Lothian Group discussion (Lothian City, Lothian Country Bus and East Coast Buses)

[ScotRail158725]

602 has not appeared on the tracker for several weeks for some unknown reason.

simple answer being it’s more than likely VOR

 

[FlybeDash8Q400]

With 691-698 in the process of being delivered I was bored so had a quick look at what Central could lose. A few original Enviros (appears to be 208-215) are still there and 425 remains for now. I can’t imagine anything else would be considered? There’s nothing obvious at least. With the reductions 691-698 may not even head out on the road straight away either.

Also had a look to see if ECB are expecting more cascades from LC or from the main Lothian fleets, was a bit of a dead end to end honest. 195-196 are still sitting idle at Seafield (and have done for around 2 years altogether over 2 separate spells now). Somebody made an interesting point that not all of ECB’s fleet does need to be Euro VI standard due to the fact some routes don’t enter the city centre, which is true. Although I’d imagine it’s easier for flexibility to have that.

 

[Trnsprt4Sctlnd]

Are Lothian retrofitting the ex-London B9’s to E6?

 

[AndrewTaylor95]

Are Lothian retrofitting the ex-London B9’s to E6?

They've already been converted

 

[Lothian_Bus]

695 out on the 29 today.

 

[Bus9120UK]

695 out on the 29 today.

It's been out for almost/around a week.

 

[CN04NRJ]

It's been out for almost/around a week.

At least the rumours can finally be put to bed that 691-698 are for ECB or cancelled

 

[Lothian_Bus]

It's been out for almost/around a week.

Oops. Apologies - I missed that completely. So the 29 and 47 seem to be the main routes for these buses (with some on the 10) but can also expect to see a few on the 44 (there are 3 today) with Central running some 44's on a Saturday timetable.

 

[FlybeDash8Q400]

Oops. Apologies - I missed that completely. So the 29 and 47 seem to be the main routes for these buses (with some on the 10) but can also expect to see a few on the 44 (there are 3 today) with Central running some 44's on a Saturday timetable.

10, 29 and 47 appear to be the main allocation for now for Central’s ones. As you said Saturday timetable has allowed a few to go on other routes.

I see the Electrics have ventured out onto more routes. A few on extras this morning and 293 currently on an 8.

680 on an 8 as well.

 

[Graeme Duncan]

Volvo B8S have appeared to be on 15 lately.

 

[stevenedin]

What a disaster
https://www.lothianbuses.com/news/2022/01/city-centre-diversions-from-15-january-2022/

York Place closure westbound until further notice:

Services 10, 11, 16 will run Leith Walk, Picardy Place, Leith Street, and Princes Street southbound only. Northbound buses continue to serve York Place.
Leith Street closure northbound until further notice:

Service 19 will run Princes Street, Waterloo Place, Regent Road, Montrose Terrace, and Abbeyhill in both directions. Evening journeys between Granton and the city centre will terminate at Waterloo Place.
Services 1, 4, 22, 34 will run Princes Street, South St David Street, North St David Street, York Place, and Picardy Place eastbound only. Westbound buses continue to serve Leith Street.
Service 25 will run Princes Street, Waterloo Place, Regent Road, and Easter Road eastbound only. Westbound buses continue to serve Leith Street.
Service N25 will start/terminate at Waterloo Place.
Services N16, N22, N26, N106, N113, N124 will run Princes Street, South St David Street, North St David Street, York Place, and Picardy Place eastbound only. Westbound buses follow their normal routes.
Lothian Country NightBuses N28 and N43 will continue to depart from Leith Street.
Other services already affected due to the closure of North Bridge northbound:

Both directions

Service 8 is diverted in both directions via Nicolson Street, Chambers Street, George IV Bridge, The Mound, Hanover Street, Dundas Street, Great King Street, Drummond Place, London Street, and Bellevue.
Services 26 and 44 is diverted in both directions via Princes Street, Waterloo Place, Regent Road, and Montrose Terrace.
Northbound services

Services 5, 7, 14, 45 and 49 will be diverted via Nicolson Street, Chambers Street, George IV Bridge, The Mound, Hanover Street, George Street, York Place, Picardy Place and London Road.
Services 3, 29, 30, 31, 33, 37, X29, X31, X33 and X37 will be diverted via Nicolson Street, Chambers Street, George IV Bridge, The Mound, Hanover Street, George Street, Frederick Street to Princes Street (or in the case of 29/X29, to Howe Street).
Services 29 and X29 will be diverted via Nicolson Street, Chambers Street, George IV Bridge, The Mound, Hanover Street, George Street, Frederick Street to Howe Street.
Southbound services

Services 3, 5, 7, 14, 29, 30, 31, 33, 37, 49, X29, X31, X33, X37, N3, N14, N30, N31 and N37 will follow normal routes southbound via North Bridge and South Bridge.

Nightbus Services

Nightbuses N3, N14, N30, N31 and N37 will follow daytime diversions with all services stopping on George IV Bridge.

