Tag: Lothian Buses

Councillors respond to Cramond public transport concerns

SHUTTLE BUS SOLUTION TO D MAINS ROUNDABOUT CLOSURE

Important update on 47 bus diversion

We wrote to you yesterday about Lothian Buses’ decision to divert the 47 bus service during the 9 week duration of the roadworks at the Davidson’s Mains roundabout.

The consequence of the change, due to start from Monday, is that the 47 will run along Queensferry Road to the terminus at Cammo without serving Cramond Road South and Whitehouse Road.

As we explained yesterday, it was completely unacceptable to us for Cramond to be left without a key bus link for so long.

We want to thank the literally hundreds of our constituents who have emailed us about this. Please accept our apologies for the fact we’ve not been able to reply to everyone.

We hope you’ll understand our focus over the last 24 hours has been in finding a solution for our constituents who rely on the 47. As councillors, we felt our job was to keep up the pressure on both Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Council officers to get action.

Our strong preference was for Lothian to simply route the 47 right at the Barnton junction and into Whitehouse Road for a loop around Cramond. This would replicate the old route of the service. We pressed Lothian to consider this.

However, Lothian have refused to adopt this temporary route because of their concerns over the impact it could have on the timings of the service as a whole.

Nevertheless, we have now managed to secure an important new alternative service which we hope will help –

We’ve had it confirmed tonight that that a free to use shuttle bus will be available for Cramond residents. This will operate between Cramond and Cammo. People can then connect to the 47 bus for journeys along Queensferry Road and onward.

This will be up and running by the middle of next week – ahead of the schools returning from their Easter break. We will share more specific details of when we have them.

We know this shuttle service is far from ideal – however, it will mean people can still get public transport to connect to the 47 bus service when they need it.

We also want to make sure the work in Davidson’s Mains is completed as quickly as possible so things return to normal just as soon as they can.

We will of course keep you informed as we get more information.

With best wishes,

Cllr Kevin Lang

Cllr Louise Young

Cllr Lewis Younie

Lib Dem councillors for Cramond and Barnton

Lothian Buses: Holiday services

See at a glance what service levels will be in operation over the festive period

No matter the reason for travelling by bus this festive period – visiting friends and family, commuting to and from work, attending Christmas parties or work nights out – Lothian is here to make your journey easy, affordable and comfortable.

We’ve pulled together all the information you could possibly need this Christmas for travel across Edinburgh and the Lothians, including festive timetables, TravelHub opening hours, journey planning tools, Lothian merchandise (ideal for stocking fillers!) and last but not least… our very special Christmas Advertisement for 2025, created in partnership with our Charity of Choice, Age Scotland!

LOTHIAN-XMAS-2025Download

#MerryChristmasFromLothian

New video highlighting the impact of Bonfire Night criminality released

A new film highlighting the significant impact of violence and disorder involving fireworks on communities, services and emergency workers has been shared by Police Scotland.

The film features interviews with a mother, whose son was injured, a bus driver whose bus was struck by a brick, a police officer who underlines the impact of blue light-personnel and a community representative who calls on people to take pride in their local area.

Police Scotland, Lothian Buses, and Places for People, a social enterprise organisation, contributed to the package as part of work to reduce disorder and criminality over the Bonfire Night period.

In 2024, despite a positive reduction in serious disorder offences, police officers, firefighters, bus drivers, and local communities were subject to unacceptable levels of violence between 31 October and 5 November.

As a result of the criminal investigations that followed, 61 people were charged with fireworks-related criminality across Scotland.

Inspector Scott Casey, an experienced Public Order Officer, discusses how he and his colleagues came under attack during the disorder that took place in 2023 and the feeling of being struck with fireworks, as well as seeing members of his team sustain injury.

Tony Beecher from Lothian Buses recounts a terrifying experience where his bus, which had several passengers onboard, was targeted with a brick and warned of the serious consequences that could arise if a bus was to crash after being struck.

Over the last few years, the Niddrie area has experienced significant and unacceptable levels of disorder, resulting in damage to public property and causing fear and alarm to local residents and businesses.

