Lack of Bus Service between Glasgow and Livingston

[Butts]

The lines were down on the Helensburgh - Edinburgh Service earlier today. I was travelling to Uphall so had to seek alternative Transport.

I went up to Buchanan Street Bus Station to find out the only Bus/Coach between Glasgow and Livingston is the Citylink 902 that only runs once an hour.

Surprising this was the only service between Glasgow and Livingston.

 

[hexagon789]

The lines were down on the Helensburgh - Edinburgh Service earlier today. I was travelling to Uphall so had to seek alternative Transport.

I went up to Buchanan Street Bus Station to find out the only Bus/Coach between Glasgow and Livingston is the Citylink 902 that only runs once an hour.

Surprising this was the only service between Glasgow and Livingston.

There was a 'local' service, X15 rings a bell, not sure when it was axed - 10 years ago possibly?

 

[Trnsprt4Sctlnd]

The lines were down on the Helensburgh - Edinburgh Service earlier today. I was travelling to Uphall so had to seek alternative Transport.

I went up to Buchanan Street Bus Station to find out the only Bus/Coach between Glasgow and Livingston is the Citylink 902 that only runs once an hour.

Surprising this was the only service between Glasgow and Livingston.

Trains do exist as well between this town and Glasgow.

 

[Butts]

There was a 'local' service, X15 rings a bell, not sure when it was axed - 10 years ago possibly?

According to the information boards there was an X51 Stagecoach Service to Dunfermline but when I went to the Information Point I was informed it had also been axed.

 

[Trnsprt4Sctlnd]

According to the information boards there was an X51 Stagecoach Service to Dunfermline but when I went to the Information Point I was informed it had also been axed.

The x51 still operates hourly between Dunfermline and Livingston, it used to go to Glasgow but that was axed because of the Covid shenanigans.

 

[JKP]

The lines were down on the Helensburgh - Edinburgh Service earlier today. I was travelling to Uphall so had to seek alternative Transport.

I went up to Buchanan Street Bus Station to find out the only Bus/Coach between Glasgow and Livingston is the Citylink 902 that only runs once an hour.

Surprising this was the only service between Glasgow and Livingston.

I would have thought that the 902 would suffice.

 

[Butts]

I would have thought that the 902 would suffice.

One an hour at peak times ?

 

[overthewater]

One an hour at peak times ?

X51 was once an hour at peak times and it's last bus was 17.40 going back to Livingston.

 

[CN04NRJ]

One an hour at peak times ?

There's not exactly any demand for Livingston - Glasgow travel, there's the M8 and Livingston North/South stations for commuters.

 

[Dfatcontroller]

There's not exactly any demand for Livingston - Glasgow travel, there's the M8 and Livingston North/South stations for commuters.

The 902 coach is surprisingly busy. Many people do travel from the Livingston area to Glasgow City, whilst Coatbridge & Airdrie locals like to travel to Livingston Outlet Centre.
I caught the 902 from Bargeddie to Glasgow (penultimate stop) and counted 42 people on the tri-axle Neoplan Tourliner that had been subbed in to cover the Edinburgh Coach Lines diagram (as it was at the time).

The route is now wholly operated by Park's of Hamilton and typically sees 4x Plaxton Elites on the service (although Panorama & Levante subs have occurred).

 

[CN04NRJ]

The 902 coach is surprisingly busy. Many people do travel from the Livingston area to Glasgow City, whilst Coatbridge & Airdrie locals like to travel to Livingston Outlet Centre.
I caught the 902 from Bargeddie to Glasgow (penultimate stop) and counted 42 people on the tri-axle Neoplan Tourliner that had been subbed in to cover the Edinburgh Coach Lines diagram (as it was at the time).

The route is now wholly operated by Park's of Hamilton and typically sees 4x Plaxton Elites on the service (although Panorama & Levante subs have occurred).

Sorry, I worded my post poorly - I meant to say there's not exactly high demand. Glad to hear it's better used than I thought!

 

[overthewater]

Some of the 902 have come in to Livingston full from the Glasgow end.

 

[Dfatcontroller]

Some of the 902 have come in to Livingston full from the Glasgow end.

It wouldn't surprise me if, resources permitting, the service ran every 30mins through the day, especially Saturdays.

 

[paul1609]

The lines were down on the Helensburgh - Edinburgh Service earlier today. I was travelling to Uphall so had to seek alternative Transport.

I went up to Buchanan Street Bus Station to find out the only Bus/Coach between Glasgow and Livingston is the Citylink 902 that only runs once an hour.

Surprising this was the only service between Glasgow and Livingston.

Wouldn't the best plan have been a train to Linlithgow and the bus 31? from there?

 

[Spsf3232]

Sounds like the 902 has been a good success story and i would imagine I'd loadings are that good then we may see things being tweaked to give more capacity in the future

 

[Butts]

Wouldn't the best plan have been a train to Linlithgow and the bus 31? from there?

It did cross my mind but I'm not sure how frequently the 31 Runs - No smartphone !!!

 

[Snex]

Not sure which station you were travelling from in Glasgow, but couldn't you have just got a train to Edinburgh Haymarket and doubled back. It's only 20 minutes or so longer anyway and there appears to have been short services to Bathgate running or alternatively use one of numerous buses which run between the two.

 

[gnolife]

Wouldn't the best plan have been a train to Linlithgow and the bus 31? from there?

I'd have gone to Haymarket, from which trains appeared to be running to Uphall

 

[Trnsprt4Sctlnd]

To be fair it does cost £8.60 on the Citylink 902 from Glasgow to Livingston, £10 for the return.

It costs £9.90 for a single from Livingston South to Central Station or £11.60 from Livingston North to Queen St on the train, the returns are £12.50 & £14.80, respectively.

The duration 1hr 15mins on the 902 or roughly 1hr on the train from North or South.

Each to their own. It entirely depends on how you need to trave. If you’ve got a car you'll most likely go for the train station and pay the extra few £’s. If you can only use a local West Lothian bus that doesn’t go to a train station most likely the local bus will go to Livingston Centre.

Of course the thing the train can’t do is connect any of these towns it stops at to the Airport; that is certainly where the bonus goes to the 902.

 

[Butts]

Just to give a little background, the problem largely arose because I flew out of Edinburgh down to Birmingham and back into Glasgow the following day. The fare into GLA on Easyjet was far cheaper than back to EDI.

As I live in Falkirk and it was an early departure I took my car into work near Livingston in the early hours and got a lift to Livingston Bus Station to catch ironically the 0443 902 to EDI for my outbound flight. If I'd been coming back into EDI I would have parked at the Airport or used the 747 from Ferrytoll and parked up there.

I had to be at work by 1pm on the day of my return and thus use my car to get home afterwards.

Arriving in Glasgow Airport around 10am I then got the 500 into town which is where the problems started due to the lack of service on the Glasgow to Uphall line. I just missed the 1025 902 Bus and the next one was 1125. I caught this and got into Livingston around 1240. After a quick ciggie I hopped into a Taxi to work arriving around 1255 - just made it.

I have a Coffin Dodgers Pass so none of the Bus Journeys cost anything. Had I arrived into Livingston Bus Station a bit earlier I could have caught the X24 to work and saved a tenner on the taxi.

 

[SoloSR334022]

The lines were down on the Helensburgh - Edinburgh Service earlier today. I was travelling to Uphall so had to seek alternative Transport.

I went up to Buchanan Street Bus Station to find out the only Bus/Coach between Glasgow and Livingston is the Citylink 902 that only runs once an hour.

Surprising this was the only service between Glasgow and Livingston.

Could have got a bus to Linlithgow from Uphall, but not the train station.