<Speculation>
If you were Stagecoach and wanting to take over much of the better bits of FiE (without the hassle of paying First for their assets or taking on the awkward marginal stuff), what would your next step be?
- Short enough to get (say) a fifteen minute service with only half a dozen vehicles
- Whilst First run a lot of services on the Bathgate - Deans - Livi corridor, it'd be really awkward for them to try to untangle them to fight back (a bit like the way that First started one simple service - the 22 - from Rotherham to Barnsley that cut through several half-hourly Stagecoach services and make it difficult for Stagecoach to fight back against without a big revision of services)
- Running into Edinburgh would probably mean a lot of extra mileage without picking up many passengers on the A8/ A71 (given how few "local" passengers Eastern/ SMT/ First have generally had within Edinburgh) and may tread on Lothian's toes
- No running out into the quieter rural areas like Fauldhouse
For unknown reasons, First have just not been able to get anything right within West Lothian. It should be a extremely good bus area, with its links to
* Edinburghs major employment and Students areas close by.
* One of the best shopping areas in Scotland which does attract a lot of visitors and workers.
* Livingston itself has a major Hospital and many industrial estate, yet its current network is so poor and old fashion you have to wonder what is going on.
Bus routes which are two hours long end to end, routes which go everywhere, which has resulted in you being able to see where the bus is heading to in 20mins times. E&M are no better, on the numerous times it has tried and failed to operate route, most are just copies of the awful routes First operated.
Thats not to say decent bus routes can not be created in the area, just look at Blue bus, Nordi travel and Passengers Travel, who have all created very successful routes, with the latter two now in the hands of First.
First has tried twice, to introduce Express services but both times failed.
* X22/X24: ( 2000)
* X1, X2, X15, ( 2002-03)
So im not sure how Stagecoach would make a go of it, in this department, but it will need a clean broad and stay as far away from any of the current routes operated by First.
I would not say Fauldhouse is a quieter route, Blue bus can still manage a full bus to the village.
Moving in to East Lothian would mean setting up a base there (incurring costs), and there's not a lot that you really do with North Berwick/ Haddington etc that doesn't just directly replicate a First service
Stagecoach would never heard over to East Lothian, it would be rather pointless. Both East Lothian buses and Perryman would be able to cover the routes if First left the area. Perryman with its 253 every hour, and ELB starting a new new to Haddington.
E300 have also been spotted on all five routes. Mind you Decker also have a chance of being used.
