Ember, the Edinburgh-based electric bus service, announced that it has raised an £11 million Series A financing round, led by Inven Capital, 2150 and AENU.
Existing investors Pale Blue Dot and SkyScanner co-founder Gareth Williams also participated in the oversubscribed round.
Ember’s services include routes between Dundee, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Stirling, Kinross and Edinburgh Airport.
The company will use the funding to accelerate the roll-out of its electric coach services and further invest in EmberOS, the platform that controls its network.
Ember co-founder Keith Bradbury said: “Travelling by bus or coach doesn’t have to be rubbish.
“It should be possible to deliver an experience that beats a car – because someone else is doing the driving so you can have your time back – but that requires a relentless focus on the passenger experience.
“Things like live tracking that actually works, super-simple pricing, easy ticket changes and near-perfect reliability.”
Inven Capital investment director Daniel Edgerley said: “We have been impressed with both Keith and Pierce as founders and as visionaries of the future of shared transportation.
“Our commitment to the company underscores our belief in their customer-centric and innovative approach to electrification and digitalisation across the business.
“Their decision to fundamentally link their smart infrastructure design, assets and technology platform enables unparalleled optimisation, as well as visibility and data-evidenced insights that gives clean transportation a clear advantage over incumbent solutions.
“We are excited to be a part of Ember’s mission of revolutionising transportation.”
2150 partner Rahul Parekh said: “At 2150, we love founders that are solving some of the world’s biggest problems.
“Intercity travel represents the majority of passenger miles and 90% of those journeys happen in the car so decarbonising this sector has huge sustainability impact.
“With Ember, Keith and Pierce have developed an innovative, full-stack, electrified bus fleet, using technology to provide superior customer service and fantastic operating margins compared to legacy solutions.
“We are delighted to be supporting them alongside our friends at Inven Capital and AENU in building the next generation of inter-city transport.”