Stagecoach Group has placed an order worth £70m for hundreds of new buses and coaches.

The new fleet of around 340 vehicles, most equipped with free WiFi, will be introduced in the next 12 months.

It will bring the total cost of new orders to £1bn for 7000 new vehicles since 2006.

The new buses and coaches will be introduced in Stagecoach's regional networks in Scotland, England and Wales, as well as on the company's Megabus network in the UK as it continues to reinvest profits in improving services for customers in communities across the UK.

Its latest intake of vehicles will be fitted with CCTV and USB charging points, while most will have WiFi installed to give customers free internet access during their journeys.

The new vehicles will include 180 low-floor double-decker buses to go into service across the UK, as well as around 60 single-decker vehicles.

Also included in the latest order are the first purpose-built open top vehicles the company has ever ordered.

There are also 34 coaches for the group's UK Bus, Scottish Citylink and megabus.com operations.

All will meet Euro 6 emissions standards and most will have emissions-reducing stop-start technology.

The majority of the new vehicles are set to be built in the UK.

Stagecoach Group chief executive Martin Griffiths said: "Our focus is on delivering practical improvements to make travel even better for our customers.

"We are continuing to reinvest money from fares in state-of-the-art, cleaner, greener vehicles, digital technology and smart ticketing to deliver an even higher standard of service.

"These latest vehicle orders are an important part of our strategy to encourage even more people to take the bus."

He added: "Local bus services are the backbone of the country's transport networks.

"However, the increasing problem of traffic congestion in our towns and cities is holding buses back and it is high time our politicians stepped up and took action to support bus passengers and free up road space to help bus networks flourish."

Stagecoach will also move to contactless payments by 2018.