West Lothian buses

[Bbbus32]

Right it’s 3 weeks until the new X17 launch’s and LCB haven’t officially published the timetable for it despite it being on the bus times website! with btw no Sunday service and plenty of part route journeys to Livingston in the evening! Just be interesting to know what fare zone Fauldhouse lies within!

Also the former Skylink 573-5 etc that have been transferred to Livi now have stop announcements installed for West Lothian Journeys! used one on the X28 out to Livingston the other day and was surreal to hear the stop names along the countryside

Very strange, had a look on their website and no sign of x17 route, how can Bus times website publish this before them?

Next stop announcements will be more bearable on these routes surely with greater distances between stops?

 

[Bbbus32]

Source was inaccurate, hence the deletion of my original comment and the lack of subsequent reply (partially because i had forgot to). Seems odd that you'd randomly join the forum and then have your first post as such. Are you a dupe by any chance...

A dupe?? Been following for a while with a lot of interest as a West Lothian punter!
Was a genuine question as to where your info was from because if thy was the case I wouldn’t be happy paying taxes to fund that amount into a bus company!

 

[Jordan Adam]

A dupe?? Been following for a while with a lot of interest as a West Lothian punter!
Was a genuine question as to where your info was from because if thy was the case I wouldn’t be happy paying taxes to fund that amount into a bus company!

If you're not fair enough, the comment just seemed odd given if was your first post and it was in reply to something i had already deleted. I won't link the source, simply to avoid confusion. As i say it was inaccurate and as such i deleted my comment and didn't reply primarily because i forgot, but also because i didn't see the point on dragging that topic when the thread had moved on.

Anyway, moving on...

 

[overthewater]

Very strange, had a look on their website and no sign of x17 route, how can Bus times website publish this before them?

The details come from Traveline, but bus times has a better format.

Are Lothian even serving Knightsridge during this road closure?
The diversion into the scheme at Cameron Way is to say the least tight ,First are planning to use most if not all the Darts they have on it during these roadworks.
281 and now X17 are there to simply take revenue away from First and Blue Bus on the A71 corridor.

Going by the information postage it will operate something but what I have no idea? maybe a mini bus?

 

[Bbbus32]

If you're not fair enough, the comment just seemed odd given if was your first post and it was in reply to something i had already deleted. I won't link the source, simply to avoid confusion. As i say it was inaccurate and as such i deleted my comment and didn't reply primarily because i forgot, but also because i didn't see the point on dragging that topic when the thread had moved on.

Anyway, moving on...

If you're not fair enough, the comment just seemed odd given if was your first post and it was in reply to something i had already deleted. I won't link the source, simply to avoid confusion. As i say it was inaccurate and as such i deleted my comment and didn't reply primarily because i forgot, but also because i didn't see the point on dragging that topic when the thread had moved on.

Anyway, moving on...

Your comment was still on it’s actually the reason I thought I would start because, as I say I wouldn’t be a happy chap knowing how much the councils are cutting back on services if they were funding millions into a bus company!

Anyway like you said moving on...

 

[Jordan Adam]

Your comment was still on it’s actually the reason I thought I would start because, as I say I wouldn’t be a happy chap knowing how much the councils are cutting back on services if they were funding millions into a bus company!

Anyway like you said moving on...

If you delete a comment (i actually just edited it out of the post as there was other stuff in the post), the text still remains in subsequent quotes of that post. Which would have been what you were seeing.

 

[DunsBus]

Anyway, a few issues i have with routes from both operators....

600 (First): Too slow for Airport passengers going from Livingston, and if it does get extended to Whitburn and Edinburgh City Centre it will probably win the award of most useless route in Edinburgh. I can't see why anyone would want to have a tour of West Lothian and Edinburgh Airport, i'd suspect by the time you got in to Edinburgh you'd have missed the last bus home! There probably is demand for the 600, but certainly not in it's current form or frequency.

If true, I hope First learn from the flop which was the WLC-supported/Horsburgh-operated 555 and 777 circulars which linked western Edinburgh, the Airport, Uphall, Broxburn, what seemed like half of Livingston, and the Calders. Introduced to meet a perceived need for a link between these areas, the reality was different. People didn't want to go on what was effectively a sightseeing tour of West Lothian; the routes died on their collective arses and even a few tweaks late in their existence by WLC wasn't enough to save them.

 

[GusB]

Source was inaccurate, hence the deletion of my original comment and the lack of subsequent reply (partially because i had forgot to). Seems odd that you'd randomly join the forum and then have your first post as such. Are you a dupe by any chance...

Perhaps you should just step up and admit that your claims of Lothian receiving massive subsidies were wrong. I called you out on this, and asked for proper sources. You claimed that there was some magical figure of £6.4M that was given to LB every year, but mumbled something about not having the sources to hand. I'm no financial wizard, and I'm not an expert in translating a company's annual financial statements, but there was a figure that stood out from the one annual report that I did read - that was the value of the share capital held in LB - £6.399M.

https://www.lothianbuses.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/2017_Lothian-Annual-Accounts.pdf

This isn't an annual subsidy. Once again, I'm no expert on corporate finances, and I'm more than happy to be corrected if I'm wrong, but I'd argue that your statement that Lothian receives massive public subsidies is wrong.

