Midlothian residents slam Lothian Buses plan to scrap vital Royal Infirmary bus link

From February 22, a number of routes around Edinburgh and the Lothians will be revised - with a number of services due to be altered or scrapped.

The number 46 bus is set to be lost altogether under the plans, while the 48 will be re-routed. These services provide residents in Rosewell, Bonnyrigg and Mayfield with a direct link to the Royal Infirmary. The number 48 also provides a service between Poltonhall and Rosewell and the community hospital and Tesco supermarket.

Bonnyrigg resident David Riley said the longstanding routes will put “additional burden” on those who need to attend the Royal Infirmary. And there is a fear that the changes will disproportionately affect the elderly.

Mr Riley said: “The greatest impact is the loss of the direct bus to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, which has always been in place. As far as I've lived in Bonnyrigg, which is the last 25 years, there's been a direct link to the Royal Infirmary.

“And I think losing that is really difficult for people who don't have cars, because obviously now it's two journeys, and for people that are elderly, disabled, infirm, that becomes an additional burden for them, especially if they've got morning appointments. It's not just going to put an extra bit of time onto the journey times out there, they've then got to do that on the way back as well.”

He added: “I don't think people were aware that there were plans to take this bus away and the prospect of not being able to get to the Royal Infirmary. I think that is the biggest bug bearer of all. Because, generally speaking, the older you get, the more often you need hospital care or outpatient appointments, etc. So, I sympathise so much with people.”

It is not just trips to the Royal Infirmary that will be affected by the timetable revisions, with Mr Riley having said that the revisions have come as a shock to many of those who use the service to access other local areas and services.

“They've put a bus that only runs once an hour, that will allow you to get from one side of Bonnyrigg to the other. It’s not a big town. I live on the east side of Bonnyrigg, if I wanted to go down to the community hospital it's going to be two buses. In actual fact, there's seven bus stops between me and the actual hospital, and the bus stops are quite close together.

“But again they've cut that off down to an hour. And on a Sunday, the bus itself is not running at all. So just to get from one side of Bonnyrigg to the other in a small town on a Sunday, you can't do it on public transport if these changes go ahead.”

​Midlothian MP Kirsty McNeill

Also challenging the changes is Kirsty McNeill, MP for Midlothian. Ms McNeill launched a petition last week calling on Lothian Buses to reverse the bus cuts.

She said: “Folk across Midlothian are rightly furious about these cuts. More than 1,000 people have already signed my petition calling on Lothian Buses to reverse the scrapping of the number 46 and the rerouting of the 48, and I will be demanding a public meeting so that local voices are heard.

“These changes will remove the only direct bus links from Rosewell, Bonnyrigg and the top of Mayfield to the Royal Infirmary – as well as leaving the whole top side of Poltonhall and Rosewell without a bus to the Community Hospital, out of hours services or a major supermarket. They will also remove vital direct connections between our communities – between Rosewell and Dalkeith, as well as from Mayfield to Newtongrange and Gorebridge.

“Midlothian deserves better."

Announcing the changes, Sarah Boyd, chief executive of Lothian and Edinburgh Trams, said: “As the main bus operator across Edinburgh and the surrounding area, Lothian is fully committed to delivering for the local communities we serve. The introduction of these improvements across our wider bus network will enable us to continue responding to customer demand while enhancing the reliability of our services.

“These changes reflect our ongoing investment in the network and our focus on providing safe, dependable and accessible transport for customers. By strengthening service reliability and capacity where it is needed most, we aim to support everyday travel, reduce congestion and play our part in supporting a more sustainable public transport network for Edinburgh.”

Transport and Environment Convener, Councillor Stephen Jenkinson said that the service changes would "increase reliability”.

He said: “The service changes on the Lothian network will increase reliability and connectivity between Edinburgh and the wider region – which is essential as we deal with the challenges of our growing city.”

Lothian Buses said that the changes were driven by analysis of customers travel patterns.

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

“As a wholly commercial operator, our decision to implement network changes is driven by analysis of data and travel patterns to allow us to maintain delivery of viable bus services. We appreciate the concerns raised amongst some communities and we will continue to monitor the changes once implemented.”