Ember: Electric coach service

[AndrewTaylor95]

There are plenty of people who travel from West Lothian to the airport. At £4 ish each way it is far cheaper than a taxi or other public transport. There must be some demand or the 902 would be finished already.

I wonder if it will pick up some local traffic too. Cheaper and quicker to Broxburn than the 72 and seems to be mostly timed in between their journeys.

It reminds me of the Horsburgh 777 nearly 20 years ago:

https://web.archive.org/web/20080313234133/http://www.horsburghcoaches.com/service_routes/777.htm

That was an hourly circular and served all stops (IIRC), Ember is doing an equivalent 40 min headway.

It's an extra £1.40 on the fare to travel from Ingliston to the Airport. I wonder if that's some indication of the airport passenger fee.

902 picks most of it's patronage up from Broxburn to Glasgow and Vice Versa and everywhere else in-between it serves, Airport passengers are a bonus

 

[paravostok]

Just remember until there's an official announcement no one knows what the route will be

Was there not a list of stops on the website that then got taken down?

 

[AndrewTaylor95]

Was there not a list of stops on the website that then got taken down?

There was, Places like Chapelhall Lancaster Avenue that you now can't see anymore

 

[overthewater]

They cannot pick up anyone on route as they can't issue tickets to anyone that hails the bus. They can take anyone waiting if someone else is booked though but those journeys that have no one booked they can operate directly to airport from depot without going via any stops if required and skipping the entire route

They can issues ticket to the Under 22 and over 60s as that's they only way they can get reimbursed. I dare say they will be told just to go down Broxburn main street just in case.

 

[Spsf3232]

They can issues ticket to the Under 22 and over 60s as that's they only way they can get reimbursed. I dare say they will be told just to go down Broxburn main street just in case.

They can issue those tickets but only if there is another passenger waiting to board. If no one is waiting to board they cannot stop and issue any sort of ticket as the ticketing system doesn't allow it. They will simply drive by anyone trying to hail the bus

 

[overthewater]

They can issue those tickets but only if there is another passenger waiting to board. If no one is waiting to board they cannot stop and issue any sort of ticket as the ticketing system doesn't allow it. They will simply drive by anyone trying to hail the bus

What about Corstorphine? The coaches stop for a crew change over, However I've seen pass holders get on and the drivers have asked are they booked on and they have said no, yet they can issues a ticket.. So the ticketing system does allow it.

 

[route101]

I will be sampling the E19 soon. I see both variations of the route take similar time. If no one is booked from Livingston Centre to the Airport, I guess either variation just heads straight to the airport?

 

[Deerfold]

Was there not a list of stops on the website that then got taken down?

In unrelated news, bus times now has the complete timetable for the E19.

E19 - Between Edinburgh Airport and Livingston

Ember

bustimes.org

 

[Spsf3232]

What about Corstorphine? The coaches stop for a crew change over, However I've seen pass holders get on and the drivers have asked are they booked on and they have said no, yet they can issues a ticket.. So the ticketing system does allow it.

That is because the system is booked to stop at that stop for a driver change over and acts the same as the first stop on any route that you can walk on. If it wasn't for a driver change it wouldn't stop.

 

[paravostok]

There was, Places like Chapelhall Lancaster Avenue that you now

Bus times now has the complete timetable.

E19 - Between Edinburgh Airport and Livingston

Ember

bustimes.org

No, of the E20(?), the one between Glasgow and Edinburgh Airport

 

[Deerfold]

No, of the E20(?), the one between Glasgow and Edinburgh Airport

Ah. Hadn't seen anything for that had been on the website.

I may be able to sample the E19 as my first Ember trip as work takes me to Livingston in a fortnight.

 

[AndrewTaylor95]

Already some E19s journeys being cancelled

 

[route101]

Already some E19s journeys being cancelled

I wonder why. The E19 is not feeding onto another route (yet) at Edinburgh Airport.

 

[Spsf3232]

I wonder why. The E19 is not feeding onto another route (yet) at Edinburgh Airport.

Probably as simple as not ready to launch yet with a full complement of staff

 

[davp]

A few times today I've seen the coach track down the A89 rather than through Uphall and Broxburn. I get they are saving time with this but it doesn't help the folks of Uphall and Broxburn appreciate there is a new regular service they might be interested in using.

 

[Spsf3232]

A few times today I've seen the coach track down the A89 rather than through Uphall and Broxburn. I get they are saving time with this but it doesn't help the folks of Uphall and Broxburn appreciate there is a new regular service they might be interested in using.

They cannot stop if no one is booked on the service so it's irrelevant of route they use.

