Worries elderly residents could become 'housebound' after removal of local Midlothian bus link

Pensioners in Rosewell fear they could end up stuck in their homes after the loss of a key bus route left them cut off from their local supermarket and nearby towns.

Lothian Buses withdrew the service 46 bus route - which connected Rosewell to the Royal Infirmary via Bonnyrigg and Dalkeith - as part of a series of service changes in Edinburgh and Midlothian which came into effect at the end of February.

As well as providing a direct link to the hospital, the service was relied upon by a large number of elderly residents to access the nearest major supermarket, as well as Midlothian Community Hospital and vital amenities including banks in Dalkeith.

Since the changes came into force, elderly residents in Rosewell now have to take two buses each way to access these services.

Many described how getting to the Tesco superstore at Hardengreen - a three-mile journey - can now take up to an hour to complete and involve lengthy waits at the bus stop if the connection is missed.

One pensioner, Una Warden, said she is extremely concerned about how the loss of a local service to Dalkeith is impacting the large elderly population in Rosewell.

Una Warden is one of many residents in Rosewell who is worried about the impact of the bus cut on older people | Iconic Media

“It’s going to mean people just stay inside,” said the 75-year-old. “People just won’t go out as much and end up housebound.”

Una, who doesn’t drive, used to use the 46 to get into Dalkeith two or three times a week, including every Saturday.

“I now have to think twice about going there to see friends or go to the shops. Especially in the winter if it’s raining or cold, I might just not go,” she said.

“I could ask someone in my family to drive me there, but I like having the independence of going myself.”

Another resident, Isa Conlin, said the withdrawal of the route has already had a “big impact” on her and her friends, as well as disabled people in the area.

“It means I have to think twice if I want to go to Dalkeith or Tesco,” said the 81-year-old, who used the 46 to do her weekly shop and get to hospital appointments.

“I could be on the bus nearly every day doing something, me and my friends love going shopping. But the bus changes have curtailed that.”

“I think it’s going to make people very lonely and people won’t try and leave their house to get on a bus, because they have to change buses and they don’t always connect up very easily.

“If you miss a bus, you’re waiting 30 minutes for another bus coming.”

This article is part of our series, A Lifeline Lost, spotlighting the experiences of Midlothian residents affected by the recent bus changes | Iconic

She said she would like to see the MSP for Midlothian North, Colin Beattie, continue to raise the impact of bus service changes in the Scottish Parliament.

Last month, Mr Beattie lodged a Members' Business Motion calling for a “cohesive bus network” in rural areas and recognising how the withdrawal of the 46 service has disproportionately impacted vulnerable residents.

Lothian Buses previously said there was not enough demand to sustain both the new service into Edinburgh and a local Midlothian service connecting Rosewell with Dalkeith.

They said in Rosewell, data suggested most customers travelled to Bonnyrigg, either as a destination or to change onto the service 31.

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

“As a wholly commercial operator, our decision to implement network changes is driven by detailed analysis of data and evolving travel patterns, helping to ensure our services remain viable.

"We will continue to monitor the revised services and listen to community feedback as we consider further improvements to connectivity across the wider bus network."

You can read our explainer about how recent bus changes are affecting residents in Midlothian here.