FREE Stockbridge shuttle bus service to start running from Tuesday morning

SGN is putting on the service from tomorrow morning.

A free shuttle bus service will start running from tomorrow in Stockbridge amid concerns that local businesses have been suffering because of major gasworks.

A letter sent from SGN to local residents and businesses on Monday said the new service will run from Tuesday to Saturday between 8:30am and 5:30pm, three times an hour.

The move has been welcomed by local shop owners who hope the service will ensure people know they can get around Stockbridge easily again.

The letter, from SGN Project Manager Matt Ferguson, reads: "It’s been brought to my attention that standard-sized buses are now unable to travel safely past our work area, meaning the bus service isn’t running westbound along Comley Bank Road and Raeburn Place.

"To ensure that transport is still available westbound along the road as planned, we are going to be supplying a free bus service from tomorrow morning, which will be available until we’ve completed our work.

"The Stockbridge Shuttle will run between 8.30am and 5.30pm Tuesday-Saturday and will visit each stop on the route three times an hour."

A map showing the route and connections. Pic: SGN

Work started in the Raeburn Place area on January 6th and is expected to last nearly eight months in total.

'Positive move'

Herbie of Edinburgh deli shop owner, Tannis Todd, praised SGN for putting on the bus and said: "It's a positive move. It will be good to show people that you can still get into Stockbridge because a lot of people don't realise how much traffic comes in on buses.

"There are far fewer people on the street and and we've noticed this too with a lot of other shops and cafes saying people are not coming in and browsing.

"The perception is that Stockbridge is closed and so people are just not coming down. We want to make sure people know Stockbridge is still open for business and we are still there. We are hoping that having the shuttle bus, which links up to temporary bus stops, will help people who are not quite so mobile or who don't want to walk in this horrendous weather."

It is not yet known how many seats will be available on the new shuttle bus service.