£100m worth of orders for Falkirk bus manufacturer

More than 300 orders worth about £70m have been placed with the company

A bus manufacturing company has announced a series of orders taking the total value in recent weeks to about £100m.

Falkirk-based Alexander Dennis, which employs 2,000 people, said a wave of orders from a number of companies was a positive sign after two years of difficult market conditions.

More than 300 orders worth about £70m have been placed with the company.

The total is on top of a potential contract worth £30m from FirstGroup.

Orders have been placed from firms Arriva, Go-Ahead, National Express and London Sovereign.

'Positive start'

Chief executive Colin Robertson said: "Along with additional orders for MTRC in Hong Kong and Mana Bus in New Zealand, this means we have now topped the 500 mark in terms of new orders confirmed in recent weeks."

He said there was also increasing interest in the company's hybrid-electric technology for low-carbon vehicles.

Mr Robertson added: "All round it has been a positive start to the year and at last we are seeing some light at the end of the tunnel after two years of very difficult market conditions."

The company said that for every one person it employs, an estimated three jobs are supported elsewhere in Scotland.