Lothian Bus fares look set to rise again

Students could face higher travel costs following speculation that bus fares may rise again next month.

Lothian Buses are expected to increase the fare for a single ticket from £1.30 to £1.40 and for a day ticket from £3.20 to £3.40.

Government cuts, fewer passengers and the significant and ongoing disruptions of the Edinburgh tram works have all impacted the running costs of the Council-owned bus company.

The company’s managing director Ian Craig refused to deny or confirm the speculation, instead telling The Scotsman that a final announcement is to be expected “in the next few weeks”.

Lothian Buses, Edinburgh’s bus service, is currently suffering a multi-million pound loss in funding after the Scottish Government made cuts to the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG).

A change in the calculation of the grant - now based on kilometres driven rather than the amount of fuel used - meant Lothian Buses lost 20 per cent of funding.

This new system, according to Transport Minister Keith Brown, is meant to promote fuel economy and protect rural services. But some of Scotland’s urban operators have been facing total cuts of up to 40 per cent due to the new regulations.

Mr Craig said: “It is a very significant reduction in revenue and we are arguably one of the worst affected operators because we operate in an urban area at low speeds with vehicles which are obviously less fuel efficient than minibuses running around rural areas”.

Passengers on Lothian Buses may also face the cancellation of an entire route and other routes being run less frequently.

The X48 route between Ratho, Hallcroft Park and Sheriffhall Park-and-Ride is likely to be disrupted under the new plans. However, Lothian Buses states that the western end of the route will be replaced by a new peak-time X12 service and off-peak by the number 12.

The X48 service currently services important destinations for many University of Edinburgh students, such as Surgeon’s Hall, St. Patrick Square, Royal Commonwealth Pool (near Pollock Halls) and Prestonfield Avenue (near Peffermill Playing Fields).

The possible increase in fares is likely to greatly impact students around the city who rely on Lothian Buses to travel to their university campuses.

“If they raised the fares, that would be outrageous,” Edinburgh Napier University student Giulia Mattei told The Journal. “I need to get two buses every day to get to university so I always need a day ticket. But if they became more expensive I would really have to try hard to find a way to get to campus with only one bus as I could not afford a day ticket every day anymore”.

Another Edinburgh Napier University student said he would be far less likely to take the bus if the fares increased further.

Heriot Watt University student Marilyn Clark told The Journal: “I would really need to get a bike. [There is] no way I would be willing to take the bus anymore”.

Mr Craig said in a statement: “We’ve still got one or two final decisions with regard to tweaking some fares. We will announce in the next few weeks if there are to be any change in fare levels.

“The decision to alter fares is not one we take lightly. We are a low-fare operator and we will cling to that going forward, but it is becoming more and more difficult to maintain fare levels”.

The City of Edinburgh Council, who own Lothian Buses, chose not to comment on the matter as they are still awaiting official confirmation of the change in fares and service.