The Demise of Eastern Scottish: West Lothian area.

[overthewater]

A wise man said: Be careful what you wish for.... you might just get it.

In the case of the West Lothian area, the people wished for Lothian to come west, and come Sunday will have full control over a disgraceful, dishearten and dismantled bus network which will take YEARS to recover. I've never believed the Livingston area was a poor bus area, even to this day, but all in charge has caused this mess to be a lot worse. If services don't run your going to switch, if you now have to changed buses and leave hours earlier your going to take a lift or learn to drive even with free bus travel.

What is everyone memories of the Green buses and an empire which was broken up, re-joined, expanded and then blown away to dust.

Will Lothian managed to rebuild what they badly wished for? I truly hope they do for the passengers.

 

[gomango]

Eastern Scottish will still have a couple of Edinburgh City Council contracts after Sunday though

 

[Darklord8899]

Eastern Scottish will still have a couple of Edinburgh City Council contracts after Sunday though

Yes, they will still have the 20, 63 and 68.... but nothing commercially operated in Edinburgh or West Lothian, or contracts in WL either

 

[gomango]

Yes, they will still have the 20, 63 and 68.... but nothing commercially operated in Edinburgh or West Lothian, or contracts in WL either

Yes just the 3, Really big demise from there glory days

 

[Numpt33]

I apologise for the somewhat irrelevant use of this thread, but could someone tell me what this bus is? https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx2sdhBukofBGtsK3OqesH9muur950Llwh?feature=shared

I'm posting it here because it's an SMT bus and someone who knows about First in West Lothian might know.

 

[GusB]

I apologise for the somewhat irrelevant use of this thread, but could someone tell me what this bus is? https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx2sdhBukofBGtsK3OqesH9muur950Llwh?feature=shared

I'm posting it here because it's an SMT bus and someone who knows about First in West Lothian might know.

It's a Leyland Tiger with Alexander (Belfast) Q-type body, delivered new to Lowland. From the commentary, I assume it's J303ASH.

 

[JKP]

It's a Leyland Tiger with Alexander (Belfast) Q-type body, delivered new to Lowland. From the commentary, I assume it's J303ASH.

Bought principally for the 95 Scottish Borders Raillink Carlisle.

 

[Numpt33]

It's a Leyland Tiger with Alexander (Belfast) Q-type body, delivered new to Lowland. From the commentary, I assume it's J303ASH.

Ta muchly. I feel those buses didn't last very long - they're very late 80s/early 90s looking. I remember the sound of the vehicle better than the appearance - I spent many hours inside looking out in my early childhood. I also remember deckers which had a distinctly joyful-looking trapezoidal grill on the front. Those aren't in any of those bus spotter videos from the time. Anyone know what they were? they were also operated/branded SMT Lothian prior to First's first Eastern Scottish collapse in the early 2000s.

To go back on topic - Was Borrowstounness in the SMT/Eastern or Midland Bluebird territory in the rotten good ol' days?

West Lothian is actually quite bad bus territory in a few ways - Edinburgh journeys have a high PT share because parking is very expensive and scarce, but this is where the railways run. The coach service from Linlithgow was never used, probably because this small town gets the Edinburgh-Glasgow main line stopping there so there aren't any bus passengers left to take a bus to Edinburgh. West of Livvy there is little interest in travel to Edinburgh when Livingston Centre is right there, with ample parking day or night, people shouting howdy neighbour. Livvy itsself is a roundabout nightmare, which works against the bus service. Bathgate has a decent draw from the surrounding villages, but it's a post industrial town so there's loads of free and cheap parking. Which is cryptonite to bus-kind.


Yes, I like to type it out sometimes... I don't have to explain myself.