Cheryl Neil, Places For People’s Community Safety Area Manager for Scotland gives an overview of how those living within this region have suffered greatly and urged people to take pride in their community and help prevent it being the scene of mass disorder this year.

The video also includes a harrowing interview with Catherine, whose 11-year-old son sustained third-degree burns to his legs after he and some friends started a fire for a social media stunt.

Catherine recalls the anguish of seeing her child in extreme pain after sustaining the injuries and calls on all parents to talk to their own kids about the dangers associated with starting fires.

The full video can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/OyGxqYOKp4A

Road safety initiative launched in city centre: Stay Safe and Visible

Road users in Edinburgh are being asked to consider distance, blind spots and visibility as part of an initiative by road policing officers in the city.

Police Scotland is working with partners including Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Lothian Buses, Edinburgh City Council and David Philp Commercials, to encourage everyone to be more aware.

A number of vehicles were on Castle Street yesterday (Thursday, 28 August), demonstrating blind spots for cyclists and pedestrians.

PC Stewart Sinclair from Police Scotland’s Road Policing Unit in Edinburgh, said: “We are encouraging everyone to think about how visible and safe they are. Many of us are unaware how much or little a driver can see because of blind spots. This event will give awareness to more vulnerable road users how to keep themselves safe on the road network.

“Visibility is very important in terms of making our roads safer and I would like everyone, including pedestrians, to think about how they are seen, especially if a street is poorly lit after dark. Visibility is very different to that of a bus, car, lorry, motorbike or bike.

“I must emphasise the need for all road users to look out for each other and give each other space. Unfortunately, when a crash happens it is often a pedestrian, cyclist or motorcyclist injured.

Willie Hamilton, Operations Director, Lothian Buses, said: “We are delighted to continue our partnership with Police Scotland and other key stakeholders to help raise awareness around cyclist visibility and potential blind spots on our roads.

“With a network of over 70 routes across Edinburgh and the Lothians, we invest heavily in our driver training programme which covers all aspects of road safety including awareness of cyclists, pedestrians and other road users.”

Scottish Fire & Rescue Service Crew Commander David Main, said: “The Scottish Fire & Rescue Service welcomes the opportunity to support this initiative and work with partners to improve the safety of all road users in the Edinburgh area.

“By working to improve awareness and encouraging everyone to think about safe distances, blind spots, visibility when on or around our roads we can make our roads safer for everyone”

Edinburgh commuters face public transport fare hikes next month

LOTHIAN BUSES AND EDINBURGH TRAMS ANNOUNCE 10% FARE INCREASE

Fares will be revised across Lothian’s group of companies – Lothian Buses, Lothian Country and East Coast Buses – from Sunday 6 April 2025.

The last fares revision took place in April 2023 and since then, operating cost pressures have increased significantly. With all fares revenue reinvested into the running of our business, introducing revised fares is required for Lothian to continue to prioritise investment in our fleet, our people, and our wider customer offering.

Lothian’s TapTapCap Pay-As-You-Go product will continue to offer discounted fares via contactless capping versus paper tickets, with the Contactless City DAY cap at £5.00 compared to the £5.50 City DAY ticket.

As part of a service change which will also take effect from Sunday 6 April, Skylink 200 will become Service 17 and Skylink 400 will become Service 18, with regular city fares applying on these routes, even for those travelling to the airport.

For more information about the service change, please see below or visit Service change from Sunday 6 April.

There will be no change to our Airlink Airport Single and Return fares.

As part of this review, there will be further harmonisation of products in East and West Lothian to continue the simplification of our ticketing portfolio.

