Midlothian dad says household 'can't get to work' after vital bus link scrapped

A man from Rosewell has said he has become a “taxi driver for his family” after changes to local bus routes mean three out of four members of his household can no longer get to work.

The service 46, which ran from Rosewell to Musselburgh via Bonnyrigg, Dalkeith and the Royal Infirmary, was withdrawn by Lothian Buses in a series of route alterations earlier this year.

George Houliston, who has lived in the village for 22 years, said it now takes his two children an hour and a half to get to and from work in Dalkeith every day as a result, despite living just four miles away.

Meanwhile his wife now has to rely on lifts to get to her job at the Simpson's maternity ward at the Royal Infirmary, or faces having to catch multiple buses to get home after her 12-hour shifts, which often finish late at night.

George Houliston has lived in Rosewell for over two decades and says the removal of the bus service has had a 'catastrophic' impact on the community | Iconic Media

“My son works at Tesco in Hardengreen and my daughter works at Morrisons in Dalkeith, and before they could get to work with no problem on the 46,” said the 58-year-old.

“My son works a night shift starting at 10pm and now for him to get there on time he has to leave the house at 8.20pm.

“And on a Sunday, there’s not a bus that can get him home. He was to walk 25 minutes uphill from Hardengreen to Bonnyrigg, and wait 40 minutes for a 31.”

He said since the changes the burden has fallen on him to drive his family members to work, which is having an impact on both his health and finances.

“I’m exhausted, especially on the weekends, because I’m acting as a taxi driver for all of them.

“On weekdays I start work at around 8.30am and I’m now getting up at around 6.30am to take my wife to work, pick up my son and drop him off, and drop my daughter off as well.

“Then it’s the same at night, picking them up at 9pm or 10pm at night when they finish their shifts.

“And I’ve never spent so much on diesel in my life. It’s ridiculous.”

This article is part of our series, A Lifeline Lost, spotlighting the experiences of Midlothian residents affected by the recent bus changes | Iconic Media

He said one of the main reasons he moved to Rosewell was because of the transport options there, including a direct bus to the Royal Infirmary and local transport links to Bonnyrigg and Dalkeith, which have existed in some form for nearly a century.

He is particularly concerned about elderly residents who no longer have easy access to a major supermarket, banking and council services, all which require travelling to Dalkeith, as well as Midlothian Community Hospital in Eskbank.

“Back when Rosewell was a thriving mining community it had loads of shops, amenities and a doctor’s surgery,” he said. “But now we don’t have any of that, other than two small shops.

“These are services that we’ve only had access to because of the good bus links, and now we’ve lost that.

“A direct bus to Edinburgh city centre is welcome but not at the cost or our essential rural network being removed for the first time in 100 years.”

The 58-year-old described the decision to remove the service as “morally reprehensible”, and said he was not satisfied with the justification for the withdrawal given by Lothian Buses.

“Saving money by punishing the elderly is disgusting. People get old, that’s a fact,” he said. “They don’t deserve to be punished.”

Representatives from Lothian Buses said the changes had followed a detailed analysis of customer usage and travel patterns in the area.

They said since 2023 passenger numbers on the service 46 had not reached the levels required to sustain the service long-term, and said demand is not high enough to sustain both a service into Edinburgh and a local Midlothian service.

A spokesperson said: “Lothian is committed to delivering reliable, accessible and cost-effective bus services across Edinburgh and the Lothians.

“As a wholly commercial operator, our decision to implement network changes is driven by detailed analysis of data and evolving travel patterns, helping to ensure our services remain viable.

"We will continue to monitor the revised services and listen to community feedback as we consider further improvements to connectivity across the wider bus network."

You can read our explainer about how recent bus changes are affecting residents in Midlothian here.