A FLEET of 15 specially designed buses have been built for East Lothian at a cost of £3 million.

The new East Coast buses are longer than any produced by vehicle makers Wrightbus before and boast free wi-fi, USB chargers and onboard state-of-the-art announcement screens.

The new Euro 6 buses are 13.2 metres long – a metre longer than any currently used in the county – and have 40 high-backed leather seats with capacity for 89 passengers.

They are due to come into use on April 23 as the company launches two new services in the county.

East Coast Buses says the investment reflects the success of its services in the county, which were launched eight months ago. About 60,000 passengers are using its buses every week.

READ MORE: Two new bus routes to start in East Lothian

The Euro 6 buses feature engines designed to reduce C02 emissions by 25 per cent.

Richard Hall, managing director for Lothian Buses, East Coast Buses’ parent company, said: “From concept to reality, every element of these vehicles has been reviewed in detail to ensure that our customers are able to travel in a warm and comfortable environment.

“Our investment in these vehicles shows our continued commitment to the community, building on our promise to provide the county with a first-class service.”

People living in the county are being invited to see the new buses for themselves during a free family day at Archerfield Walled Garden next Saturday (April 22). Five of the new vehicles will be there for people to explore and there will be activities ranging from crafts to Foxlake Adventures, a bouncy castle and face painting.

Mark Heritage, general manager of East Coast Buses, said: “This event is to celebrate the local community in East Lothian and thank them for choosing to support our services. We are committed to providing the best possible experience for customers, which is why we’ve invested in these new vehicles and in our service provision.”

In March, East Coast Buses revealed that customer demand had resulted in two new routes being introduced to boost travel opportunities in the area.

A new express route X5 has been created from North Berwick to Edinburgh city centre, while connections between Musselburgh, Haddington and Dunbar have been improved through the introduction of service 106, a new direct link.

The move brought 11 new jobs and followed a major investment by East Coast Buses in the refurbishment of its Musselburgh headquarters.

The existing service 107 will include a new link in Dunbar between High Street and Asda and service 113 will be extended to West Granton, providing new connections to Edinburgh College. Further improvements are also set to be introduced on the Nighthawk service.