public transport – Pencaitland and District Community Council

Pencaitland 113 bus to Edinburgh gets new timetable

The No. 113 bus, run by a wholly owned subsidiary of Lothian Buses, is set to introduce a new timetable from the end of October.

Come the end of the month a new bus timetable is being introduced on the 113 route to/from Pencaitland — Come the end of October a new **bus timetable** is being introduced on the 113 route to/from Pencaitland

Coming into operation on Sunday 28 October, the effect will be immediate. The entire Sunday timetable is to be changed.

It will still be an hourly service but leaving Pencaitland at 52 minutes past the hour rather than the current 40 minutes past. On the 113’s return route from the Western General Hospital it will depart at 27 minutes past the hour instead of 9 minutes past. All Sunday bus users will need to check because there are other detailed changes too.

The most significant change will be an extra early morning departure at 6am from Pencaitland from Monday to Friday.

The existing first service will be re-timed from 6.35am to 6.30am, with the 7am and 7.25am departures staying as they are, thus making a 30 min interval business service. The evening services back from Edinburgh are more or less unchanged but with the irregular gaps around 8.20pm evened out. However, there are important differences in the detail. In the early evening buses will continue to and from the Western General Hospital for an extra hour, after which buses will use the West End; most likely Charlotte Square rather than Hanover Street as the city Centre terminus.

For the bus enthusiasts out there, the Double Deckers are to be replaced by new Singles (photo) with additional seats on the Musselburgh to Edinburgh section provided by extra No. 44s to relieve the pressure on the Singles.

Our thanks to Barry Hutton for providing the information in this update.

RELBUS launches consultation on East Lothian bus priorities

RELBUS is seeking bus user views on its campaign priorities — RELBUS is seeking **bus user views** on its campaign priorities

RELBUS, the group that campaigns for better rural buses in East Lothian, has launched a member consultation to help prioritise its campaigning objectives.

The nine point plan covers basic standards that should be expected for bus service information including bus stops; fairer fares; plainer ticketing, improved timetabling, better connecting services, and perhaps most importantly, decent complaints procedures.

If you are a bus user it’s your opportunity to have your views fed back into the way RELBUS is campaigning on your behalf. Becoming a member of RELBUS is free and open to anyone living in or travelling to and from East Lothian.

RELBUS aims to campaign to improve accessibility for all and seeks better promotion of buses as a viable and acceptable form of transport, rather than an option of last resort. RELBUS believes that the Council and bus companies servicing East Lothian can do more and that good consultation procedures could help to map out a far better future for rural bus users across the county. That’s also why RELBUS recently welcomed the creation of a Local Bus forum by East Lothian Councillor Michael Veitch.

Barry Turner, Chair of RELBUS said: “We are looking forward to developing a constructive dialogue with operators, East Lothian Council and Community Councils. For too long bus travel in rural areas has been seen as a last resort, rather than the preferred mode of transport. We’ve identified a good number of supply measures that could help increase demand, even in the current deregulated market. We will continue to work with others to identify novel means of supplementing rural bus services in order to meet a wider range of local needs”.

Taking part in the consultation

To have your say simply go to the RELBUS Consultation Questions and, if you have a view, leave your comment in the text box at the bottom of the page. In all there are nine consultation questions. This is notionally intended for existing members of RELBUS. Fortunately joining is free and takes no time to do. If you rely on buses in East Lothian it’s in your interests to join.

For more information visit the RELBUS website.

Background: What is RELBUS?

RELBUS (Rural East Lothian Bus Users) is a volunteer-led group set up to campaign for better rural transport in East Lothian. RELBUS is a membership organisation, which is free. It holds public forums, meetings with operators and has an ongoing dialogue with local politicians of all parties and the local authority. For more information about RELBUS contact info@relbus.org.uk