A village on the outskirts of Edinburgh is to get a new direct bus service to the city centre to serve its growing population.
Lothian Buses’ announcement of the X19 comes following long-standing pleas for better public transport links for Kirkliston.
From the start of December the service will run seven days a week between Winchburgh and Regent Road, via Kirkliston, Newbridge and Maybury.
The new Lothian Country route will “help support growth in the region” and provide “greater journey opportunities” for residents in West Lothian and west Edinburgh, the publicly-owned bus firm said.
Welcoming the news, local councillor Kevin Lang said many in the village “felt treated as second class citizens” as Lothian offered city centre links from communities located just outside the city such as Dalkeith and Penicuik.
Also relieved to learn passengers using the new service will pay the same £2 fare as people in other parts of the capital, he added: “This is something which had been a real concern in the past.” Passengers travelling between Edinburgh and Winchburgh will be charged an extra pound however.
Edinburgh Bus Users Group (EBUG) said with the volume of housebuilding around west Edinburgh the X19 would become “critical in the near future”.
An existing route between Falkirk and Edinburgh, via Kirkliston, is serviced by private operator Midland Bluebird. However, the addition of Lothian’s service is expected to make bus travel a more viable option for residents of West Edinburgh.
Lothian Buses said: “With new developments in Winchburgh and increasing customer demand in Kirkliston due to significant growth in recent years, a new express service X19 will be introduced to provide direct links to the city 7 days a week.”
“A new night bus service will also be introduced between Edinburgh, Kirkliston and Winchburgh, operating seven days a week.”
Lib Dem councillor Lang, representing the Almond ward, said: “It is wonderful news that Lothian Buses is establishing a direct bus link between Kirkliston and Edinburgh. It comes after years of hard work and local campaigning from people in the community who rightly believed they should get a service like this from the council owned bus company. Many felt treated as second class citizens when Lothian was already offering city centre links from places like Musselburgh, Dalkeith and Penicuik, but not here in Kirkliston.
“It’s even better to hear that passengers using the new service will pay the same price for fares as people in other parts of Edinburgh. This is something which had been a real concern in the past so I’m really pleased and grateful to Lothian for making sure people in Kirkliston are being treated fairly.
“Improving public transport across rural west Edinburgh has been a huge focus for me and others in the community over recent years. It’s wonderful to see the pressure paying off.”
An EBUG spokesperson said:”It’s great that Kirkliston and other communities are getting an express bus service with reasonable fares.
“Given the volume of housebuilding around west Edinburgh, services like this will become critical in the near future. It means good bus infrastructure such as all-day bus lanes becomes urgent, so express services don’t get snarled up in general traffic.”
By Donald Turvill Local Democracy Reporter
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) is a public service news agency. It is funded by the BBC, provided by the local news sector (in Edinburgh that is Reach plc (the publisher behind Edinburgh Live and The Daily Record) and used by many qualifying partners. Local Democracy Reporters cover news about top-tier local authorities and other public service organisations.
