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 | £1.10 | Valid 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 | £2.75 | Valid for unlimited journeys on day services. |
| TapTapCap – City Week Cap | £22.00 | £24.50 | Maximum 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 | £12.50 | Unlimited journeys on day and NightBus services across our entire network, including Edinburgh Trams. |
| Adult Ridacard (1 Week) | £22.00 | £24.50 | Unlimited journeys on day and NightBus services across our entire network, including Edinburgh Trams. |
| Adult Ridacard (4 Weeks) | £66.00 | £73.00 | Unlimited journeys on day and NightBus services across our entire network, including Edinburgh Trams. |
| Adult Ridacard (Monthly DD) | £62.00 | £68.00 | Unlimited journeys on day and NightBus services across our entire network, including Edinburgh Trams. |
| Adult Ridacard (Annual) | £650.00 | £700.00 | Unlimited 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.
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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.