Post navigation

Easter Bush information

Amended timetables for travel to/from Easter Bush Campus - Lothian Buses

Lothian will operate amended timetables on Services 15 and 47B from Monday 10 January on weekdays through until Friday 21 January to assist those travelling to and from Easter Bush Campus. Timetables for both services can be found below: Service 15 Service 47B As we continue to feel the impact...

www.lothianbuses.com

Lothian will operate amended timetables on Services 15 and 47B from Monday 10 January on weekdays through until Friday 21 January to assist those travelling to and from Easter Bush Campus.

Timetables for both services can be found below:

Service 15
Service 47B

As we continue to feel the impact of the Omicron strain of Covid-19 with self-isolation and rising sickness levels amongst our colleagues – which has placed considerable pressure on our ability to deliver our services to the levels our customers would expect – a Saturday service with enhanced school journeys will remain in effect across all Lothian and Lothian Country services from 6 January until 22 January. East Coast Buses is operating a normal service at this time.

The situation is being monitored closely and where appropriate, we will update customers with any subsequent information as soon as possible.

If you are planning a journey on our services, we ask that you continue to help us to keep our colleagues and fellow customers safe by following the latest Scottish Government guidance which can be found on our Safe Travel page. This includes the wearing of a face covering over your nose and mouth for the duration of your journey unless exempt, and leaving windows open to increase ventilation.

 

[BobScott]

Volvo B8S have appeared to be on 15 lately.

I’ve seen a few of them finding it tight getting round the roundabout at Regent Road.

 

[stantheman]

927 on the 44 today . 1005 as well , not many of these in Balerno nowadays

 

[Busman757]

I’ve seen a few of them finding it tight getting round the roundabout at Regent Road.

Plenty of room. Managed to get XLB’s round it no problem.

 

[alexf380]

There's a mark on the ground that the bus needs to reach in order to make it round. Perhaps the driver didn't go wide enough to start with? I saw a Streetlite struggle to make it once so it's not just the big buses that can get stuck.

 

[Lothian_Bus]

927 on the 44 today . 1005 as well , not many of these in Balerno nowadays

Quite a few buses have appeared briefly on the 44 today including 957 from Marine. Not sure if there has been a problem on the route - more so than normal at least with the current diversions in the city centre.

 

[mb88]

There's a mark on the ground that the bus needs to reach in order to make it round. Perhaps the driver didn't go wide enough to start with? I saw a Streetlite struggle to make it once so it's not just the big buses that can get stuck.

There’s a few won’t go round even if you go up to the mark. 932 is one of them off the top of my head.

 

[ScotRail158725]

Plenty of room. Managed to get XLB’s round it no problem.

people love to criticise these for cornering all the time even though theres not much difference between them and the normal length deckers

 

[FlybeDash8Q400]

people love to criticise these for cornering all the time even though theres not much difference between them and the normal length deckers

Aye there’s some genuinely tight corners, but nothing that can’t be done.

 

[ScotRail158725]

Aye there’s some genuinely tight corners, but nothing that can’t be done.

the turn from Pilton Drive onto Boswall Parkway and vice versa on the 8

 

[FlybeDash8Q400]

the turn from Pilton Drive onto Boswall Parkway and vice versa on the 8

An XLB could manage the Muirhouse bound turn as there’s no island in the way, it would be tight but it should do it. I highly doubt it could manage the Royal Infirmary bound one due to where the island is and the fact the bus has to exit the junction at an unusual angle.

That whole junction is a mess and always has been as long as I’ve used these routes, but there’s no real solution that works well due to residential access etc. A zebra crossing might work on three sides as space permits but again this probably wouldn’t work on Boswall Parkway on the East side of the junction due to the location of the humps and residential parking with a small block of flats, there’s flats on both sides of the junction only one of which has a car park - the newer one on the west side with access from Pilton Drive North.

You’d have to be ruthless and ban the parking to fit the zebra crossing and as it’s only an issue with XLB’s there’s little to no benefit for anything else. The road is tight but it’s manageable in its present form.

I actually think there’s two worse sections on Boswall Parkway. First one, the Bus Stop at Greggs, the amount of cars parked in this bus stop is shocking and I’m amazed it’s been allowed to continue as long as it has. Drivers usually have to just stop in the middle of the road or at a really awkward angle.

And secondly the section between Granton Parish Church and the end of the road at Wardie Crescent/Boswall Loan. This is far too narrow and you’ll get stuck if a truck is delivering and/or if an idiot thinks they’ll fit in the opposite direction at the same time as you.

I imagine there’s similar scenarios elsewhere in the city but to find three in such a small area tells you how poorly in hindsight this was designed.

 

[CN04NRJ]

927 on the 44 today . 1005 as well , not many of these in Balerno nowadays

Saturday service, Central have a few workings.

Plenty of room. Managed to get XLB’s round it no problem.

Same, don't see the enthusiast mindset that they can't go certain places. Barely any more difficult to drive than a normal bus.

 

[ScotRail158725]

An XLB could manage the Muirhouse bound turn as there’s no island in the way, it would be tight but it should do it. I highly doubt it could manage the Royal Infirmary bound one due to where the island is and the fact the bus has to exit the junction at an unusual angle.

