Coach firm rides to rescue on bus route facing axe

Published on Thursday 2 October 2008 09:55

AN Edinburgh coach company has stepped in to save one of the city's under-threat bus services.

Edinburgh Coach Lines has agreed to run the number 60 service from Dumbiedykes to Bristo Square over the winter.

It is the only bus to serve the Dumbiedykes estate off Holyrood Road, but was facing the axe as part of a Lothian Buses review of its less profitable routes.

The service will not be given any public subsidy and will only operate Monday to Friday on a reduced timetable between 9am and 3pm.

The news was today welcomed by campaigners who had lobbied to save a service popular with the estate's elderly population.

Gary Forbes-Burns, traffic manager for Edinburgh Coach Lines, said: "We are absolutely delighted to be keeping this service running over the winter.

"It works in well with our schedules and takes us up to next spring when the council is meant to be looking at its budgets again.

"If the service does prove a success then we will look at it again for the summer but we are under no illusions it will be a challenge.

"However, we are hopeful that the people of Dumbiedykes will get out and use the service."

A 29-seater bus will operate on the route, which will start on Monday, with a 1.10 adult single and concessionary fares available.

Paul Harrison, chairman of the Dumbiedykes Centre management committee, which led efforts to save the number 60 service, said: "We thought we had lost our service altogether so to get this result is fantastic.

"It is all thanks to those who have worked behind the scenes on our campaign, our MSP Sarah Boyack and councillors Ian Perry, Steve Burgess and Cameron Rose.

"You can see how happy everyone in the area is and I was on quite a high myself after the meeting."

Last month saw confirmation that Lothian Buses will stop or curtail 11 of its loss-making routes from October 5.

A further five under-threat routes – the 13, 18, N16, N26 and N44 – have been given a temporary reprieve as part of a 124,000 council rescue plan.

Opposition parties had wanted all of the services saved until the start of the next financial year but city leaders said they had identified the routes with the biggest social need.

Councillor Ian Perry, the city's Labour transport spokesman, said: "The company said they can turn a profit if they can keep the same passenger numbers so people will have to keep using the service.

"But I am delighted that we have managed to achieve this and it is great news for the campaigners who have fought so hard to try and keep this service running."