Travel and it is AWESOME!

Let’s Make a Trip!

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Following my trip across the water from Stromness to Scrabster, it was now time to make my way down to Inverness. And I chose to do it with Ember, the UK's, in fact the world's first inter-city, all-electric coach operator.

In this video, I'll show you the coach in detail, checking out the seat, the toilet and the service. We'll also have a look at the route, the scenery and of course I'll tell you how much I paid for this 3.5 hour journey.

We'll also discuss Ember themselves, their operation and booking process and I'd love to hear from you in respect of whether you've travelled with them or would you choose them over the other operator on this route (Scottish Citylink) or indeed the train?

As always, your comments are much appreciated. Thanks so much for watching.

Mark

Ko-fi Membership: https://ko-fi.com/letsmakeatrip

YouTube Membership: @letsmakeatrip

My 'other' channel: @lets_takeawalk

Instagram: Instagram: Lets_makeatrip

Business enquiries: letsmakeatrip1@gmail.com

#letsmakeatrip #emberbus #scotland #Thurso #Inverness #bus #coach

📖Chapters

00:00 - Introduction
00:53 - Scrabster
02:05 - Leaving for Thurso
02:52 - A look at the seat
05:58 - The Ember operating model
06:52 - Heading further south
11:25 - About Ember
13:10 - Arriving into Inverness
14:29 - Summary

20 Comments

@InverCoffee 1 month ago (edited)

The railway is largely ignored by locals, they complain the train takes too long, the trains too hot in summer and too cold in winter and frequently cancelled at short notice. The X99 Stagecoach had the issue of being over booked, with many stories in local newspapers of parents having to drive 2 to 3 hours down South to Inverness to collect their kids who had been in Inverness for the day, so Ember very much warmly welcomed.Ember advertising drivers for Isle of Skye now..

@gaiusmarius911 1 month ago

Over the past 4 or 5 years, i've used Ember extensively and I find it to be the best intercity bus service i have used anywhere in the world. It's been great to see it grow and the route network is very extensive now....I'm quite fond of the route that goes from dundee to Aberdeen via Braemar, etc...very scenic. A truly admirable service.

@garymacdonald7165 1 month ago (edited)

The most spectacular bus journey in Scotland that most "You-tubers" and tourists seem to be missing out on is the Argyle, 4 hour,10 min trip between Glasgow and Campbeltown via Tarbert!

Its a gobsmacker!

@scottm5425 3 hours ago (edited)

I will add that, if the bus stops at a stop for someone else who has pre-booked, you can just board using your debit or concession card, assuming that the system says there is spare seats. Note also that if a village for example has no booked stops, the bus will not go into that village if at all possible. The Ember website also has live bus tracking which is very accurate, so there is no need to stand around waiting for a bus to appear. If there is more than one person waiting at the stop or it is really busy, it helps a lot to show the QR code to the reader.

@andrewvannan1714 1 month ago

Ember covering Glasgow to Oban is absolutely sublime

@davidcronan4072 1 month ago

We used this company a few weeks ago on a return day trip between Fort William and Fort Augustus. Really enjoyed it.

@mikepalmer8 1 month ago

Good to see Ember getting some parise - superb company

@Angusgirl 1 month ago

One of the things I like most about Ember is that you can easily change your booking with no charge. Very handy when my son was getting it from Dundee to Glasgow (the service wasn’t going via our town at that time but is now) and we were delayed due to flooding. We ended up making it on time for the earlier bus after all and the driver was happy to let my son change back to the original plan.
Also handy as a parent picking up as you can see the bus on a live map so can have another cup of tea at home and avoid waiting around at a bus stop if it’s delayed 😊

@keithjones9054 1 month ago

2 pound for that is a steal. Absolutely incredible value

@philipoakley5498 1 month ago

I've used the Ember Pitlochry to Edinburgh coach and the quietness and lack of engine vibrations makes the journey quite pleasant! Would recommend!

@davidz3812 1 month ago

It has been great to see Ember expand from a few routes based on Dundee to the current network. It is a great service.

Booking can be done on a PC as well as a smartphone for those of us who prefer a proper sized screen.

While electric buses are now operating around many longer distance routes in Scotland the parallel railways remain unelectrified, with agonisingly slow progress and the ridiculous partial electrification being used due to government anti-rail policies.

@jamesalexander4926 2 days ago

I have used Ember a lot this past year, I have a bus pass so it's all free.

@tomgachagan1347 1 month ago

i remember when ember first started. the first route went through my hometown and was perfect for going home from uni. crazy how big they've gotten over the past 5 years

@stevebrooks6144 1 month ago

I travelled with Ember 4 times last month and can honestly say they were excellent, every driver was exemplary, the best coach journeys I've ever had.

@andywillis2650 2 weeks ago

Brilliant video Mark. What a great coach service, superb scenery & all this for £2 !! Bargain :)

@andyfreeman7441 1 month ago

You definitely had the best seat on the coach Mark - lovely scenery and interesting villages and towns driven through, and all for about the same price of a packet of polos...amazing.

@ianjames9166 1 month ago

Excellent video, Mark. Ember are indeed very impressive. Expansion into England would definitely see me using them a lot. 😊

@pauldl63 1 month ago (edited)

Great video, Mark. The coach looks comfortable and modern.

@davidjewood 1 month ago

The driver telling passengers 'If your name's not on the tablet, you're not getting on makes Ember sound less like a coach service and more like the most exclusive nightclub in the Highlands 👌🏻