Edinburgh buses: Lothian announces fare increases across all services amid rising operating costs

Passengers will pay more across all bus services with adult DAY tickets going up by 50p.

Lothian Buses have announced that fares will be increased across its group of companies; Lothian, Lothiancountry and EastCoastbuses, from next month.

From April 2, an adult single fare will go up by 20p, while adult DAYtickets will increase by 50p. Lothian’s season ticket, Ridacard, which was last increased in 2020, will also see an increase, along with airport fares and child tickets. Under the new fares Airlink single tickets will go up by a £1 from £4.50 to £5.50, while an Adult Ridacard will increase to £22 for a week up from £20 and £66 monthly up from £60.

Bosses said the hikes which are the first in three years comes after challenges during the period, including the pandemic, recruitment shortages and continually rising costs. Sarah Boyd, managing director at Lothian, said: “As one of Edinburgh’s main local employers, we are committed to developing and contributing to the economic and social wellbeing of our operating area and communities, and delivering an inclusive and accessible bus service which represents value for money.

Photo: Lisa Ferguson

“With operating costs continuing to rise, we will be making changes to our fares from 2 April in order to prioritise investment in our fleet, our people and our customer offering. While no fare increase is welcome and we are aware of the cost pressures being faced by our customers, we strongly believe our fares continue to represent excellent value for money.

“In the three years since we last undertook a fares review, our business has encountered a number of challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic, industry-wide recruitment shortages and continually rising costs. With patronage still not at pre-pandemic levels and all fares revenue going directly back into the running of our business, it is therefore vital that as a commercial bus operator we make decisions now that will future proof the viability of our network for our customers and our colleagues. As we look to the future, our priorities and focus will remain on rebuilding Lothian and taking positive steps towards achieving our vision for decarbonisation and achieving the net zero aspirations set by the Scottish Government and Local Authority shareholders.”

The company said customers on Lothian services using the same contactless card or device all day will get the cheapest daily adult fare, saving 20p on the revised DAYticket price.

Here’s a full list of all current fares, new fares from April and how much they are increasing by in pence.

Adult Single

Current £1.80 to new £2.00 (20p increase)

Child Single

Current 0.90 to new £1.00 (10p increase)

Adult DAY

Current £4.50 to new £5.00 (50p increase)

Contactless DAY

Current £4.40 to new £4.80 (40p increase)

Child DAY

Current £2.20 to new £2.50 (30p increase)

Adult Ridacard (1 week)

Current £20.00 to new £22.00 (£2 increase)

Contactless Weekly Capping

Current £20.00 to new £22.00 (£2 increase)

Adult Ridacard (4 week)

Current £60.00 to new £66.00 (£6 increase)

Adult Ridacard (Monthly DD)

Current £56.00 to new £62.00 (£6 increase)

Adult Ridacard (Annual)

Current £600.00 to new £650.00 (£50 increase)

Airlink Single

Current £4.50 to new £5.50 (£1 increase)

Airlink Open Return

Current £7.50 to new £8.00 (50p increase)