Lothian Group discussion (Lothian City, Lothian Country Bus and East Coast Buses)

[DunsBus]

I think the 33 used to?

Yes, the 33. There was also a 49 Eastfield to Ferniehill. Did this route disappear at deregulation or just before?

Just before. It became part of the 48/49 circle, which finished at deregulation. There was also a peak hour service 36 which turned there (another deregulation casualty) and a former incarnation of service 18 turned at Little France for a spell in 1992.

Before the housing at Fernieside Drive was built, Little France was the original 33 terminus.

 

[CraigLockhart]

Pre deregulation the old 49 ran to the Little France turning circle which was by the football field/running track on Old Dalkeith Road.I’m not sure the 33 ever terminated there as it to by knowledge had always interworked with another service and stopped on Ferniehill Drive The 31 pre regulation if I recall was the service it interchanged with. I haven’t got any recollection before the early seventies. before my time

 

[stevenedin]

I think in 2013 briefly the 33 used it as the terminus before being extended go Sheriffhall and then Gorebridge.

This was after it was removed from Hyvots Bank and the 7 extended to Royal Infirmary from Ferniehill.

 

[DunsBus]

Pre deregulation the old 49 ran to the Little France turning circle which was by the football field/running track on Old Dalkeith Road.I’m not sure the 33 ever terminated there as it to by knowledge had always interworked with another service and stopped on Ferniehill Drive The 31 pre regulation if I recall was the service it interchanged with. I haven’t got any recollection before the early seventies. before my time

It was. The 31 and 33 interworked at Ferniehill Drive from January 1969 until May 2001. Prior to 1969, the 31 turned at Hyvots Bank and the 33 at Little France.

 

[Baileygirl]

It was. The 31 and 33 interworked at Ferniehill Drive from January 1969 until May 2001. Prior to 1969, the 31 turned at Hyvots Bank and the 33 at Little France.

the 33 terminated in Little France at the turning circle before Ferniehill was built. This was as far the Edinburgh Corporation buses could go up Dalkeith Road. The 8 terminated at the turning circle at Gilmerton. The 7 and37 went to Kaimes and the 31 went to the turning circle at Hyvots Bank. The 18 to Burdiehouse and the 11 to Fairmilehead.

 

[mb88]

Thanks folks.

 

[TheEastCoaster]

Both the 7 and 33 used to terminate at Ferniehill.

how old is this route map? couldn't envision a time without the 11 or 18 running. (or 52)

 

[DunsBus]

how old is this route map? couldn't envision a time without the 11 or 18 running. (or 52)

7 and 33 were interworked at Ferniehill from May 2001 to March 2012 (before then it was the 31 and 33).

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the 33 terminated in Little France at the turning circle before Ferniehill was built. This was as far the Edinburgh Corporation buses could go up Dalkeith Road. The 8 terminated at the turning circle at Gilmerton. The 7 and37 went to Kaimes and the 31 went to the turning circle at Hyvots Bank. The 18 to Burdiehouse and the 11 to Fairmilehead.

The 3 also went to Gilmerton. That area was served by SMT until the Musselburgh trams finished in 1954.

 

[Avenger20]

how old is this route map? couldn't envision a time without the 11 or 18 running. (or 52)

There used to be a "frequent routes" map which only showed routes that operated every 15 mins or better - I think that's what we're seeing here. The 11 split at Fairmilehead Crossroads back then, and the 32/52 were every 20 or 30 minutes.

 

[NorthEastern]

I’m always amazed by the amount of knowledge and local history that gets shared on here. Bus and tram route data back to 1969 and 1954. What a resource. Thanks a lot everyone.

 

[DunsBus]

There used to be a "frequent routes" map which only showed routes that operated every 15 mins or better - I think that's what we're seeing here. The 11 split at Fairmilehead Crossroads back then, and the 32/52 were every 20 or 30 minutes.

It is indeed that very map. Looks to be from 2001, before Lothian started running to the (then-new) Royal Infirmary at the start of the following year.

 

[ScotRail158725]

669 back out, unrepainted surprisingly

 

[stantheman]

Anyone know or guess how long the ex Londons have left on the service 4 thanks

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Unidentified white bus went past Gyle Shopping Centre but did not go in ? Came from airport direction. ,

 

[Bus9120UK]

Anyone know or guess how long the ex Londons have left on the service 4 thanks

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Unidentified white bus went past Gyle Shopping Centre but did not go in ? Came from airport direction. ,

There are RBS shuttles operated by Waverley Travel using Enviro 200s.

 

[atfd26]

Have any of the B9's been withdrawn this week?

 

[stantheman]

There are RBS shuttles operated by Waverley Travel using Enviro 200s.

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It was double deck I think the shuttles are single deck !

 

[Bus9120UK]

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It was double deck I think the shuttles are single deck !

Ah, that perhaps was 930 moving over to Longstone.

 

[Flip Lo]

351, 356 and 400 all seem to have new next stop announcements screens fitted so the rest of the 11 plate natives will most likely get them as well.

