Door-to-door airport shuttle service is ready for take-off

AIRPORT passengers are to be offered a bus service which takes them straight to their front door.

Lothian Buses claims fares on its new "Edinburgh Shuttle" will be less than the cost of an average taxi fare from the airport into the city centre.

A fleet of seven-seater coaches will operate the service which will take passengers between the airport and the city centre and some surrounding areas.

But the venture has infuriated taxi and private hire car drivers who are upset the council-controlled firm is "muscling in on their business".

One driver claimed the competition could be "the final nail in the coffin" for many airport based drivers.

The "Edinburgh Shuttle", which is due to launch on Monday, December 11, is based on "shared ride" services which are popular in the United States.

Lothian Buses has invested in a fleet of nine seven-seater coaches for service, which will operate as a private subsidiary of the council-owned firm.

Lesley Parsons, Edinburgh Shuttle's head of sales and marketing, said: "Our value for money fares will appeal to both budget and business travellers who are looking for a door-to-door, personal service."

The Edinburgh Shuttle will take passengers from the airport to anywhere within a central area of the city, stretching roughly from Corstorphine to Holyrood and from the Meadows to the New Town. This could later grow if the mini-coaches prove popular.

Passengers will be able to pre-book or walk up at the airport. For journeys to the airport, travellers will be able to hail the service in the street, or get picked up at home by booking in advance.

The mini-coaches will run seven days a week, departing every 15 minutes during the airport's main flight times from 7.15am until 7.30pm, and every 20 to 30 minutes in the early morning, late evening and at weekends.

Prices have not yet been announced, but will be somewhere between the 18 average taxi trip to the airport and the 3 bus fare. The coaches will have access to Edinburgh's bus lanes.

Richard Jeffrey, managing director of Edinburgh Airport, welcomed the new bus service.

He said:

"This exciting new service from Edinburgh Shuttle provides more choice when it comes to transport to and from the airport."

However, black cab and private hire drivers said they were concerned about the impact of the service on their business.

Murray Fleming, director of Central Radio Taxis, said: "We've had a lot of calls about this, and cabbies are concerned.

"This is a council body that will be competing directly with licensed taxis in the city.

"We do have concerns about the impact on our business."

One private hire driver with Onward Travel, who asked not to be named, added: "In July 2005, we were dealing with 55,000 jobs a year. This July, it was down to 15,000 because black cabs can now pick up at the airport. So that's us 80 per cent down, and the shuttle service won't be far off the final nail in the coffin."