Lothian Buses is a major bus operator based in Edinburgh, Scotland.[2] It is the largest municipal bus company in the United Kingdom:[3] the City of Edinburgh Council (through Transport for Edinburgh) owns 91%, Midlothian Council 5%, East Lothian Council 3% and West Lothian Council 1%.[4][5]
Lothian operates the majority of bus services in Edinburgh, and is a significant operator in East Lothian, Midlothian and most recently West Lothian.[6] It operates a comprehensive night bus network, three routes to Edinburgh Airport, and owns the subsidiary companies Lothian Country, East Coast Buses, Edinburgh Bus Tours, Lothian Motorcoaches and Eve Coaches.
History
The company can trace its history back to the Edinburgh Street Tramways Company of 1871, also involving at various times the tramway companies of Leith, Musselburgh and Edinburgh North. The City Council (Edinburgh Corporation Tramways Department) took over operation of the tramways in 1919, at which time most of the system was cable operated. Electrification of the tram network was completed in 1923,[7] but the first motor buses had arrived in 1919.[8]
The city's trams ceased operation between 1950 and 1956, after which the operation became the Edinburgh Corporation Transport Department.[9] In 1965, it purchased its first rear-engined double-decker bus, a Leyland Atlantean PDR1/1 (registration ESF 801C). This bus is currently preserved at the Scottish Vintage Bus Museum. Almost 600 buses were added to the fleet over the next 17 years.
Following local government reorganisation, Edinburgh Corporation Transport was renamed Lothian Region Transport on 16 May 1975. In January 2000, it was again renamed as Lothian Buses.[10][11]
Awards
Lothian Buses have won several bus awards for their services to the Lothian region including Bus Operator of the Year in the 2007 UK Bus Awards,[12][13] and has subsequently been voted Public Transport Operator of the Year (Bus) at the 2008 National Transport Awards, at which the company was cited for its substantial route development, 32% growth in passenger numbers since 1998 and £100 million investment in low-floor buses since 2000.[14]
Lothian Buses was voted Best UK Bus Company in 2002 and 2003.[15] Vehicles previously carried the wording Voted Scotland's Best Bus Company 2006 in a laurel wreath type logo near the fleetname.
In November 2011, the company won the Top City Operator of the Year award at the UK Bus Awards.[16]
Fares
Lothian Buses have operated a flat-fare system since March 2006.[20] Adult and child singles and day tickets, pre-paid multiple singles and 'Ridacards' are also available, with senior citizens travelling on free travel passes in line with the rest of Scotland. As of March 2026, an adult single fare is £2.40 and a child fare costs £1.20. An adult day ticket costs £6.00 and a child day ticket £3.00.[21]
Cash fares are paid into a hopper, which automatically dumps the money into a vault to which the driver has no access; change is not given.[22]
The Lothian 'Ridacard' bus pass is a pre-paid plastic smartcard giving unlimited travel on regular daytime and night bus services, as well as Edinburgh Trams services.[23] It is purchased initially from a Transport for Edinburgh Travelshop, where the owner's picture is incorporated on the card to prevent misuse. Once purchased, the card can be placed onto an on-board reader, which reads the contactless chip in the smartcard. Cards can be credited for a weekly, 4 weekly or annual period.
Network, brands and subsidiaries
Lothian-branded network
Lothian-branded services are the core of the Lothian Buses group. There are some core services in the Lothian network that have followed more or less the same route since they were operated by trams in the 1950s, like services 3, 4, 5, 10, 11 and 16.[27] However, the routes and timetables of most services are frequently modified in minor ways. For example, in recent years several confusing details such as letter suffixed routes and clockwise/anticlockwise circular services have been removed from the map. In the last ten years, there have been many temporary and permanent diversions in the New Town, including the closure at various times of Princes Street for tram works, George Street for pedestrianisation[28] and Leith Street for the reconstruction of the St James Centre.
The majority of current routes pass through the city centre from opposing termini, either crossing or following Princes Street in full or in part. This means that there are some arteries in and out of the New Town that are served by as many as a dozen different routes, such as Nicolson Street and Leith Walk. Some of these services, like services 3, 26 and 37, extend into outlying towns in East Lothian and Midlothian. There are also some more orbital routes, such as service 38.
Infrastructure and operation
The previous company headquarters and engineering works in Shrub Hill, off Leith Walk, were sold in 1999 subject to planning permission, after being occupied by the company since 1871.[73] After repeated delays, controversies and a public inquiry,[74][75] in 2004, the site was sold to BL Developments for £12 million so that the site could be developed flats and houses.[76][77]
The company as a whole operates three travel shops,[78] and nine depots.
Lothian Buses serve five
Trams
Lothian Buses' services have been integrated with Edinburgh Trams, since the trams commenced operation in 2014 – both are managed by Transport for Edinburgh, with Lothian Buses serving interchange with the trams at various locations. The now closed guided busway element of Fastlink formed part of phase 1a of the tram permanent way.[80]
Fleet
As of January 2025, the Lothian Buses fleet, incorporating East Coast Buses, Lothian Country, the Edinburgh Bus Tours, Lothian Motorcoaches and Eve Coaches, consists of approximately 730 buses and coaches.[81]
Recent purchases
Lothian first introduced low emissions vehicles in the form of hybrid buses into service in 2011 with the purchase of 15 Alexander Dennis Enviro400Hs;[82][83] these were subsequently retrofitted with diesel engines in 2018 due to issues with the hybrid batteries.[84] These were supplemented with the arrival of the first ten Volvo 7900Hs in April 2013, initially allocated to route 1 from Clermiston to Easter Road.[85]
Vehicle tracking
Lothian Buses are active members of the Bustracker system and are responsible for the funding of it as well as being partly responsible for the operation of it.[108] It operates by tracking the movements of buses; computers then relay this information to the designated bus tracker signs throughout the city giving real-time and more up-to-date information on when buses are due to the passengers.[109]
In December 2009, it was announced that, following the success of Bustracker, an application had been developed for the iPhone that is similar to the way Bustracker works. It allows users to see where their nearest bus stop is and when the next buses are due. Although not developed by Lothian Buses or The City of Edinburgh Council, the application has now won the backing of both organisations.[110] My Bus Edinburgh is an application developed for the Android platform which is similar in functionality to the iPhone application. Like the iPhone application, this application is developed by an independent developer, backed by Lothian Buses and The City of Edinburgh Council, and is available free of charge.[111]
Routes
As of April 2026 Lothian and its subsidiaries operate the following routes:[116]
In media
Lothian Buses' Marine depot was used as a location for the CBeebies children's programme Me Too! under the name of Riversea Buses. The company's staff also feature in the programme, aired between 2006 and 2008. Of Lothian Buses' participation in the series, the company's then chief executive officer Neil Renilson said "It's a good opportunity to keep public transport in the eye of the next generation of customers."[117]
External links
References
- Chris Peat. Lothian patronage increases 17% in 2023 Bus & Coach Buyer, 7 February 2024, retrieved 7 February 2024^
- LOTHIAN BUSES LIMITED Companies House, retrieved 9 January 2023^
- Lothian Buses Challenges Youth Unemployment