 Product Current Fare Revised Fare Validity
 Adult Single £2.00 £2.20 Valid for one journey on a day service.
Child Single£1.00£1.10Valid for one journey on a day service.
Adult DAYTicket (renamed City DAY ticket)£5.00
£4.80 TapTapCap
£10.50 Family		£5.50
£5.00 TapTapCap
£12.00 Family		Valid for unlimited journeys on day services.
Child DAYticket
(renamed City DAY ticket)		£2.50£2.75Valid for unlimited journeys on day services.
TapTapCap – City Week Cap£22.00£24.50Maximum weekly cap for unlimited journeys on day and night services in the city and airport zones. Weekly caps run Monday – Sunday.
Adult NETWORK£12.00£12.50Unlimited journeys on day and NightBus services across our entire network, including Edinburgh Trams.
Adult Ridacard (1 Week)£22.00£24.50Unlimited journeys on day and NightBus services across our entire network, including Edinburgh Trams.
Adult Ridacard (4 Weeks)£66.00£73.00Unlimited journeys on day and NightBus services across our entire network, including Edinburgh Trams.
Adult Ridacard (Monthly DD)£62.00£68.00Unlimited journeys on day and NightBus services across our entire network, including Edinburgh Trams.
Adult Ridacard (Annual)£650.00£700.00Unlimited journeys on day and NightBus services across our entire network, including Edinburgh Trams.

Edinburgh Trams is today announcing an increase in ticket prices, in line with its sister company, Lothian Buses.

This is the first time since 2023 that fares have changed and reflects the increased operational costs faced by the operator in the last two years. Fare changes will come into effect from start of service on Sunday 6 April.

The fare changes will see the cost of an Adult Single fare rise from £2 to £2.20, and an Adult Return fare rise from £3.80 to £4.20. Day Tickets will also increase by 50p, to £5.50.

Proportional fare increases will apply to all tickets, with full details available below.

Image

a grid with details of upcoming fare changes

Lea Harrison, Managing Director at Edinburgh Trams, said: “While every effort has been made to keep fare increases to a minimum, the rise will allow us to meet our commitments to providing cost-effective and environmentally friendly travel across the city.

“We understand that fare rises are never preferred, but demands on the network and on staff have never been higher, with trams now running more frequently every day. These fare changes will allow us to continue to maintain and improve the tram network for the benefit of the customer.”

Transport and Environment Convener, Councillor Stephen Jenkinson said: “Edinburgh Trams provides an award winning and vital service to our city, with over 12 million journeys completed last year alone.

“We’ve all seen the benefits from Trams to Newhaven and it’s fair to say that the arrival of the trams has breathed a new lease of life into the north of the Capital.

“I realise that these fare increases are a difficult reality in the current economic climate. However, it’s vital that we continue to invest in and protect our tram network, whilst continuing with our bold vision for a new tram line from North-South in the future.

“Keeping Edinburgh moving is my priority and I’ll continue to work alongside Edinburgh Trams to make that happen.”

Customers can still buy discounted bundles of tickets on the et app, or pre-book some ticket types on Edinburgh Ticket, to ensure that we can still offer the best fares to our customers. 

For details on changes to Ridacard prices, you can check Lothian Buses website here.

Lothian choose Age Scotland as next charity partner

Lothian Buses is delighted to announce that Age Scotland has been chosen as its new Charity of Choice partner for the next two years following a staff vote of the company’s 2600+ strong workforce.

Age Scotland work to improve the lives of older people in Scotland. They provide a free helpline and information service, support older people’s groups, promote age and dementia-friendly communities, deliver wellbeing programmes, and campaign on behalf of older people.

The partnership, which will run until the start of 2027, will help support Age Scotland’s vision to ensure Scotland is the best place in the world to grow older and will provide the charity with an invaluable opportunity to raise awareness of its work and services across Edinburgh and the Lothians.

There will be unique marketing opportunities including the wrapping of a bus in Age Scotland messaging, and all funds raised from this partnership will contribute to Age Scotland’s community development work across Lothian’s network, including assisting the work of over sixty Age Scotland Member Groups.

Gaynor Marshall, Communications Director for Lothian, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Age Scotland as Lothian’s Charity of Choice 2025-26.

“Lothian is proud to be part of the communities we serve, and we look forward to working with the team at Age Scotland over the course of the next two years to raise awareness of the support they can offer – helping to tackle loneliness, support inclusion, and deliver better lives for older people across our operating area.”

