Bus operators in the north and north-east have been awarded funding to help buy environmentally friendly buses.
MacDuff-based Deveron Coaches will receive £96,800 from a £3.7million pot to purchase an Optare Solo all electric vehicle for a new route in Elgin.
Orkney Islands Council has been given money to buy one of the green-friendly vehicles.
Stagecoach has been given money to buy five of the electric buses to run on routes across the north.
Overall nine bus operators, including First, have been awarded funding from the Scottish Green Bus Fund to buy 83 low carbon emission vehicles.
The purchases will bring the total number of eco-friendly buses on Scotland’s roads to 209.
Transport Minister Keith Brown said: “This fund is helping our bus industry invest in the latest emission reducing technology and is another clear indication of our support and commitment to the bus industry in Scotland.
“We are committed to public transport and to our ambitious climate change target of reducing carbon emissions by 42% by 2020.”
Dave Alexander, regional managing director for First UK Bus in Scotland and North England, said bus travel was part of the solution to climate change and traffic congestion.
“In partnership with manufacturers, we helped bring to market ‘Streetlite micro-hybrid’ vehicles, one of the world’s most fuel efficient buses, which are already in service in Glasgow and Aberdeen,” he added.
“Scottish Green Bus funding will help us invest in a further 43 of these buses.”