From today (Wednesday 26 January), Lothian Buses are implementing a temporary diversion to stabilise our network and improve reliability for customers around the east side (York Place/Leith Walk/London Road) area of the city until further notice.
As we look to introduce our Monday to Friday timetables from Monday (31 January), we want to ensure operational network integrity, restore customer confidence and give certainty to our already pressured driving teams.
We apologise for any inconvenience caused to customers and continue to work with the City of Edinburgh Council and the Trams to Newhaven project to mitigate the impact of delays on our services.
Information about diverted services can be found below. If you need any assistance, please reach out on our social media channels – Twitter, Facebook and Instagram – or phone bus information on 0131 555 6363.
Services 1 10 11 16 22 – Eastbound Princes Street, George Street, Hanover Street, Dundas Street, Great King Street, Drummond Place, London Street, East London Street, Annandale Street (Services 10/11) or Annandale Street, Elm Row, and London Road (Services 1/16/22).
Services 5 49 – Northbound Nicolson Street, Chambers Street, George IV Bridge, The Mound, Hanover Street, George Street, South St. David Street, Princes Street, Waterloo Place, Regent Road, Easter Road (Service 49) or Montrose Terrace (Service 5).
Services 7 14 – Northbound Nicolson Street, Chambers Street, George IV Bridge, The Mound, Hanover Street, Dundas Street, Great King Street, Drummond Place, London Street, East London Street, Annandale Street, Elm Row, and London Road.
Service 8 – Both Directions Nicolson Street, Chambers Street, George IV Bridge, The Mound, Hanover Street, Dundas Street, Great King Street, Drummond Place, London Street, and Bellevue.
Services 10 11 16 – Southbound Leith Walk, Picardy Place, Leith Street, and Princes Street.
Services 19 26 44 – Both Directions Princes Street, Waterloo Place, Regent Road, and Montrose Terrace.
Services 3 29 30 31 33 37 X29 X31 X33 X37 – Northbound Nicolson Street, Chambers Street, George IV Bridge, The Mound, Hanover Street, George Street, Frederick Street to Princes Street (or Services 29/X29 to Howe Street).
Service 45 Eastbound: George IV Bridge, The Mound, Hanover Street, George Street, South St David Street, Princes Street, Waterloo Place, Regent Road, and Montrose Terrace. Westbound: Montrose Terrace, Regent Road, and Waterloo Place.
Saturday service to operate on Lothian and Lothian Country
Throughout the festive period, like many other organisations, we have continued to feel the impact of the Omicron strain of Covid-19 with self-isolation and rising sickness levels amongst our colleagues placing considerable pressure on our ability to deliver our services to the levels our customers would expect.
To ensure the stability and reliability of our network, we have taken the decision to operate a Saturday service with enhanced school journeys across all Lothian and Lothian Country services from 6 January until 22 January.
During this time, we will the situation under review and where appropriate we will update customers as soon as possible.
East Coast Buses will return to a normal timetable from 5 January.
We will, however, operate the school services which would ordinarily run on weekdays on Services 11, 42, 44, 45 and 400.
We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and would like to thank all of our customers for their patience and understanding as we endeavour to cope with circumstances outwith our control.
Once again, we are incredibly grateful to the teams across our business who have continued to work around the clock to deliver for our customers during these uncertain times maintaining vital links across Edinburgh and the Lothians – their patience and understanding is greatly appreciated.
If you are planning a journey on our services, we ask that you continue to help us to keep our colleagues and fellow customers safe by following the latest Scottish Government guidance which can be found on our Safe Travel page.
This includes the wearing of a face covering over your nose and mouth for the duration of your journey unless exempt, and leaving windows open to increase ventilation.
Please allow more time for your travel.
If you need further assistance, please connect with us on:
In light of the Scottish Government announcement regarding large scale events and the cancellation of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay, Lothian, Lothian Country and East Coast Buses will be making some changes to our planned routes and timetables for the 30, 31 December and 1 January.
On Thursday 30 December, we will be operating a Saturday service. All diversions for the Torchlight procession have now been cancelled and bus services will operate normal routes.
On Friday 31 December, we will operate a Saturday service, finishing earlier than normal with last journeys through the city centre at approximately 2130.
On the morning of 1 January 2022, we will no longer be operating our special Hogmanay Night Service. We understand that some customers may be disappointed, however with the cancellation of the Edinburgh’s Hogmanay Street party and the latest advice from the Scottish Government, we do not anticipate sufficient demand for these night services.
As we highlighted this week, we are also continuing to be impacted by the pandemic in regards to team resource which is placing considerable pressure on our operations and therefore it is vital we continue to focus on providing critical links across Edinburgh and the Lothians.
