YELLOW Buses has invested nearly £1m in five new double-deckers.

The company says the spending on the Volvo Wright Gemini buses follows sustained business growth.

They are being rolled out on to routes across Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch.

The new vehicles bring the company’s fleet to more than 150. Earlier this year, it spent £1.54m on 10 new single deckers.

Mark Ambler, the company’s head of network development, said: “With consistent growth we were able to commit to buying five new double-decker buses as we head into another very busy summer.

“Having put the order in just a few weeks ago, they are already going into service to satisfy our increasing number of passenger trips.

“The Yellows carry more than 15million passengers a year and the demand grows in the summer due to tourism.”

Yellow Buses says local councils’ involvement in the Three Towns Travel and Better Bus Area Fund projects helped give it the confidence to make the investment.

The Three Towns Travel scheme has attracted £12m of government money for improving public transport, cycling and walking facilities on the A35 corridor.

The money is being spent on dozens of projects, many of them involving improved bus lanes or junctions.

Yellow Buses’ Andrew Smith said: “The investment was made easier by the local authorities’ commitment to bus travel in the Bournemouth and the Dorset areas.

“With our buses travelling nearly five million miles every year it’s important to keep our fleet up to date.

“We look forward to passengers joining us on our new double-deckers when they travel with the Yellows.”