The Youth Express bus which was launched at an event at Ayrshire College’s new Kilmarnock Campus on Wednesday 2nd November is a mobile youth club where young people from communities across Ayrshire can socialise, surf the web or play the latest video games.
The Youth Express project has been in operation for over 10 years and is a partnership between Stagecoach West Scotland, East Ayrshire Councils Vibrant Communities and South Ayrshire Councils Community Safety Partnership. The current Youth Express bus was launched in 2011 however due to ever changing technology a new more modern bus with disabled access was required to meet the needs of the communities it served. The bus which has been donated by Stagecoach West Scotland has been completely transformed by Stagecoach engineering staff based at their MacKinlay Place Depot in Kilmarnock from a 42 seater public service vehicle into a state of the art mobile Youth Club. Funding from East Ayrshire Council and South Ayrshire Council was used to equip the interior of the bus which
features free Wifi, an Xbox One, a gaming PC , a projector, a Smart TV, bluetooth speakers and an Air Hockey Table.
The bus which is booked through East and South Ayrshire Councils travels to events across Ayrshire providing a modern facility where young people can meet, socialise and use the equipment on board.
Stagecoach West Scotland Managing Director, Tom Bridge said: "We’re delighted to continue our involvement in the Youth Express partnership.
Our engineering team based at our Kilmarnock depot have taken a service bus right back to the frame and re-fitted it panel by panel transforming it into a fantastic space for young people across Ayrshire to meet. With access to free wifi and the latest gaming devices we hope it will prove popular in the local communities it will serve.” Carol Nisbet, Director of Learning and Skills at Ayrshire College, said "The Youth Bus Express is a fantastic venture and we were thrilled to host the launch of the new bus at our recently opened Kilmarnock Campus on Hill Street. The bus will bring tremendous benefits to the communities of Ayrshire - particularly rural communities - and with the wealth of exciting equipment on board it is sure to engage with so many Ayrshire pupils and students."
The Youth Express was launched by Tom Bridge, Managing Director Stagecoach West Scotland, Councillor Miller on behalf of South Ayrshire Council and East Ayrshire Community Support Manager, Iain Cuthbertson.