Customers are reminded to allow extra time for their journeys and to plan before they travel through our website or our app. Updated data can be found from the 29 December on the Traveline Scotland website.
Thanks to all of our customers for their patience and understanding, and a massive thank you to all of our colleagues who continue to react and adapt to this ever-changing fluid situation.
As Christmas makes a comeback after last year’s disappointment, megabus is set to double its service in an effort to ensure families can still connect over the festive period
The coach provider will be operating over 9,000 miles on Christmas day alone – double the mileage of last year. Over 48,000 miles will be covered on Christmas Day and Boxing Day combined
The increase comes after another tumultuous year of restrictions meaning families have missed out on quality time together, with older generations affected the most
Three quarters (73%) of grandparents say not seeing their grandchildren has been the worst thing about the pandemic – having missed out on 49 hugs, 47 kisses, 40 conversations and 25 family meals with their grandkids since it began
With the UK still planning to enjoy the festive celebrations this year, megabus is set to double its service in an effort to ensure that families aren’t separated for a second Christmas running.
The coach provider is due to operate over 9,000 miles on Christmas Day alone – more than double last years’ service – connecting loved ones from locations including London, Bristol, Manchester, Cardiff, Reading, Leeds, Birmingham Nottingham and many more
Across the festive period (17 Dec – 3 Jan) over half a million miles will be travelled – averaging almost 40,000 per day. 48,000 will take place on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
With over 2,700 trips being operated by megabus this festive period, the company is clearly ensuring it is there to help families to spend Christmas together.
The increase comes after another tumultuous year of restrictions meaning many families have missed out on quality time together, with older generations affected the most.
Three quarters (73%) of grandparents say not seeing their grandchildren has been the worst thing about the pandemic – having missed out on 49 hugs, 47 kisses, 40 conversations and 25 family meals with their grandkids in the last 12 months.
Seven in 10 (74%) parents claim to be making a concerted effort to reunite children with grandparents, with 80% saying that their kids missing grandparents has been one of the hardest things to deal with over the past year.
In a normal year, grandparents will spend an average of 90 hours travelling to see their grandkids, spending £240 each to enjoy precious quality time together.
The top moments grandparents have missed due to the pandemic:
49 hugs
47 kisses
40 conversations
27 playtimes with toys
25 meals together
24 walks
19 bedtimes
19 daytrips
18 school runs
18 hand drawn pictures
Mark Venables, Managing Director from megabus, said: “After so many families were forced to spend last Christmas apart, and we’ve all dealt with more restrictions this year, we’re determined to help bring as many people together as possible this festive season.
“Complying with all current government guidelines, we have over 13,000 seats available for Christmas Day and Boxing Day alone – so we’re really excited to help Brits get around and travel with confidence to see their loved ones this Christmas.
“Seats are already selling fast, so I’d really like to thank all of our fantastic people who are working over the festive period and especially those who have volunteered to work on Christmas day to provide these services to our customers.”
megabus will serve a number of key destinations across the country, including Edinburgh, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol, Cardiff, Nottingham, and Bournemouth and many others.
Crucially, megabus will be operating up to every 30 minutes between Heathrow Airport and London Victoria on Christmas day and Boxing Day when there are no other public transport options available.
megabus will be running services across many key destinations over the festive period, including:
Services to be diverted while essential repairs carried out
Due to the closure of North Bridge for essential repairs from today (Sunday 14 November), a number of Lothian bus services will be subject to diversions across the city centre.
Where possible, these diversions have been designed to adhere as closely as possible to their original routes, whilst minimising delays. We would like to thank our customers for their patience and understanding while these diversions are in effect.
Please note that a network-wide service change will also come into effect on Sunday 14 November.
Information about diverted services can be found below:
Services affected in both directions
Service 8 – will be diverted via Nicolson Street, Chambers Street, George IV Bridge, The Mound, Hanover Street, Dundas Street, Great King Street, Drummond Place, London Street, and Bellevue.
Services 26 and 44 will be diverted via Princes Street, Waterloo Place, Regent Road, Montrose Terrace.
Northbound services
Services 5, 7, 14, 45 and 49 will be diverted via Nicolson Street, Chambers Street, George IV Bridge, The Mound, Hanover Street, George Street, York Place, Picardy Place and London Road.
Services 3, 29, 30, 31, 33, 37, X29, X31, X33 and X37 will be diverted via Nicolson Street, Chambers Street, George IV Bridge, The Mound, Hanover Street, George Street, Frederick Street to Princes Street (or in the case of 29/X29, to Howe Street).
