Lothian Buses win operator of the year at Scottish Transport Awards

Lothian Buses has been named as Scotland's Public Transport Operator of the Year at this year's Scottish Transport Awards.

Lothian Buses is Scotland's Public Transport Operator of the Year. Picture: Kenny Smith

In addition to scooping the top prize it also picked up Scotland’s Best Bus Service for Lothian Country Buses service 113, which has seen passenger growth of more than 50 per cent – bucking national trends.

The ceremony, which is now in its 14th year, was held on Thursday night at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Glasgow.

Lothian Buses was also shortlisted for four other awards: Contribution to Sustainable Transport; Excellence in Technology and Innovation; Transport Team/Partnership of the Year; Excellence in Travel Information and Marketing.

Richard Hall, Lothian Buses’ managing director, said: “It’s great to see that the efforts and achievements of all of the dedicated staff within the business have been recognised with these awards.

“The transport industry in Scotland is full of people who work tirelessly day in day out to deliver outstanding service to customers and provide millions of passenger journeys every year.

“Lothian Buses has continued to make significant investments into its people, fleet, routes and services.

“With more than £18.5 million in environmental improvements and the introduction of more than 60 diesel-electric hybrid buses into its fleet, it has removed 600 tonnes of CO2 from the company’s carbon footprint and corresponding reductions of 99 per cent in NOx and 60 per cent in particulate emissions. Our company is continuing to deliver on its commitment to lessening its impact on the environment whilst delivering sustainable and socially inclusive transport solutions across Scotland’s capital city and the Lothians.

“More than two-thirds of the 800-strong fleet is now at Euro 5 standard or above.”

The award-winning number 113 Lothian Country Buses service runs from the Western General Hospital to Pencaitland in East Lothian.

The prestigious award comes just weeks after a survey which saw passengers hail the city’s tram network, underlining claims that public transport in the Capital is in rude health.

Meanwhile, Evening News, Scotsman and Scotland on Sunday writer Alastair Dalton was named Journalist of the Year at the ceremony.

Lothian Buses employs more than 2000 staff, operates over 700 buses across Edinburgh and the Lothians and carries more than 120 million passengers per year.