 

[Jordan Adam]

Perhaps you should just step up and admit that your claims of Lothian receiving massive subsidies were wrong. I called you out on this, and asked for proper sources. You claimed that there was some magical figure of £6.4M that was given to LB every year, but mumbled something about not having the sources to hand. I'm no financial wizard, and I'm not an expert in translating a company's annual financial statements, but there was a figure that stood out from the one annual report that I did read - that was the value of the share capital held in LB - £6.399M.

https://www.lothianbuses.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/2017_Lothian-Annual-Accounts.pdf

This isn't an annual subsidy. Once again, I'm no expert on corporate finances, and I'm more than happy to be corrected if I'm wrong, but I'd argue that your statement that Lothian receives massive public subsidies is wrong.

I just did! I explained my source was inaccurate....

 

[SpeedbirdA350]

Is there any update on the Livi depot?

 

[TheEastCoaster]

Is there any update on the Livi depot?

LCB made a post yesterday showing the yard off, I’m assuming half of the fleet has been moved over now

 

[In Focus]

Is there any update on the Livi depot?

Seems to be up and running to some extent after the initial troubles regarding issues surrounding it.
WLC must be delighted to have gotten it away at such a price to be honest after it had lay empty for so long.

 

[overthewater]

Lets talk about This big announcement this morning that MR Jarvis is making:

All we know right now is 600 is going to whitburn? and to operate every 30mins, what else is coming.

 

[In Focus]

Lets talk about This big announcement this morning that MR Jarvis is making:

All we know right now is 600 is going to whitburn? and to operate every 30mins, what else is coming.

Think it was from 830 until 10 so will still be ongoing.

 

[overthewater]

Its finished now so hopeful something will come out.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Its finished now so hopeful something will come out.

If there's not a full competitive response demanding 150 vehicles, I for one will be sadly disappointed

In all seriousness, it will be interesting to understand what the next move is.

 

[In Focus]

all seriousness, it will be interesting to understand what the next move is.

I think the next move was in yesterday's NP with the timetable alterations in West Lothian.
The move being the extra vehicles drafted in to make a 5 minute window(on paper) from all the major towns in WL to Livi Centre.
Be a major surprise if he mentioned anything overly dramatic in Edinburgh .

 

[overthewater]

Where has this Airport to Edinburgh City centre route? Where has the idea of running something within Edinburgh gone? £35 to tell some people yes we have extra buses in West Lothian seem pointless..

 

[In Focus]

Where has this Airport to Edinburgh City centre route? Where has the idea of running something within Edinburgh gone? £35 to tell some people yes we have extra buses in West Lothian seem pointless..

I totally agree . Hopefully he launches a £1 bus from all the boundaries First operate and adds a route on A70 corridor. But we shall see what transpires.

 

[Jordan Adam]

I totally agree . Hopefully he launches a £1 bus from all the boundaries First operate and adds a route on A70 corridor. But we shall see what transpires.

A70? I assume you mean the A71. If so i agree, I'd probably increase the 23 to Every 20 Minutes and/or increase the X23 to half hourly. If they wanted to be radical they could increase both routes to Every 20 Minutes offering a 10 minute frequency on the corridor from Livingston and Edinburgh.

 

[Edirim]

I think he does mean the A70. Perhaps by re-routeing the 23 service via RAF Kirknewton and along in that way to Edinburgh via the A70? That said, you would no longer be serving Main Street etc...but it would give First a chance to compete on the Balerno/Juniper Green to Edinburgh corridor again.

 

[In Focus]

A70? I assume you mean the A71. If so i agree, I'd probably increase the 23 to Every 20 Minutes and/or increase the X23 to half hourly. If they wanted to be radical they could increase both routes to Every 20 Minutes offering a 10 minute frequency on the corridor from Livingston and Edinburgh.

I mean A70 livi to Balerno ,Currie ,juniper Green to city ...

 

[Jordan Adam]

I think he does mean the A70. Perhaps by re-routeing the 23 service via RAF Kirknewton and along in that way to Edinburgh via the A70? That said, you would no longer be serving Main Street etc...but it would give First a chance to compete on the Balerno/Juniper Green to Edinburgh corridor again.

I mean A70 livi to Balerno ,Currie ,juniper Green to city ...

That's the A71. The A70 runs Ayr to Cumnock.

 

[In Focus]

I think he does mean the A70. Perhaps by re-routeing the 23 service via RAF Kirknewton and along in that way to Edinburgh via the A70? That said, you would no longer be serving Main Street etc...but it would give First a chance to compete on the Balerno/Juniper Green to Edinburgh corridor again.

Yup St John's,Livingston, A71 Wilkieston ,Kirknewton , Balerno, Currie Juniper Green ,Slateford Road ,City

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I think the next move was in yesterday's NP with the timetable alterations in West Lothian.
The move being the extra vehicles drafted in to make a 5 minute window(on paper) from all the major towns in WL to Livi Centre.
Be a major surprise if he mentioned anything overly dramatic in Edinburgh .

I was thinking from LCB in response to First's latest changes.

 

[In Focus]

That's the A71. The A70 runs Ayr to Cumnock.

It also runs East

 

[In Focus]

I was thinking from LCB in response to First's latest changes.

More buses I would guess .

 

[Edirim]

A70 is Edinburgh to Ayr.

 

[Jordan Adam]

It also runs East

A70 is Edinburgh to Ayr.

Hits head off desk... So it does.

 

[Gingerbus1991]

Heres what I think, LCB colour scheme stands out from the usual, irking all the way back to the 80’s! Nice!