Have your say on Edinburgh transport – Steve Cardownie

The trials and tribulations of Lothian Buses and the impact of Covid-19 on the business has been well trailed throughout the pages of this paper and continue to give cause for concern.

Lothian Buses has not had its torubles to seek over the past few months

As some readers have already expressed, all the more important then to fully integrate both the bus and tram networks to not only safeguard their future but to also ensure that the public of Edinburgh and beyond (the Pans etc) continue to enjoy a first-class public transport system.

Although unexpected, the Covid-19 pandemic has now provided the opportunity to consider some options such as re-examining and evaluating routes that could cope with a reduction in bus service frequency, routes that are duplicated in part and could operate with passengers changing buses at appropriate stops and routes that don’t need to be served by double- deckers where single-deckers or sprinter buses may suffice in their stead.

The tram extension, when it is up and running, will play a pivotal role in determining the shape of public transport through the densely populated parts of Leith up to and through the city centre.

The public, for after all it is they who form the passenger base, now have the opportunity to express their views to the city authority. Whether it be bus, tram, car, cycling or walking that they favour, there is no shortage of routes that they can take to get their opinions across, this paper being one of them.