Letters: ‘Decrepit’ First buses are no match for Lothian’s fleet

Do you think Edinburgh is already well served with buses?

First can't catch Lothian, writes one Evening News reader.

First has continually failed to offer a consistent and timely service. Buses fail to appear, arrive late or just drive on by, despite waiting passengers. Their fleet is also largely decrepit. How they think they can provide any reasonable challenge to Lothian is beyond me.

Davie Black

Nae contest. First are awful, Lothian are tremendous at what they do.

Kenneth McMaster

I would like to understand why City Link buses are using Western Approach Road, and passing two school routes before going on to their routes.

Carol Ann Neil

First are a lot quicker in to the city centre than any of the usual Lothian offerings from my side of the city. The buses aren’t any worse either and 10p cheaper.

Aly Bongo

‘Bus Wars’, thank god I’m getting out of the Capital soon, it’s just too dangerous now.

Cieran Hart

First have tried before to muscle in and failed miserably – as Lothian Buses say bring it on. The pollution will be coming from First, as their fleet is not as modern I’m sure.

Fi Liddle

Losing money

I don’t get First’s decision. They’ve got rid of their depots in the Lothians because they were losing money. Plus they did this in the early 2000s and lost badly. I guess they want to go through that again!

Robert Fuller

Nooo. Buses are already causing huge pollution in the centre of town.

Nikki MacLeod

I think the hardest gaffer fi Lothian and hardest gaffer fi First just have a square go.

Dale Richard Cummings

Just no need. The council will have to step in. Far too many buses already in a congested city – just madness!

Paul Sayers

No contest. First made a pig’s ear of East Lothian services. Lothian work well with other companies to form new services (East Coast Buses), consider the customers and run a reliable modern fleet, improve continually and have the friendliest most helpful drivers and staff.

Lorna Gatens

Why can’t First Bus not look at areas not yet met by Lothian? Fairmilehead to Corstorphine directly, Straiton to city via Oxgangs or even to Newtongrange via Oxgangs?

Jennifer Dunlop

To the people who live in West Lothian, we welcome more buses as there simply isn’t enough, and are completely unreliable. First buses never come on time through Kirkliston, no reasons why or they just don’t turn up, but cost an absolute fortune to get on. The ONE Lothian that comes through Kirkliston is every 40 minutes. So bus bosses, stop arguing over territory and just improve the services you already have because they are a joke.West Lothian forgotten about as always; some of us still have an EH postcode, we are still Edinburgh!

Natalie Auld

First buses need to review fares, do further training to ensure staff know the correct fare and not pick a number out of thin air. First definately need to update overall service.

Ann Ferry

Unless buses are running clean or moving towards electric, how can the council can justify allowing this? If the justification for taking away roads, routes and parking for cars is about curbing pollution when all cars are going towards electric seemingly faster than buses, I don’t buy it. Feels like more ways to monetise the streets by filling them with buses to push out cars, especially if they are only claiming pollution curbing when it is convenient. Why are terrible service, polluting buses allowed to add to the mess on the roads simply for the sake of competition?

Alison George Buck

Terrible that Lothian Buses had to take unprofitable routes from these companies and now they are taking customers from high volume routes that will stop Lothian Buses growing.

Paul Krol

If it it ain’t broke don’t fix it. This is just scaremongering, we have the best bus service we have ever had.

Daniel Nicholson

First buses are rubbish... all profits go to shareholders... stay away with yer rickety buses.

Kim Ross

First lost

First bus lost the war ages before Lothian started running out that way. Their buses are awful and constantly breaking down.

Robbie Nicolson

Let’s face it, First bus are a joke. Until they lower fares in rural areas and improve their fleet they have very little chance. When First ran services in East Lothian it was dismally poor. Buses poorly maintained. Their are vintage buses that are more reliable than First. They need to buy new instead of second hand buses and stop patching up the old stock. You hardly ever see a Lothian Buses vehicle or East Coast bus sitting on a road awaiting recovery.

Andrew Donaldson

Bring it on! Some Lothian Bus routes have a terrible service ie 41, which runs every 30-40 mins evenings and Sundays. Horrendous.The No1 evening service is terrible especially when there’s footie on! Single decker buses to deal with fans on a route where there’s no other bus going via Carrick Knowe to Clermiston.

Heather Anderson