That whole junction is a mess and always has been as long as I’ve used these routes, but there’s no real solution that works well due to residential access etc. A zebra crossing might work on three sides as space permits but again this probably wouldn’t work on Boswall Parkway on the East side of the junction due to the location of the humps and residential parking with a small block of flats, there’s flats on both sides of the junction only one of which has a car park - the newer one on the west side with access from Pilton Drive North.

You’d have to be ruthless and ban the parking to fit the zebra crossing and as it’s only an issue with XLB’s there’s little to no benefit for anything else. The road is tight but it’s manageable in its present form.

I actually think there’s two worse sections on Boswall Parkway. First one, the Bus Stop at Greggs, the amount of cars parked in this bus stop is shocking and I’m amazed it’s been allowed to continue as long as it has. Drivers usually have to just stop in the middle of the road or at a really awkward angle.

And secondly the section between Granton Parish Church and the end of the road at Wardie Crescent/Boswall Loan. This is far too narrow and you’ll get stuck if a truck is delivering and/or if an idiot thinks they’ll fit in the opposite direction at the same time as you.

I imagine there’s similar scenarios elsewhere in the city but to find three in such a small area tells you how poorly in hindsight this was designed

The problem would easily be solved if there was no islands at the junction

 

[Busman757]

There’s a few won’t go round even if you go up to the mark. 932 is one of them off the top of my head.

I got 932 round no problem last week…

 

[DunsBus]

The problem would easily be solved if there was no islands at the junction

Prior to the tail end of 1982 it was a crossroads with traffic on Boswall Parkway having priority. The traffic islands were at the ends of Pilton Drive and Pilton Drive North. Those on Boswall Parkway appeared when the junction became a mini-roundabout.
I certainly remember seeing Eastern's Seddons and Ailsas on the C2, and LRT's Atlanteans on the 20, having to engage full left lock to make the turn from Boswall Parkway into Pilton Drive North.

Regarding the other two locations mentioned on Boswall Parkway, the bus stop outside Greggs has always been problematic for as far back as I can remember. Likewise the bottleneck at the eastern end, compounded by the pinch points which were installed along the length of the street in 1994-95.

 

[90019]

An XLB could manage the Muirhouse bound turn as there’s no island in the way, it would be tight but it should do it. I highly doubt it could manage the Royal Infirmary bound one due to where the island is and the fact the bus has to exit the junction at an unusual angle.

They can fit round in both directions but it's very tight - I know of two drivers that have taken an XLB round the left turn when they've had one on a 14 but have been diverted via the 8 route.

That whole junction is a mess and always has been as long as I’ve used these routes, but there’s no real solution that works well due to residential access etc. A zebra crossing might work on three sides as space permits but again this probably wouldn’t work on Boswall Parkway on the East side of the junction due to the location of the humps and residential parking with a small block of flats, there’s flats on both sides of the junction only one of which has a car park - the newer one on the west side with access from Pilton Drive North.

There's two fairly easy ways to solve it - either remove the single section of fence on the northeast corner of the junction (and ideally move the kerb in a few inches if possible) or move the traffic island on the east side of Boswall Parkway further back from the roundabout to give more space for large vehicles to manoeuvre.

Ideally you'd want to do both, but if there was any real interest in fixing it, something would have been done years ago.

 

[FlybeDash8Q400]

They can fit round in both directions but it's very tight - I know of two drivers that have taken an XLB round the left turn when they've had one on a 14 but have been diverted via the 8 route.


There's two fairly easy ways to solve it - either remove the single section of fence on the northeast corner of the junction (and ideally move the kerb in a few inches if possible) or move the traffic island on the east side of Boswall Parkway further back from the roundabout to give more space for large vehicles to manoeuvre.

Ideally you'd want to do both, but if there was any real interest in fixing it, something would have been done years ago.

Fair play to whoever’s been driving on those occasions. I believe there’s talk of the whole thing being resurfaced within the next few years which may bring about the possibility of redoing it. Will it happen? I doubt it.

 

[Falcon1200]

Forgive me if these have been answered earlier here, but I have a couple of queries regarding use on Lothian Buses of the Scotland Over-60s National Entitlement Card (NEC), which I used for a journey in Edinburgh yesterday;

Is it necessary to state one's destination, as I believe a flat fare exists here for the NEC ?
Is a ticket issued ? I went to take one from the machine but the Driver just waved me on board !

Thanks in advance.

 

[FlybeDash8Q400]

Forgive me if these have been answered earlier here, but I have a couple of queries regarding use on Lothian Buses of the Scotland Over-60s National Entitlement Card (NEC), which I used for a journey in Edinburgh yesterday;

Is it necessary to state one's destination, as I believe a flat fare exists here for the NEC ?
Is a ticket issued ? I went to take one from the machine but the Driver just waved me on board !

Thanks in advance.

As far as I know Lothian don’t issue tickets to holders of free travel NEC’s. I believe you would only need to state your destination if it was a zoned service such as Lothiancountry.

 

[gka472l]

Quick question, are East Coast Buses losing their 5 digit fleetnumbers for ones in the normal sequence? 10051-3 are still showing as such on bustimes.org, but the rest seem to be showing as 54-65.

Thanks