Edinburgh Airport bus fares war: Bright Bus to compete with Lothian on city centre route

McGill’s Group company announces cheaper fares and claims new service will be fastest

A new bus service between Scotland’s busiest airport and Edinburgh city centre has been announced in the first competition on the route for around 25 years.

Bright Bus, run by the McGill’s Group, launches an “airport express” on January 1 with fares £1.50 lower than Lothian’s long-established Airlink 100 service. It said the service was the “natural next step”, four years after launching rival bus tours of the capital against Lothian.

The new single-decker services will operate up to every 15 minutes, compared to Lothian’s double deckers running every ten minutes for most of the day.

Bright Bus promises faster journeys between Edinburgh Airport and the city centre and cheaper fares than established operator Lothian. (Photo by Bright Bus)

Bright Bus claimed it would offer “the quickest journey times of any public transport option between the city and the airport” and “the friendliest bus service in Edinburgh”.

However, timetables show both services are scheduled to take just under 30 minutes to and from Waterloo Place (Bright) and St Andrew Square (Lothian).

Tickets will cost £4 single and £6.50 return, with £20 weekly passes. These compare to £5.50 single and £8 return on Lothian.

Edinburgh Trams operates services between the airport and city centre every seven to ten minutes. Tickets are £7.50 single and £9.50 return.

Lothian's Edinburgh Airport to city centre service operates every ten minutes for most of the day. (Photo by Lothian)

Guide Friday operated a rival service to Lothian on the route in the 1990s.

Alex Hornby, managing director of the Greenock-based McGill’s Group, which also operates in Dundee and Stirling, said: "Bright Bus has been a great success for us and we are keen to spread the magic of this friendly brand across the city, so incoming visitors and locals alike can reap the benefits of cheaper, faster, brighter and more sustainable travel options to and from Edinburgh Airport.”

A spokesman for Edinburgh Airport said: "Passenger feedback is that they want a range of onward travel options to make their journey to and from the airport as easy as possible, so we welcome this new service."

Edinburgh Bus Users Group said: "A more useful idea would be a service aimed at people who work around the airport, particularly those who don't live on the A8 corridor. People living on the west side of Edinburgh will be disappointed this route is starting when they have just lost a number of routes to and from Edinburgh.”