Contribution to just transition
Just Transition Ember’s mission is fully aligned with the principles of a Just Transition in Scotland. Principally, the company is supporting the decarbonisation of road transport and encouraging modal shift out of cars. Ember further supports the energy transition through investment in renewable energy, including solar generation at their charging hubs.
Ember’s growth has created over 150 green jobs across Scotland, all paying well above the real living wage. This includes driver bases in rural communities like Fort William and Thurso, along with high-value roles such as software engineers in their Edinburgh Head Office. The transition to EV’s also gives Ember the opportunity to upskill employees. Employees joining Ember’s maintenance team in Dundee, for example, had only worked on combustion-engine vehicles, and Ember has supported training courses and on the job learning to help them learn new systems and skills.
Ember has not worked with local colleges on this, but run internal training programmes to support the maintenance team. For example, the company sends each member of the team to a training courses for working on high voltage systems, and runs placements in the team. Several members have been supported in a transition from driving to maintenance roles though upskilling.
Ember also supports local communities and rural economies through their services. By offering demand-responsive stops, Ember can link rural communities to local urban centres, opening up new travel corridors and access to opportunities for rural residents. This supports the Just Transition outcome of empowering and invigorating communities and strengthening local economies.
Ember’s vehicles are manufactured by Yutong in Zhengzhou, China. Despite over 5 years of engagement from us, there are still no domestic or European manufacturers offering electric coaches for sale in the UK.
Lessons learned, challenges, replication and scaling
Since 2020, Ember have shown that they can scale their impact across Scotland. The company plans further growth in the next 12 months and will operate more than 120 vehicles in Scotland by the end of 2026.
Developing the infrastructure required to support the growing number of Ember hubs has been an important learning. Delays obtaining site leases, planning permission, and grid connections have frustrated growth and act as a barrier to rapid expansion or replication elsewhere. Ember would like to see these barriers removed or processes streamlined, in recognition of the urgency of the climate transition.
Working conditions and fair work practices
Featured organisations and initiatives were asked to supply the following information regarding working conditions:
- Alignment with Scottish Government Fair Work First criteria
- If they have gone beyond Fair Work First by incorporating broader values on fair work
- For larger organisations, whether a union recognition agreement is in place.
This did not apply to co-operatives structures and membership-based initiatives, though all projects and initiatives were given room to provide any detail on fair work practices deemed relevant.
The following information was provided:
- Ember is committed to the principles of Fair Work First. We will never engage in deceptive or exploitative employment practices.
