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Lothian Buses and ECB Discussion

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Tom B

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Does anyone know how much of an issue vandalism is currently to the fleet? I know in the past windows getting broken was a common occurrence in spates across parts of Edinburgh but it seems to be less common now (or less reported). I remember reading at the time it had cost Lothian around £500k that year in damage repairs as a result of stone attacks which is obviously a huge cost against the bottom line. Just wondered if now it's a lot less common and therefore the financial hit is a lot less material?

I once overheard a couple of Lothian drivers referring to the service 14 as the "Methadone Express"... Muirhouse at the top and Greendykes at the bottom...
 

SpeedbirdA350

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Any ideas what's happened to the electric buses?
Wrightbus went in to admin and the other 5 were removed from active service within a short time after. Probabily just lack of support for the EV but now Wrightbus are back up and running, hopefully it also means we start to see those buses back out on service. Although with Glasgow getting some E200 electrics from ADL
 

Jordan Adam

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Wrightbus went in to admin and the other 5 were removed from active service within a short time after. Probabily just lack of support for the EV but now Wrightbus are back up and running, hopefully it also means we start to see those buses back out on service. Although with Glasgow getting some E200 electrics from ADL

Not saying it's not the case but I find that unlikely. They had been talking about taking them off long before Wright went in to Admin.
 

KGGXXXY

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I once overheard a couple of Lothian drivers referring to the service 14 as the "Methadone Express"... Muirhouse at the top and Greendykes at the bottom...
I remember some mates from Edinburgh called the 14 that, not heard that in years :)
 

overthewater

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-51052831

You have to wonder how that comprehensive Bus review will result in, and the services will need to start the process now. Also they need to SPEED up banning cars and it should be extended to Ryans bar.

Large parts of Edinburgh's city centre could be pedestrianised and the tramline extended under a radical 10-year vision for the capital.City of Edinburgh Council has published its draft city mobility plan in a bid to become carbon neutral by 2030. George Street would be shut to vehicles by 2025 and the tram network extended by the end of the decade. The council said it planned to reinvest money raised by a workplace parking levy in improving public transport. The final vision envisages widespread commuting by bike, integrated public transport and a largely car-free city centre.George Street would be closed to traffic as well as parts of the Old Town including parts of the Royal Mile, Victoria Street and Cockburn Street. A review of the city's bus network could involve halting vehicles from Princes Street by creating hubs at either end of the city centre.

Transforming Edinburgh - key milestones
2022

  • Tram route to Newhaven will be complete
  • A comprehensive review of bus routes in the city will have taken place
  • The Low Emissions Zone will be in place
2025
  • A comprehensive mass rapid transit plan for the city and region will be completed.
  • The business case for a north south tram line will be agreed, linking Granton to the Bio Quarter and beyond
  • A new bus strategy will be agreed, including stops, routes, and public transport interchanges.
  • George Street will be transformed
  • Air pollution levels will have been significantly reduced following the introduction of a low emission cordon around the city centre and the city boundary
  • Income from a workplace parking levy will have been invested in public transport.
2030
  • The mass transit network, including tram routes, will have been extended west to Newbridge - connecting the Waterfront to the Royal Infirmary
  • The city's seven park and rides will be upgraded
  • Arterial routes will be being used for "mass commuting by bike"
  • The city centre will be largely car-free
  • Iconic streets will be pedestrianised
  • seamless ti
 

ScotRail158725

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-51052831

You have to wonder how that comprehensive Bus review will result in, and the services will need to start the process now. Also they need to SPEED up banning cars and it should be extended to Ryans bar.
what they need to do is not build anymore onto the trams and leave the perfectly good bus network how it is, this “interchange” plan is ****e because it will consist of get the bus to the edge of the city, wait for another to take you 10 mins to another interchange and then wait there 10 minutes to complete your journey. not something people can be 1) bothered with and 2) willing to do on a cold winters day
 

tbtc

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26 is another one - although I suppose you can pick any route with a frequency of at least every 10 minutes and it’s common.

True, but some of the routes seem guaranteed to bunch.

You've got some services which are short at both sides of the city (the 19 being an obvious example) and some which are long at both sides of the city (the 26/ 29/ 31/ 44)

I know that a lot of main trunk routes have been unchanged for a long time but if they were serious about tackling this then they could look at tacking the Balerno service (which is obviously the far corner of the city's western boundaries) onto something shorter at the eastern side (the 1 to Leith, the 4/5 to the Jewel) - I know that the current frequencies don't match up, I'm just giving an example of a combined service that would have a "long" section on one side of town and a "short" section on the other side, so it wouldn't be quote so onerous.

Or, swap the 16 and 23 - one takes an hour longer to do a round trip than the other one does, so running Colinton - Trinity and Greenbank - Silverknowes would balance that up a bit.

Traffic in central Edinburgh is often a nightmare - the geography means that there's lots of vehicles funnelled onto Princes Street - it's never going to be simple - but Lothian could at least consider trying to better balance the length of some routes to provide a more reliable service. Waiting half an hour for three 31s to arrive is no use to anyone.
 

buslad1988

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there are worse for bucnhing, the 22 obviously and the 26 on a Friday afternoon especially
To be fair it’s not always the congestion that’s the problem either in regard to bunching... it only takes a couple of slow passengers, wheelchair/buggy users or tourists to hold a bus by a few minutes and before you know it the next one has caught up as it’s sailed through problem free!

