New opportunities for East Lothian as First Bus withdraw all services from 14th August

As reported in the East Lothian Courier, First Group is withdrawing all services from East Lothian this summer. Many people in the bus industry have been expecting this decision for some time, and it may prove positive in the long term for East Lothian as more local bus companies step in to fill the gaps in services with ones more suited to local needs.

This decision by First group comes as no surprise. We expected that when the Company was released from certain undertakings by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) it would want to seriously consider its position in East Lothian. RELBUS has been concerned for some time about First’s performance and reliability locally having received numerous representations from local users. East Lothian has unfortunately been the poor relation in First’s operations with many elderly buses that are not conducive to attracting or retaining passengers. Representations to the company have had little impact although a few newer buses have come into use recently which may have improved performance somewhat. There will be a RELBUS meeting shortly to discuss the implications of First’s announcement and we will work closely with East Lothian Council, with Bus Users Scotland and with other operators with a view to ensuring that First’s services are replaced with something which meets travel needs across East Lothian in an efficient, reliable and attractive manner.

RELBUS meeting – 11th April at 7pm in Haddington Town House

The next RELBUS committee meeting will be at 7pm on Monday 11th April upstairs in the Haddington Town House. The following will be on the agenda:

– Report back on the meeting with representatives from East Riding of Yorkshire

– West Lothian Taxi Bus (no speaker but some publicity info to consider attached to this email)

– Items for Bus Forum

– Use of any funding we can obtain from the council

– North Berwick bus/rail connectivity

– Release of First from service obligations

All welcome. Please email info@relbus.org.uk if you’d like to know more.

‘Inspector’ RELBUS on the case – On the Buses

RELBUS, the East Lothian bus users’ campaign group, has had a busy year taking up passengers’ concerns according to its annual report. Set out in the report, which will be discussed at the group’s forthcoming AGM are the main areas of concern. These are service performance on the 124 and X24 routes to North Berwick, poor connections between buses and trains, lack of comprehensive timetable information at some bus stops and the continued absence of any public transport in some small communities.

Former councillor, Barry Turner, who chairs RELBUS said: ‘The East Lothin bus passengers’ charter instigated by RELBUS has raised expectations which are not always satisfied. We give a voice to disgruntled passengers and take up their grievances with the council and with operators. But we do more than that. We continually promote sustainable travel by bus through our links not only with the council but also with the Area Partnerships, the Community Rail Partnership, SEStran and various local groups. This year we have influenced the shape of the supported bus network and have offered the council guidance on how the many new housing developments proposed in East Lothian can best be served by buses. We are proud of the inputs that we have made.’

The AGM will be on November 24th at the Haddington Town House starting at 7pm. There will be a talk by local man and RELBUS member Harry Barker who has a long association with bus operations. All are welcome. Please email info@relbus.org to find out more.