A new deal for bus users – East Lothian bus passenger charter launched

Bus-Charter-banner-v2_A new charter of principles stands to improve co-operation and dialogue between bus companies, the council and passenger groups. Prior to the meeting of the East Lothian Bus Forum on 29th April, RELBUS, East Lothian Council and the five local bus operators jointly launched the East Lothian Bus Passenger Charter at the depot of Prentice Coaches in Haddington.  The charter is an initiative of RELBUS, which campaigns principally for better bus service provision to meet the needs of East Lothian’s rural communities, though it promotes public transport generally in the interests of sustainability and improved accessibility for all.

Continue reading A new deal for bus users – East Lothian bus passenger charter launched

Notes of last meeting

Apologies for the late posting of these notes.

  • Committee expressed thanks to Peter Armstrong for establishing RELBUS and for work done to date.
  • Passenger Charter to be agreed at November Bus Forum, which it was, but now delayed due to small refinements and final final agreement.
  • Community Rail Partnership – Linda Ferguson, AcoRP producing a draft application. Harry Barker has done work on bus times including Dunbar services.  Bus / train integrated tickets were proposed.  RAGES and CRP to be included in regular updates.
  • Bus link Haddington-Wallyford – Bid to Bus Investment Fund not successful. Prentice aiming to launch a service next year, which I believe has started.
  • Bus Stopping at Prestonpans Station – to go on agenda for the Bus Forum.
  • Other matters for the Bus Forum –  Integrated timetables not just desirable, but essential; chronic lack of information at bus stops; congestion in Musselburgh causing air quality problems. 
  • Future priorities for RELBUS – target information on ELC website, which has no links to bus operators; problems with First Bus; long term parking in Haddington for remote rural bus users.
  • Other Bus Issues – timetabling and service delays on 113 service and reinstatement of express service requested; Bolton has less buses than before; Dunbar – some buses now meet trains.
  • Vacancy for East Lammermuir area
  • AOCB – Noted SESPLAN guidance provided for 3,600 extra houses in East Lothian up to 2024.

What will rural public transport look like in the future?

rb-relax-by-busGavin Booth gave some fascinating figures at the recent East Lothian Bus Forum, which compared and contrasted timetables today and under the old SMT, in the 70s.

A conclusion that one can draw from such comparisons is that bus services are as good today or better in terms of frequency. That was not the conclusion I had drawn from my own cursory examination, ie not especially rigorous, as you would expect from one who regularly beats people up with statistics.

Maybe I am easily distracted by classic design and typography, but these old timetables seem to show a denser network of routes and destinations, and that less services wasn’t necessarily a worse service overall. Perhaps it reflected a different rural world, one that was far less populous, with many more shops and services that were provided locally. One that was only just starting to become reliant on the private motor car, and one where I guess most people were employed much closer to their home and trains were run as a complementary service. Maybe people didn’t complain as much then as they do today. Continue reading What will rural public transport look like in the future?