Services 29 and X29 will be diverted via Nicolson Street, Chambers Street, George IV Bridge, The Mound, Hanover Street, George Street, Frederick Street to Howe Street.
Southbound services
Services 3, 5, 7, 14, 29, 30, 31, 33, 37, 49, X29, X31, X33, X37, N3, N14, N30, N31 and N37 will follow normal routes southbound via North Bridge and South Bridge.
Nightbus Services
Nightbuses N3, N14, N30, N31 and N37 will follow daytime diversions with all services stopping on George IV Bridge.
If you need any assistance, please reach out on Lothian social media channels – Twitter, Facebook and Instagram – or phone bus information on 0131 555 6363.
Free travel for military and ex-military personnel on 11thand 14th November
Commitment will continue annually
New employee led Veterans Network key to Stagecoach commitment
Stagecoach has confirmed its ongoing commitment to the armed forces by announcing that it will be offering free travel for veterans and military personnel on its bus and tram services right across the UK on Remembrance Day and Remembrance Sunday.
The commitment to free travel, which will be ongoing every year, comes on the back of Stagecoach’s newly launched employee led Veterans Network.
The network was launched to allow Stagecoach colleagues to come together as one voice to make change, raise awareness, help influence business decisions and introduce new ways of working to make the company even stronger.
The Veteran Network is also currently engaging with the armed forces on a recruitment campaign directly targeting those who are leaving the military to find job opportunities at Stagecoach.
As a cause that is close to the hearts of its employees and customers, Stagecoach has been a long-time supporter of the Poppy Appeal, and in addition to free travel on 11th and 14th November, Stagecoach will be operating a number of Poppy Buses across its network, including Merseyside & South Lancashire, Cumbria & North Lancashire, Portsmouth and Aldershot.
Poppies will also be displayed on the front of a number of buses across the country with some of the destination blinds showing the messaging “We will remember them”.
Employees across Stagecoach will also be asked to honour the minutes’ silence.
Stagecoach has also been a member of the Armed Force Covenant since March 2015, recognising the value of serving personnel, regular and reservists, veterans and military families to both the country and businesses across the country.
With Remembrance services planned at memorials across UK, it is hoped that people wishing to pay their respects will take up the offer to travel for free to the service of their choice.
This commitment from Stagecoach allows for the business to unite and offer the same great experience to all military and ex-military customers and it will continue each year on 11th November and the following Sunday* as well as Armed Forces Weekend.
Simon Tramalloni, Operations Manager in Preston & Chorley is co-lead for the Stagecoach Veterans Network. He previously served in the Armed Forces serving in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Kosovo, Africa and the Middle East.
He said: “Stagecoach has a strong commitment to supporting the armed forces and our veterans, and it’s great that we are able to offer free bus and tram travel across the whole country as we mark Remembrance Day.
“We have thousands of ex forces personnel working across our business and having the new Veterans Network is allowing us to build on the work that Stagecoach has led over many years and identify how else we can support those veterans already working for us and those that may want to come and join the company.
“Remembrance Day and the Poppy Appeal are causes close to the hearts of many of our employees and customers and we are very pleased to be making this commitment that will hopefully help people to attend memorials across the UK.”
Investment to deliver estimated cut of 67,000 tonnes in annual carbon emissions by 2035
Cut is equivalent to reducing the carbon footprint of more than 5,000 Scots to zero New electric bus fleets to be rolled out in Aberdeen, Kilmarnock and Perth later this year
Further 40 tonnes of CO2e a year expected to be saved through more energy efficient buildings
Stagecoach sustainability strategy aiming to deliver a greener, healthier and fairer Scotland
Government must show “strong and brave leadership” on transport to incentivise right choices.
Stagecoach, the UK’s biggest bus and coach operator, is marking Scottish Climate Week with a plan to cut tens of thousands of tonnes of carbon emissions a year from its business as it targets a zero emissions bus fleet by 2035.
Investment in clean technologies, including new electric buses, are expected to deliver an estimated annual reduction of around 67,000 tonnes of CO2e from its fleet of more than 1,200 buses in Scotland in less than 15 years.
According to Zero Waste Scotland, the average annual carbon footprint per person in Scotland is 13 tonnes of CO2e. This means Stagecoach’s plans are the equivalent of reducing the environmental impact of more than 5,000 Scots to zero.
Stagecoach services are already helping households across the UK reduce their carbon footprint by offering more sustainable travel. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Centre for Economics and Business Research found that without Stagecoach bus services, there would be an annual increase of around 190,000 tonnes of CO2e through people using alternative transport, mainly cars.
