New 100-seater Lothian Buses to run on 2 Edinburgh routes from next month

The new 100-seater Lothian buses will start running on two popular services in Edinburgh from next month.

Lothian buses held a launch of their new larger buses at Edinburgh Castle . Pic: Wullie Marr Photography

Operating on the service 11 Ocean Terminal-Hyvots Bank and service 16 Silverknowes-Colinton, the new vehicles have been designed to improve passenger experience.

These popular cross city routes recorded a combined total of more than 10 million customer journeys in 2018.

Richard Hall, managing director of Lothian, said: “The city is changing and public transport operations must evolve to meet the growing needs and expectations of our customers.

“Core cross city routes are an important piece of our network, transporting millions of customers quickly and efficiently to their destinations every week.

“Services 11 and 16 are high frequency core route services, together carrying over 10 million customers across the city with high demand in the morning and afternoon peaks, as well as at weekends.

“By deploying these new vehicles onto these services to cope with customer demand patterns, we will be able to change how we deliver these services for the benefit of our customers and the areas in which we operate.

“We look forward to seeing these vehicles out and about on the streets of Edinburgh providing the next generation of public transport.”

The company announced the purchase of 42 Alexander Dennis Enviro400XLB Euro 6 vehicles at the end of 2018, a first for the UK.

The vehicles are able to carry up to 129 customers in total, including 100 seated, and have been designed with a front and middle door.

The vehicles have been fitted with comfortable high-backed seating, Wi-Fi, USB charging, mood lighting and audio-visual stop announcements, offering a fantastic customer experience.

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