GLASGOW has received a new bus route connecting the city with England from this month.

On Thursday, coach operator Flixbus, in partnership with McGills, launched a new route that will connect the city with Manchester.

The new service includes stops at Preston and Lancaster and tickets start at only 99p.

The route will also provide additional connections to Birmingham and improve access to Scotland, alongside the west coast of England.

Andreas Schorling, managing director of FlixBus UK said: “McGill’s has been a consistently strong partner, with their driving team delivering a solid, high quality service.

"This new route marks a significant milestone in our relationship and cements our commitment to Scottish-based coach travel.”

As Scotland’s largest operator of electric, zero emission buses, both companies are united in  their ambition to make coach travel more sustainable.

Founded in 1933, McGill's has depots in Coatbridge, Inchinnan, Dundee and Johnstone, while company headquarters are located in Greenock.

It is the largest privately owned bus operator in the UK.

The operator currently runs FlixBus services from London to Glasgow, via major cities such as Sheffield, Sunderland, Newcastle and Edinburgh.

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Colin Napier, operations director at McGill’s said: “Our first long-distance routes in partnership with FlixBus have proved to be a terrific success, with passenger numbers and feedback both being very positive.

"That is testament to the quality service being provided by team members and we’re excited to be able to expand the routes offered.

“Working in partnership with FlixBus has proved even more fruitful than we could have anticipated.

"Their bold growth targets and sustainable values align directly with ours, and we’re looking forward to being a key partner on the FlixBus network as passenger numbers continue to grow.”

McGill’s and FlixBus are planning to add additional services between London and Scotland via major cities along the North West of England, in anticipation of increased demand over the summer.

This is the second key bus partner announcement from FlixBus this month, following a partnership with Berrys and Roselyn Coaches which will operate routes to the West Country.

“We’re committed to creating a high quality, UK-wide network, and we are now offering routes to nearly 40 locations across England, Scotland and Wales with the help of our brilliant bus partners,” adds Schorling.

“We know Easter is a strong indicator of demand, which saw significant jumps in searches and bookings. We are keen to collaborate with new coach operator partners interested in our strong business model and competitive compensation packages.”