 

[SilentWatcher]

They cannot stop if no one is booked on the service so it's irrelevant of route they use.

I think the point being made was that even if they can't board, they would see a coach coming along the road and might have a look online to see what it is and where it goes.

If you can't see something exists, you're not going to know it might be of use to you

 

[Spsf3232]

I think the point being made was that even if they can't board, they would see a coach coming along the road and might have a look online to see what it is and where it goes.

If you can't see something exists, you're not going to know it might be of use to you

I agree with that view but the Embers way is to speed up journeys when no passengers are waiting.

It may take longer for word of mouth to get around about the service but every other Ember route has done well with this method

 

[paravostok]

I think this route seems weird though because its so fundamentally different from embers other routes, this could be run on a decker easily, and would maybe see more success due to being able to accept walk-ins and not rerouting based on tickets etc..

 

[Deerfold]

I think the point being made was that even if they can't board, they would see a coach coming along the road and might have a look online to see what it is and where it goes.

If you can't see something exists, you're not going to know it might be of use to you

It might help if they could get the route into journey planners and the data picked up by Google maps, too.

 

[JKP]

A few times today I've seen the coach track down the A89 rather than through Uphall and Broxburn. I get they are saving time with this but it doesn't help the folks of Uphall and Broxburn appreciate there is a new regular service they might be interested in using.

Is the route registered with the Traffic Commissioner? I am assuming it is in order to be able to carry passengers for less than 50km. If so what does the route description say or is there a note to say picks up/sets down at Uphall and Broxburn only for pre booked and passengers on board the coach?

 

[davp]

Is the route registered with the Traffic Commissioner? I am assuming it is in order to be able to carry passengers for less than 50km. If so what does the route description say or is there a note to say picks up/sets down at Uphall and Broxburn only for pre booked and passengers on board the coach?

Via Broxburn, Uphall - Limited Stop.

Does the exact route have to be followed?

If it misses out Broxburn and Uphall via the A89 (as it was on some journeys yesterday) the bus is likely to arrive at Newbridge a few minutes ahead of it's 10 minute booking window. Is it going to stand there?

 

[Deerfold]

Via Broxburn, Uphall - Limited Stop.

Does the exact route have to be followed?

If it misses out Broxburn and Uphall via the A89 (as it was on some journeys yesterday) the bus is likely to arrive at Newbridge a few minutes ahead of it's 10 minute booking window. Is it going to stand there?

If the service is registered, all stops should be served.

 

[MotCO]

If the service is registered, all stops should be served.

But sometimes alternative routes can be registered - e.g. the X68 in London

 

[Spsf3232]

If the service is registered, all stops should be served.

It's registered in the sense that the first stop is a timing point and the rest are not provided with any timing points to vosa.

It's all perfectly legal

 

[Stan Drews]

It's registered in the sense that the first stop is a timing point and the rest are not provided with any timing points to vosa.

It's all perfectly legal

The way you have described it, that would not be “perfectly legal”. Registered timing points should be no more than 15 minutes apart on such a route.

 

[Spsf3232]

The way you have described it, that would not be “perfectly legal”. Registered timing points should be no more than 15 minutes apart on such a route.

If it wasn't perfectly legal then Ember wouldn't have been operating successfully since 2020.

The stops are registered as pre booked only and this is why they can bypass when no one is booked. It's also why they won't stop for passengers hailing them when no one is booked and will simply drive by

 

[Stan Drews]

If it wasn't perfectly legal then Ember wouldn't have been operating successfully since 2020.

The stops are registered as pre booked only and this is why they can bypass when no one is booked. It's also why they won't stop for passengers hailing them when no one is booked and will simply drive by

You may wish to do some research into the various regulations governing the registration of local bus services. The services they have been operating since 2020 have largely been quite different from the E19, which is very much a ‘normal’ local bus service with numerous bus stops relatively close to each other.

 

[Spsf3232]

You may wish to do some research into the various regulations governing the registration of local bus services. The services they have been operating since 2020 have largely been quite different from the E19, which is very much a ‘normal’ local bus service with numerous bus stops relatively close to each other.

I know the regulations as I'm a transport manager. All other services and the E19s are no different as they all are express services which are registered as local routes.

 

[Glasgowbusguy]

You may wish to do some research into the various regulations governing the registration of local bus services. The services they have been operating since 2020 have largely been quite different from the E19, which is very much a ‘normal’ local bus service with numerous bus stops relatively close to each other.

All stops except start , finish and driver change overs are registered as pre booked only , so if no one pre books the stop is not served