A NEW £7million state-of-the-art British-built bus fleet has been launched in Southampton.

The University of Southampton has partnered with bus operator Bluestar are soon to take to the roads.

The 32 new British-built double-deckers will replace the University’s existing Unilink buses on the streets of Southampton.

Each of the vehicles sports the latest Euro 6 low emissions engine - the newest and cleanest standard for diesel.

They also comply with the city’s Clean Air Zone targets set to be introduced in 2019.

Professor Rachel Mills, Dean of Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences at the University of Southampton said: "Unilink has been a real success for the University.

“These new buses will offer comfort for every passenger as well as using the latest low emission engines and support real time monitoring of emissions. The University is pleased to be able to enable such a great bus service in the city helping reduce people’s dependence on cars.”

The University launched its Unlink service back in 1998 to link campuses and in 2001 Unilink was created as a company.

Now the buses carry more than five million passengers a year.

Andrew Wickham, managing director of Bluestar, added: “As well as being far kinder to the environment these impressive new Alexander Dennis E400 MMC double decker buses have a fresh new look. They include glass roofs, creating more light for passengers travelling upstairs, as well as on-board technology like free WiFi USB charging points and contactless payment facilities.

“We’re very proud to be operating this new fleet on behalf of the University of Southampton and we hope those who travel with us will agree that they offer a superior level of comfort. The aim is to make sustainable transport a more attractive proposition, in order to entice people out of their cars. One full double decker bus can take up to 75 cars off the road - and this investment is a huge step in that direction, as there will now be 32 double deck vehicles in the Unilink fleet.”