The latest Stagecoach targets and commitments are part of the company’s new sustainability strategy Driving Net Zero: Better Places to Live and Work, published in advance of the COP26 climate change summit in Glasgow in November. Stagecoach is aiming to decarbonise its business by around 70% by 2035 as well as targeting a zero emissions bus fleet across the UK by that date.
The roadmap to becoming a carbon neutral business will see investment in new zero-emissions fleets and other green technologies over the next 15 years to reduce the impact of the company’s operations on the planet, as well as initiatives to cut waste, boost recycling and conserve water.
A £21.4m fleet of 46 new fully electric buses is being introduced by Stagecoach in Aberdeen, Perth and Kilmarnock this year as part of the Scottish Government’s Scottish Ultra Low Emission Bus scheme. It follows the UK’s first fleet of six fully electric buses serving rural communities which went into service earlier this summer under a partnership between Stagecoach and SP Energy Networks, connecting villages along the Irvine Valley with Kilmarnock town centre.
Stagecoach has already been converting its existing vehicles to make them greener in advance of the transition to electric and other zero emissions technologies.
The clean air retrofit programme has seen over a third of buses in Scotland retrofitted with either Euro VI or new exhaust systems, both of which mean they have 95% less emissions that standard buses. Stagecoach is also working with the manufacturing sector on how to use clean technologies that are applicable to coaches, which operate on longer routes not currently suited to electric vehicles.
Separately, five Scottish Citylink coaches in east Scotland have been fitted with new solar panels which provide clean solar energy to power all on-board electrical equipment. This reduces the requirement to create electric energy via the burning of diesel, a move that is estimated to save up to 7,500 litres of fuel and over 20 tonnes of CO2.
Investment is also being made in Stagecoach buildings and depots across Scotland, with 11 depots around the country fitted with hi-tech energy management systems to control heating and help reduce gas and heating oil consumption.
Under the latest plans, by 2027 Stagecoach energy management systems will meet the international standard ISO 50001 and it will also be procuring all electricity from 100% renewable sources from April 2022. As a result, annual carbon emissions from Stagecoach buildings in Scotland are expected to reduce by 40 tCO2e a year from 2027.
Sam Greer, Regional Director for Stagecoach in Scotland, said: “There has never been a more important time to take action to address the climate emergency and play a part in helping Scotland deliver on its net zero ambitions.
“Our plans start with improving the sustainability of our own business. But we can also leverage the power of public transport focus on our plans to create a greener, smarter, safer, healthier and fairer Scotland.
“Making net zero a reality – and quickly – is about more than just switching technologies. We also need to change how we travel, moving people away from cars to walking, cycling and wheeling, and public transport.
“This needs strong and brave leadership from national and regional governments to create incentives to reward the right choices. We also need to make sure the country’s transport infrastructure is prioritised for people, such as bus passengers, whose are contributing to a cleaner and healthier country.”
Recommendations for the reform of Edinburgh’s Transport Arm’s Length External Organisations (ALEOs) would deliver a more efficient, better integrated public transport offering while retaining the identities of the Capital’s much-loved transport companies, according to a new report.
Reform of Transport Arm’s Length External Organisations, to be considered by the council’s Transport and Environment Committee on Thursday (19 August), proposes reconstituting the Lothian Buses legal entity to allow the management of all Council-owned public transport modes in the city, while retaining the brands and operational services of each of the transport companies.
While the changes wouldn’t result in any immediate changes for passengers or front-line staff, they would lead to improvements through easier ticket purchasing, integrated routes and customer services plus better collaboration and less competition between companies, as well as efficiencies for the business.
Proposals have been informed by a working group formed of Council officers and Non-Executive Director representatives from each of the Transport ALEOs (Lothian Buses, Edinburgh Trams and Transport for Edinburgh).
They’ve been working to a set of guiding and transition principles, which include creating a customer focused unified public transport approach through service integration, route optimisation and fare ticketing optimisation.
Councillor Lesley Macinnes, Transport and Environment Convener, said: “The reform of our Transport ALEOs offers the chance to significantly enhance and streamline our public transport offering to the benefit of the public. These changes would result in integrated ticketing and routing and the opportunity to expand into new transport modes , amongst other improvements.
“Of course, we know how important the Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams brands are to the people of Edinburgh, demonstrated by their consistently high customer satisfaction ratings, and we’ve no plans to change that. Any restructuring behind-the-scenes will only lead to a better experience when using the services we all know and love.”
