West Lothian buses

[TheEastCoaster]

new service and some timetable revisions, possibly an extension or something else thrown in

I would hope they would use this opportunity to serve Kirkliston, unless this is a new night service which I’m doubtful, but fingers crossed

 

[Darklord8899]

Service X17 merged with the ECB X7 and extended to Paisley?

this made me spit my coffee out laughing......

.....don't give them ideas Jordan

 

[ScotRail158725]

I would hope they would use this opportunity to serve Kirkliston, unless this is a new night service which I’m doubtful, but fingers crossed

if i was in charge of LC i would chamge the 275 to follow the 22/400 through the Gyle Business area to Broomhouse then direct from there to West Approach Road (outside standard life) then along to Regent Road. I say this as it would give Blackburn/Seafield a direct service to edinburgh while maintaining the link to Edinburgh Park aswell as creating a non stop service from Edinburgh Park to the City Centre taking some strain of the 22 at peaks. Id also make a local Regent Rd - Winchburgh via Kirkliston service to compete with the 38 but that way really doesnt need LC at the moment

 

[TheEastCoaster]

if i was in charge of LC i would chamge the 275 to follow the 22/400 through the Gyle Business area to Broomhouse then direct from there to West Approach Road (outside standard life) then along to Regent Road. I say this as it would give Blackburn/Seafield a direct service to edinburgh while maintaining the link to Edinburgh Park aswell as creating a non stop service from Edinburgh Park to the City Centre taking some strain of the 22 at peaks. Id also make a local Regent Rd - Winchburgh via Kirkliston service to compete with the 38 but that way really doesnt need LC at the moment

That’s actually not too far fetched of a suggestion, rebrand it as X75 have it run limited stop after Broomhouse Roundabout only stopping at Stenhouse Roundabout, Westfield Sainsburys, Fountain Park and then normal stops to Regent Road, but also run via Kirkliston and Winchburgh so the connections are still there! And boom another city express service!

 

[OmniCity999]

That’s actually not too far fetched of a suggestion, rebrand it as X75 have it run limited stop after Broomhouse Roundabout only stopping at Stenhouse Roundabout, Westfield Sainsburys, Fountain Park and then normal stops to Regent Road, but also run via Kirkliston and Winchburgh so the connections are still there! And boom another city express service!

That would also make the Kirkliston folks happy, a direct express service to town. Interesting competition for First too. Lothian would then have an express service from Kirkliston and Linlithgow. But First could then run the 38 express to combat that.

There could be more routes announced soon, which will make it interesting too see some more First retaliation, i wonder what they would go for next.

 

[TheEastCoaster]

That would also make the Kirkliston folks happy, a direct express service to town. Interesting competition for First too. Lothian would then have an express service from Kirkliston and Linlithgow. But First could then run the 38 express to combat that.

There could be more routes announced soon, which will make it interesting too see some more First retaliation, i wonder what they would go for next.

And on top of that it wouldn’t be an essential 38 clone, since it would run the 22 route into town and that would give residents of Broomhouse and stenhouse a direct link to West Lothian, so it would definitely be more creative and even ambitious, even if they didn’t rebrand the 275 and just extended it making it a non express service into the city, LCB (Bar the 43) don’t have a non express service to West Lothian, where as ECB have that balance of expresses and all stopping routes to the city, I don’t know if LCB could also benefit from that? Just a penny for a thought!

 

[overthewater]

Talk is something is going to happen at the end of September, all that seems to have appeared is 43 moving to Livingston?

 

[TheEastCoaster]

Talk is something is going to happen at the end of September, all that seems to have appeared is 43 moving to Livingston?

I’m not doubting it won’t happen but I’m wondering more if it will work giving the route of this particular service, it would definitely need a revised timetable to fit the move.

 

[Stopper]

That would also make the Kirkliston folks happy, a direct express service to town. Interesting competition for First too. Lothian would then have an express service from Kirkliston and Linlithgow. But First could then run the 38 express to combat that.

There could be more routes announced soon, which will make it interesting too see some more First retaliation, i wonder what they would go for next.

The 38 has a lot to do to become a relevant bus. Where exactly would it run express from anyway? From Newbridge onwards?

Winchburgh will definitely require a decent bus service to Edinburgh in a few years when it has expanded. With that, the EX2 and a possible LC bus from Kirkliston, the 38 will struggle to survive, certainly between Linlithgow and Edinburgh.

 

[ScotRail158725]

the 38 will struggle to survive, certainly between Linlithgow and Edinburgh.

it already is the least profitable part of the route, it really only is busy from Polmont west

 

[overthewater]

What about the money from the House development? YES there is a big just ready to be used to keep services going.

 

[TheEastCoaster]

LCB posted about their one year anniversary on West Lothian

https://lothiancountry.co.uk/one-year-of-lothian-country-services-in-west-lothian/

 

[overthewater]

However still no proper weekly or monthly tickets. They still keep it's awful M tickets on the discount, it keeps on extending, and most importantly It's failed to get rid of FIRST. Yet it's refused point blank to do certain things which would in fact get rid of first from the area. Its screwing passengers over.

 

[overthewater]

First are making some cut back, some are not surprising, however First are withdrawing from the Broxburn - Bathgate route. Overall First are only saving 3 buses overall during the day? I wonder if Falkirk council or WLC will pay for missing link between Bathgate - Westfield- Avonbridge if so who might get it... Would LCB extend to falkirk?

https://www.firstgroup.com/south-ea...-scotland-east-network-proposals-october-2019

proposed Network changes planned to start on October 28th 2019.

Bus service 22 - Harthill - Whitburn - Blackburn - Livingston Village - Livingston - St John's Hospital
Will see the removal of daily evening journeys after 2200 between Livingston Centre and Whitburn. Our 600 service provide an alternative journey option for passengers.