What irritates me though is when you see people trying to pile onto a packed bus when there’s another one right behind... why not just get on the second one which will be faster (as it’ll overtake) and you’ll get a comfortable ride not rammed in like sardines! Best example of this I’ve seen is a 12 headed to the Gyle at Haymarket with a full standing load... 31/26 right behind and there were still people trying to fold buggies and squeeze on! The driver did actually say to everyone in the end that if they weren’t travelling any further than Drum Brae why not just get the 100 seater bus behind!
 

Auld reekie

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True, but some of the routes seem guaranteed to bunch.

You've got some services which are short at both sides of the city (the 19 being an obvious example) and some which are long at both sides of the city (the 26/ 29/ 31/ 44)

I know that a lot of main trunk routes have been unchanged for a long time but if they were serious about tackling this then they could look at tacking the Balerno service (which is obviously the far corner of the city's western boundaries) onto something shorter at the eastern side (the 1 to Leith, the 4/5 to the Jewel) - I know that the current frequencies don't match up, I'm just giving an example of a combined service that would have a "long" section on one side of town and a "short" section on the other side, so it wouldn't be quote so onerous.

Or, swap the 16 and 23 - one takes an hour longer to do a round trip than the other one does, so running Colinton - Trinity and Greenbank - Silverknowes would balance that up a bit.

Traffic in central Edinburgh is often a nightmare - the geography means that there's lots of vehicles funnelled onto Princes Street - it's never going to be simple - but Lothian could at least consider trying to better balance the length of some routes to provide a more reliable service. Waiting half an hour for three 31s to arrive is no use to anyone.
Very good post.
 
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What irritates me though is when you see people trying to pile onto a packed bus when there’s another one right behind... why not just get on the second one which will be faster (as it’ll overtake
Probably because people don't know the history of the bus that has arrived first and the vehicle running behind it at the time the first one arrived. Or the future behaviour of the buses for that matter. You've just said the bus behind might overtake the one in front so who's to say that didn't happen before they arrived at the stop in question? If there's room on a bus to take passengers most folk might think it's as well just to get on in case there's less space on the next one!
 

scotrail158713

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What irritates me though is when you see people trying to pile onto a packed bus when there’s another one right behind... why not just get on the second one which will be faster (as it’ll overtake) and you’ll get a comfortable ride not rammed in like sardines!
It’s a bit of a gamble sometimes though. Take the 26 in Clerwood direction as an example. If there’s one 26 at a stop, the one behind may just overtake and then you’re could be left at the stop.
 

ScotRail158725

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Something ive been meaning to ask for a while now but what are those blue global stickers underneath the advert frames on the Gemini 3s and enviros for? Every Enviro & Gemini 3 with other company has them aswell
 

KGGXXXY

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route101

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It’s a bit of a gamble sometimes though. Take the 26 in Clerwood direction as an example. If there’s one 26 at a stop, the one behind may just overtake and then you’re could be left at the stop.

Yeah some drivers wont be keen to take you on if its the same number in front , see that in Glasgow. In Edinburgh its much stricter it seems with buses at stops and passengers queuing.
 

ejstubbs

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I think the idea is that when passengers have disembarked from the more lightly loaded bus, it can depart straight away, overtaking the bus in front and making life easier for waiting passengers at subsequent stops.

Doesn't always work, though. Once outside the Royal Academy the number 4 behind departed without allowing any passengers to board - but the bus in front was running short route (only as far as the Colinton Tescos IIRC), so anyone wanting to go to Hunter's Tryst or beyond (like me) was left behind :(
 

route101

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I think the idea is that when passengers have disembarked from the more lightly loaded bus, it can depart straight away, overtaking the bus in front and making life easier for waiting passengers at subsequent stops.

Doesn't always work, though. Once outside the Royal Academy the number 4 behind departed without allowing any passengers to board - but the bus in front was running short route (only as far as the Colinton Tescos IIRC), so anyone wanting to go to Hunter's Tryst or beyond (like me) was left behind :(

When a bus is late it often builds up more of a delay if is stopping to pick up people at every stop.
 

FS-2-11

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The 44 loves to travel in 2’s and sometimes 3’s.
I'm quite impressed with Lothian's ability to bunch different services - often I'm waiting at the 4/44 stop outbound on Dalry Road at Haymarket in the evening peak, and the Buschecker display shows the 4 due in something like 20 and 36 minutes, and the 44 in 18 and 36 minutes.

Even better is their ability to bunch services from different origins. The other night I was on Lanark Road at the Water of Leith where the 34 and 44 routes converge going towards town, and the display showed both buses due in 26 and 56 minutes.
 

ScotRail158725

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something ive observed over the winter is how the heating on buses goes downhill throughout the fleet with B7s having brilliant heat that actually makes the bus roasting to Gemini 3s & XLBs where the heat is hardly even noticeable
 

Auld reekie

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something ive observed over the winter is how the heating on buses goes downhill throughout the fleet with B7s having brilliant heat that actually makes the bus roasting to Gemini 3s & XLBs where the heat is hardly even noticeable
I hate the heating on buses.
It just emphasises people’s body odour.
 
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