Councillor Karen Doran, Transport and Environment Vice Convener, said: “The last year and a half has been extremely challenging for our public transport providers. Our plans for their future aim to support their continued recovery, delivering efficiency savings which can be reinvested in the services.
“We really value the public transport staff who’ve made every effort during this time to serve the city too, and we would be working closely with boards, management and trade unions to support a smooth transition to a new structure.”
A report to Policy and Sustainability Committee in July 2020 set out arrangements for the management of the Council’s Transport ALEOs, highlighting challenges and setting out objectives for future public transport provision.
As well as supporting public transport integration, a reformed structure could respond to new opportunities as they arise and facilitate mobility across the city and region. ALEO reform also aligns with Edinburgh’s City Mobility Plan, which outlines greater integration in areas like pricing, ticketing and routing, as well as expansion of the rapid transit system and a bus network review.
In addition, the commercial sustainability of any new arrangement is considered crucial, particularly given the likely recovery period for public transport in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Efficiency savings as a result of reform are particularly important.
If the proposed Transport ALEO is approved, the Council would maintain formal political oversight through the existing committee structure.
You can watch discussion of the report by Transport and Environment Committee live from 10am on Thursday, 19 August via webcast.
I remember there has been opposition to this in the past. Back in 2016 concerns were raised that Lothian Buses profits would be used to plug the black hole that was Edinburgh Trams finances, to the detriment of the popular and efficient bus company. Changed days? We’ll see how the Capital Coalition ‘fares’ next week – Ed.
All young people resident in Scotland under the age of 22 will be eligible for free bus travel from 31 January next year.
The Scottish Government has confirmed the timetable for the roll out of the scheme, delivered in partnership with the Improvement Service, the National Entitlement Card Programme Office and Young Scot.
Legislative changes to allow the scheme to be extended from its original commitment to provide free travel for under-19s will be introduced to the Scottish Parliament this summer.
Approximately 930,000 young people will join the third of Scotland’s population who already benefit from free bus travel through the Older and Disabled Persons Free Bus scheme.
Minister for Transport, Graeme Dey said: “It’s crucial to embed more sustainable travel behaviour from a young age if we are to achieve our world-leading goal of reducing the number of kilometres travelled by car by 20% by 2030 and reaching net zero emissions by 2045.
“We also know that young people have been disproportionately impacted as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, so it’s never been more important that we support them to achieve their fullest potential. Reducing barriers created by transport costs is one really positive action we can take.
“Our National Transport Strategy commits to a fairer, greener transport system which will reduce inequalities and take action to protect our climate. I’m really pleased to be taking decisive action on both of those points by setting out this timetable to provide free bus travel for all under-22s living in Scotland.”
Dr Sarah Gadsden, Chief Executive of The Improvement Service said: “The Improvement Service is committed to providing better life chances for all children and young people. It’s a commitment fully reflected in our strategic priorities. We’re honoured to be a delivery partner for the Young Persons’ Travel Scheme.
“Together with the National Entitlement Card Programme Office, we’re moving at pace to the support the scheme’s roll out, drawing on our experience and expertise from managing the National Entitlement Card Scheme for over 15 years.
“We’re placing our assets at the disposal of the Young Persons’ Travel Scheme, enhancing them to make the application process as easy as possible, both online and when using traditional channels, and to reduce the administrative burdens on Councils.”
Kirsten Urquhart, Interim Chief Executive of Young Scot said: “Young people often tell us about the positive impact free travel would have on their lives. For some, it’ll help them to travel to work or take part in learning. For others, it’ll improve their wellbeing by making it easier to socialise and to meet with their friends and family.
“Free travel that is accessed easily by the Young Scot National Entitlement Card will open doors for young people – helping them to explore opportunities that many would previously not have had the financial means or confidence to take part in.”
Lorna Slater, the Scottish Green MSP for Lothian has welcomed the news that young people will be able to travel for free on the bus from January, thanks to the Scottish Greens!
The measure, secured by the Scottish Greens in budget negotiations, means anyone aged 21 or under will be able to travel across Scotland for free on the bus with a concessionary travel card from 31 January 2022.
The scheme had been delayed by COVID-19 and a shortage of silicone, vital in the manufacture of the concessionary cards.
Green MSP Lorna Slater said: “Free bus travel for young people in Lothian is not only a transformational policy in terms of family budgets, it will open up opportunities for young people, and can help shift people out of cars, aiding efforts to tackle the climate emergency.
“What’s more, as we recover from the pandemic, this policy will be vital in encouraging people back onto public transport safely to ensure we see a green recovery.
“The Scottish Greens believe public transport should be free at the point of use and serve all our communities, and in January we will see a major step forward to this aim.”