Katherine Crawford, Chief Executive of Age Scotland, said: “Tens of thousands of older people across the Lothians experience loneliness and this wonderful partnership means we can reach many more people with the services we offer to help, and support dozens of local groups and clubs which keep older people connected.

“We’re incredibly grateful to the staff at Lothian who voted for us to be their Charity of Choice over the next two years, and I just know that our work together will have a really positive impact on the communities that Lothian serve so well.”

STORM EOWYN: BATTEN DOWN THE HATCHES AS RED ALERT DECLARED

SCOTLAND SHUTTING DOWN

The Met Office has issued a red weather warning for wind from 10am to 5pm Friday 24 January. An Amber warning is in place from 6am to 10am.

COUNCIL SERVICES:

We will publish all the latest information about Council buildings and services on this page.

Schools, nurseries and early years

All Council schools, nurseries and early years settings will be closed on Friday 24 January. Schools will communicate directly with parents.

Bin collections 

Bin collections – residents should not put their wheelie bins and boxes out for collection tomorrow. Friday collections will run over the weekend instead.

Residents should put their bins out for collection on Saturday when it is safe to do so for collection from Sunday. 

Street cleansing will not operate.

Recycling centres – any bookings for recycling centres will be rescheduled 

Special uplift services – residents who have booked a collection for tomorrow should not put the items out for collection. Appointments will be rebooked.  

Housing and homelessness

Anyone who needs to present as homeless should contact us by phone on 0131 529 7036.  

Only emergency council house repairs will take place. Non-emergency council house repairs will be cancelled and re-scheduled. 

Scaffolding will be checked and taken down if possible.  

Council buildings, services and parks

We will only run essential services on Friday 24 January.

The following buildings or parks/grounds will be closed on Friday 24 January:

  • The Registrars Office 
  • All council cemeteries, Mortonhall Crematorium, and the Mortuary
  • All museums, galleries, monuments and cultural venues (Usher Hall, Assembly Rooms, Churchill Theatre – this includes cancellation of a rehearsal and performance at the Churchill Theatre).  Building checks will be carried out before reopening.
  • Lauriston Castle grounds and Princes Street Gardens. These will also remain closed on Saturday due to extended wind warning and time needed to survey grounds.
  • Ukraine Welcome Hub at Flassches Yard.

Travel disruption

Police Scotland has issued a ‘do not travel’ notice. Police Scotland travel advice 

Lothian Buses expect significant disruption to their services and customers are advised to check the status of their service before travelling. 

Scot Rail is suspending all train services tomorrow and there will be no alternative transport available. 

For travel updates check @edintravel and @TrafficScotland on X (Twitter) as well as your travel provider.

Emergency social care service 0800 731 6969 – free phone.

NHS LOTHIAN:

EDINBURGH TRAMS:

Due to the red weather warning in place across Edinburgh tomorrow due to #StormÉowyn, Edinburgh Trams will be operating a reduced service on Friday 24 January. We will be monitoring wind speeds at key places on the track and will continue to operate in order to facilitate essential travel as long as it remains safe to do so.

Please follow @PoliceScotland guidelines and only travel if absolutely necessary.

Customers are advised to check the status of their service before travelling on Friday and Saturday, using the Bus & Tram App.

More information: https://bit.ly/3Wx6TMq

LOTHIAN BUSES

CUSTOMER INFORMATION

Service Updates

http://lothianbuses.com/service-updates/… Bus & Tram App

http://lothianbuses.com/app/

Night time closures for North Bridge

Due to roadworks, North Bridge will be closed in BOTH DIRECTIONS from 8pm tomorrow (Sunday 4th February) and will be closed between 8pm and 6am each night for 8 nights.

See Lothian Buses website for diversion information.

Man arrested and charged in connection with Edinburgh bus attack

A 39-year-old man has been arrested and charged following an investigation into an assault on board a bus at Inverleith Gardens, Edinburgh.

The incident took place around 4.20pm on Saturday, 9 December, 2023.

The man has been released on an undertaking and is expected to appear at court at a later date.