Bus service 24 - Deans - Eliburn - Livingston - Pumpherston - Broxburn - Edinburgh
Bus service 25 – Blackridge - Armadale - Bathgate - Deans - Livingston - Broxburn - Edinburgh

• Journeys to and from Edinburgh from 2200 will be reduced to an hourly service. On Saturday the last bus will leave Edinburgh at 2320.
• The N25 service will operate from Edinburgh on a Friday and Saturday night, between 0100 and 0315.

Bus service 27 - St John's Hospital - Livingston - Dedridge - Livingston South

• Reduced from current 15 min daytime frequency service to every 20 mins.

Bus service 29 - Falkirk - Shieldhill - Avonbridge - Armadale - Falside - Bathgate - Broxburn

• This service will be curtailed to only operate between Falkirk and Avonbridge main daytime, with Westfield / Armadale / Bathgate / Broxburn, no longer being served. Revised timetable introduced.

 

[scotrail158713]

However still no proper weekly or monthly tickets. They still keep it's awful M tickets on the discount, it keeps on extending, and most importantly It's failed to get rid of FIRST. Yet it's refused point blank to do certain things which would in fact get rid of first from the area. Its screwing passengers over.

ECB have been running just over 3 years now and they’ve still got no proper weekly/monthly tickets. I reckon there’s only Zone C&D Ridacards as they were already in place when it was just the 104 & 113.

 

[overthewater]

And it's disgrace, and highlights the utter contempt for the public.

 

[Train man]

I'm no bus boffin here l use West Lothian network all the time. From what l have read the changes from first bus is sheer incomptance from the management and are there any new routes in the works from Lothian Country. Time will tell though.

 

[overthewater]

Can you say what the new route are? I dare say Ladywell West is in here.

 

[alchemy]

However still no proper weekly or monthly tickets. They still keep it's awful M tickets on the discount, it keeps on extending, and most importantly It's failed to get rid of FIRST. Yet it's refused point blank to do certain things which would in fact get rid of first from the area. Its screwing passengers over.

Broken record syndrome is rife

 

[overthewater]

Yet no one has yet to come up with counter argument..... If Lothian want to finish this bus war, it knows what will have to do, but it clearly doesn't want to and that speaks volumes.

 

[CM]

Yet no one has yet to come up with counter argument..... If Lothian want to finish this bus war, it knows what will have to do, but it clearly doesn't want to and that speaks volumes.

Because people are fed up reading the same "but why no weekly tickets grrr" posts... We know they don't offer them, we have done since day one, we don't need reminded every 5 minutes.

 

[Bus Lightyear]

However still no proper weekly or monthly tickets. They still keep it's awful M tickets on the discount, it keeps on extending, and most importantly It's failed to get rid of FIRST. Yet it's refused point blank to do certain things which would in fact get rid of first from the area. Its screwing passengers over.

If Lothian Country started doing 1-week and 4-week tickets then wouldn't the rest of the group have to follow suit?

 

[In Focus]

The

First are making some cut back, some are not surprising, however First are withdrawing from the Broxburn - Bathgate route. Overall First are only saving 3 buses overall during the day? I wonder if Falkirk council or WLC will pay for missing link between Bathgate - Westfield- Avonbridge if so who might get it... Would LCB extend to falkirk?

https://www.firstgroup.com/south-ea...-scotland-east-network-proposals-october-2019

The cuts in West Lothian are based solely on Council Tender revisions and WLC money saving (or attempt at) , of course they are now going to have to stump up 3/4 hundred thousand to provide the link from Westfield to Bathgate as they have done on the 31 service or leave these communities without a means of public transport unless as you say LCB think its worth venturing into that area!

service27 being reduced to every 20 minutes ,beginning of the end perhaps for this service in its current form?

 

[overthewater]

Maybe Bo'ness community group will get the contract with a 16 seaters, I can see that happening. However you are misguided about these cuts being linked to WLC cuts, as these ones all take place at the end of September. Also WLC does not pay for 30min services into Edinburgh at night. 31 is supposed to be getting 1 cut out of it, with the talk being Wester inch coming off and Ladywell west ( with lothian replacing the later) this is all subject to change.

 

[scotrail158713]

Because people are fed up reading the same "but why no weekly tickets grrr" posts... We know they don't offer them, we have done since day one, we don't need reminded every 5 minutes.

I keep reading posts saying that there’s just buses carrying around fresh air 90% of the time - I reckon there would be more passengers if weekly/monthly tickets were introduced.
It also shows the arrogance of Lothian that they think they can waltz into West Lothian, run some pointless, slow services, with no season tickets - and expect people to flock right over to their services.

 

[Train368]

Surely another bus company will take over the 29?

- it's the main link between Bathgate and Armadale to Avonbridge and Falkirk
- Students attend from West Lothian to Forth Valley College (there's even a direct college bus in the morning)
- This means Westfield has no bus service now?

 

[Train368]

You'd think this will lead to complaints for the people who work and go to college in Falkirk from West Lothian

 

[Stopper]

I wish LCB offered weekly or monthly tickets on the EX2 to be honest. It was pretty short-sighted considering how awful First’s presence is in the Linlithgow area. They will probably do enough to beat First but they have the chance to blow them away which they haven’t.

 

[NorthClyde320]

You would expect either Falkirk or West Lothian councils or both to support the route between Avonbridge and Bathgate similar to what happened when First were going to withdraw the Slamannan to Limerigg route a few years back the council stepped in, though with the way the councils are at the moment you couldn't predict anything.

 

[livi man]

You can blame the council for stopping tender. Maybe lcb will run the service making no money