If this is priced correctly, it could work. The Lothian tours are very much a premium product – good vehicles, good staff, strong marketing. But Edinburgh attracts visitors with wildly varying budgets – look at the number of hostels that have sprung up – and there isn’t really anything for the cheaper end of the market. Like everyone else, I’ve got my doubts about whether First can maintain their interest look enough, but there’s definitely a gap for a competitively priced tour. Also, have a look at Edinburgh Tours accounts to see why First fancy a slice of things.
Running it from Livingston seems ambitious – is there no coach company they could outstation a few vehicles with?
I’m sorry, Sir - there’s no room for such level headed, impartial posting on this thread
Given that the job advert states Edinburgh, I can’t believe that it will be run from Livi (not withstanding the dead mileage/time) - hence my wondering if there might be a sympathetic local coach firm. They might be able to provide fuelling and light repairs (though Livi would have to support heavy maintenance).
As for the competitive strategy, I’d advise people to have a serious think. Lothian are the incumbent with the readily identifiable brand which counts for a lot. Hence to gain a foothold, price is the obvious way to go. To support that, getting some fully depreciated fleet helps.
I might question the stance of posters and have they thought about the punters and the need for quality? Will many of the people know or care about the age of a vehicle that they will travel on for an hour and will never travel on again? Price may be more potent in this world of air b&bs and the like than quality!
I don’t think this is a long term bet but a way of hitting Lothian so that they ultimately question whether West Lothian is worth it?