Constable Rachael McIntyre said: “I would like to thank the public for their assistance with our enquiries into this incident.”

Police issue CCTV appeal following assault on board bus at Inverleith

Police Scotland have released images of a man they wish to speak to who may be able to assist with enquiries into an assault which took place on board a number 9 bus on Saturday, 9 December, 2023.

The incident on the took place whilst the bus was at Inverleith Gardens at around 4:20pm.

The man is described as white, slim build, brown hair and facial hair and aged between 25 to 30 years old. He was wearing a dark grey suit with a purple tie.

Constable Rachael McIntyre said: “We are keen to speak to this man, who may be able to assist us with our enquiries. I would encourage him or anyone who may recognise him to contact us as soon as possible”.

Anyone who can assist is asked to contact Police Scotland via 101, quoting incident number 2431 of 9 December, 2023.

Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where information can be given anonymously.

Lothian Buses young workforce to take part in pioneering sustainability skills programme

The UK’s largest municipal bus company, Lothian Buses, has paired up with social enterprise Powering Futures to take eight of its apprentice engineers through the Challenge Programme – a pioneering workplace skills development programme focused on sustainability and future business prosperity.

Participants in the Challenge Programme will collaborate on a solution to a sustainability challenge set by Lothian Buses, and present that solution to a panel of industry-leading judges – developing their skills in innovation, networking and collaboration.

The challenge to be tackled by the Lothian Buses apprentice engineers is reduction in the use of energy, particularly gas, across the Lothian Buses estate – with company bosses undertaking to implement the creative solutions which Challenge Programme participants come up with at the end of the process.

Powering Futures was set up in 2020 to empower the young and future workforce with the skills, critical thinking, and enthusiasm to help their organisation transition to net zero.

Partnering with businesses to help them solve real-time climate change challenges, Powering Futures tasks teams of 16–25-year-olds with solving a sustainability problem set by industry or their employer and supports them in coming up with creative solutions through teamwork and climate skills.  

Colin Barnes, Director of Engineering at Lothian Buses said: “As the main bus operator in Edinburgh, we are fully committed to ensuring we play our part in reducing emissions across Edinburgh and the Lothians, including within our premises and plan to become fully net zero by 2035. 

“We are excited to be working with Powering Futures to encourage and empower our young workforce to come up with the solutions to the challenge of energy use.

“Our younger colleagues will look at these issues in a different way to those who have been in the business for a long time, and we are confident that their suggestions will inspire a step-change in how this sustainability challenge is approached. Nothing is off limits.”

The Lothian Buses Powering Futures Challenge got underway this week, with Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith where Lothian Buses is headquartered visiting the Lothian Buses Central Depot to meet the Challenge participants.

Ben Macpherson MSP said: “It’s great that Powering Futures and Lothian Buses are working together to help empower the young workforce.

“The Challenging Programme will equip participants with key skills for their career, and also bring forward innovative, new ideas for how Lothian Buses can continue to lead in decarbonising the transport sector.”

Since launching in 2020, the Powering Futures Challenge Programme has engaged over 3,000 young people across Scotland, including those working in well-known organisations such as Scottish Water, Forth Ports and Booth Welsh.

In October, Booth Welsh reported that the sustainability solution implemented after its young workforce took part in the Powering Futures Challenge Programme had cut gas usage by 80%, at a saving of £40,000 annually for the business.

Jennifer Tempany, Co-Founder of Powering Futures said: “We are delighted to be working with Lothian Buses to bring this pioneering initiative to their young workforce.

“The transport sector is understandably a major focus area in the transition towards net zero, but it’s also where we are seeing some of the most innovative solutions to sustainability challenges.

“Through the Powering Futures Challenge Programme, we are empowering tomorrow’s business leaders to solve real-time sustainability challenges and work towards future economic prosperity.

“We believe that economic prosperity and sustainability exist together – and the example set by previous Challenge participants proves that the model works for businesses, the young workforce, and the climate.

“We are excited to work with the team at Lothian Buses to empower the young workforce and bring their creative sustainability solutions to life.”