Lothian Buses have posts for 45 new drivers and 10 new apprentices as they aim to expand services to meet demand.
Although nationally there is an overall decline in the number of people using buses, that is not the case here in Edinburgh.
There will be a new airport link from Ocean Terminal through Clermiston and Muirhouse to Edinburgh Airport, with other improvements planned from 23 April, changes to frequencies on Saturday and Sunday services and other new extended routes to Fort Kinnaird, Edinburgh Park and the Gyle.
Richard Hall, Managing Director at Lothian Buses, said: “We are delighted to be able to expand on our smart, efficient network to provide more vital links for our customers across the city and beyond, while announcing further investment in recruitment and maintaining our current fare structure.
“Responding to customer feedback, we have adapted routes to improve network choices for customers and are in no doubt that these changes will be to the benefit of our economy and the local communities we serve. Our new Service 200 will provide a vital connection to Edinburgh Airport from Ocean Terminal in the north of the city, taking in key residential areas at Newhaven, Clermiston and Drum Brae.
“Following years of strong business performance, bucking the industry trend, this year we will continue to invest in new vehicles with lower emissions and in our ticketing infrastructure to simplify bus travel for all.
“We are excited to grow our business further and are sure that our customers will benefit greatly from the changes introduced.”
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Open in new tab In 2016 the company invested £12.5m in 55 new vehicles and since 2011 have successfully removed 4,500 tonnes of CO2 from its carbon footprint. Further investment in hybrid-electric vehicles is scheduled for 2017, along with improvements to customer Wi-Fi provision and updates to the Bus Tracker and mobile apps.
Last year Lothian Buses announced it was taking on 50 new staff. Ridacard season ticket prices have remained the same since 2015, while single tickets have only increased by 10p over a four-year period.
Full details of all schedule changes are now available at www.lothianbuses.co.uk or from Lothian Buses twitter account @on_lothianbuses
Main service changes:
- Service 200: A brand new service will be introduced and every 30mins, every day of the week from 4am until midnight. Route: Ocean Terminal – Newhaven – Granton – Muirhouse – Drylaw – Blackhall – Clermiston – Drum Brae – Gogarburn – Airport.
- Service 3:This service will be re-routed to serve Bonnyrigg Road and the A7 in both directions to give better coverage of Eskbank. Two buses per hour during the day on Mondays to Fridays will be re-routed to serve Dalkeith Campus instead of Mayfield, to partly replace the 49. Mayfield will instead benefit from the 33 being re-routed around the Mayfield loop.
- Service 15/X15:This service will now operate between Penicuik and Lochend providing more direct journeys from Lochend to the City Centre.
- Service 18: The current service will be extended from the RIE to Fort Kinnaird via the bus-only link road through Greendykes. Daytime frequency doubled to every 30mins on all days of the week.
- Service 21:This service will now use the bus only link from RIE through Greendykes to create quicker links and a better frequency for customers.
- Service 36:This service will be extended from Glenlockhart to The Gyle Centre via Longstone, Sighthill, Hermiston Gait and Edinburgh Park. This will provide new direct links from Bruntsfield, Morningside and Longstone to the Gyle area, as well as providing direct links between Napier’s campuses at Sighthill, Glenlockhart and Merchiston.
- Services 10, 23, 27:Sunday daytime frequency increased to every 20mins (up from every 30mins).
- Services 24 & 29:Saturday daytime frequency increased to every 20mins.
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