 

[Lothianbus703]

351, 356 and 400 all seem to have new next stop announcements screens fitted so the rest of the 11 plate natives will most likely get them as well.

This is important not only for the law but also bringing them into line in terms of comfort and accessibility as most of the fleet.

Hopefully the eclipse 2s start to get fitted with them soon.

 

[AndrewTaylor95]

This is important not only for the law but also bringing them into line in terms of comfort and accessibility as most of the fleet.

Hopefully the eclipse 2s start to get fitted with them soon.

Everything will need to be done by 1st October this year by law

 

[computerSaysNo]

Can someone remind me of the law regarding where such systems are fitted but not working?

 

[stevenedin]

The ones on the 600s are awful. Most aren't loud enough and some only work upstairs but not downstairs.

 

[FlybeDash8Q400]

I haven’t been on one of the new Kites yet so excuse my ignorance, but is it true that these only have one Wheelchair space? From looking at photos and videos I’ve seen it looks to have returned to the conventional 2 spaces, only one of which is for wheelchairs. Buggies of course can use both spaces provided.

If this is the case, I wonder if this was a space restriction? I thought Lothian were trying to standardise on just having 2 wheelchair spaces, with each being available for use as a buggy space when unoccupied.

 

[Lothian285]

I haven’t been on one of the new Kites yet so excuse my ignorance, but is it true that these only have one Wheelchair space? From looking at photos and videos I’ve seen it looks to have returned to the conventional 2 spaces, only one of which is for wheelchairs. Buggies of course can use both spaces provided.

If this is the case, I wonder if this was a space restriction? I thought Lothian were trying to standardise on just having 2 wheelchair spaces, with each being available for use as a buggy space when unoccupied.

Yes that’s correct, there is only one wheelchair space and one buggy space (called a shared space).

 

[Busman757]

On the subject of electric buses, do we think the streetairs will make a comeback with new batteries. Surely they can be retrofitted with the new batteries that are in the Kites?

 

[90019]

On the subject of electric buses, do we think the streetairs will make a comeback with new batteries. Surely they can be retrofitted with the new batteries that are in the Kites?

In a word, no.

The batteries weren't really the problem, it was the rest of the bus - with the poor build quality and frequent breakdowns causing their removal from service after only 18 months.
With the new Wrightbus refusing to have anything to do with them, to re-engineer 6 unique and small buses with a limited use case in the city fleet and no manufacturer support would be a very expensive project for little to no gain.

They'll most likely continue to sit around gathering dust until their value on a spreadsheet is low enough to justify going for scrap.

 

[FlybeDash8Q400]

In a word, no.

The batteries weren't really the problem, it was the rest of the bus - with the poor build quality and frequent breakdowns causing their removal from service after only 18 months.
With the new Wrightbus refusing to have anything to do with them, to re-engineer 6 unique and small buses with a limited use case in the city fleet and no manufacturer support would be a very expensive project for little to no gain.

They'll most likely continue to sit around gathering dust until their value on a spreadsheet is low enough to justify going for scrap.

So why did Wright take some of them back then? Was this to see what could be done and the decision was no?

 

[90019]

So why did Wright take some of them back then? Was this to see what could be done and the decision was no?

Have they actually taken some of them back now?

I know there was a significant argument over them and Wright were refusing to do anything because they were from the old incarnation of the company and therefore not their problem, but if they relented and have been looking then that's certainly an interesting development, and I'll be curious to see if anything comes of it.


Mind you, I feel bad for the drivers if they do come back, they were hateful things to drive - though they were at least unreliable enough that you had a decent chance of it breaking down and getting something better.

 

[FlybeDash8Q400]

Have they actually taken some of them back now?

I’ve seen at least a couple of photos of them leaving on low loaders, a truck that was based in Northern Ireland. Mind you this was about a year ago now, so it may very well be that no progress has been made. It should be noted it wasn’t all of them, but this may have happened in 2 or 3 separate moves.

I know a second reason they were moved was to vacate space for the BZL’s at Marine.

I think the intention was to explore the possibility of what could be done, rather than immediately upgrading them. What’s interesting is like before, they continue to be present on Lothian’s own fleet list. The latest of which still has them in the reserve section.

From a battery point of view, if they can fit the Kite technology I don’t see why they should. However, if it’s build issues that’s a bit deeper and surely would be more costly.

 

[90019]

I think the intention was to explore the possibility of what could be done, rather than immediately upgrading them. What’s interesting is like before, they continue to be present on Lothian’s own fleet list. The latest of which still has them in the reserve section.

Presumably the lack of any news means there hasn't been much progress, if any.

From a battery point of view, if they can fit the Kite technology I don’t see why they should. However, if it’s build issues that’s a bit deeper and surely would be more costly.

Even with upgraded batteries, I'm not convinced how useful they'd be since they'd still have a noticeably shorter range than the newer EVs and would probably still need to be limited to shorter boards or swapped out for another vehicle later on in the day.