South East and Central Scotland

First announces revisions to Edinburgh and Lothians bus services

Bus operator First in Scotland East is making changes to some bus services in Edinburgh and the Lothians on the 20th April 2009 as a result of a business network review.

As part of this review, some journeys and services will be withdrawn from service due to the fact that they are not commercially viable and simply do not cover their operating costs.

Many of these services have been underperforming financially for a period of time and there is now a need for a more effective course of action.

Paul Thomas, Managing Director of First in Scotland East, said:

"Within this current economic climate, we " like many other companies " are facing increasing financial pressures and have had to take a long, hard look at our business and identify areas affecting the companys performance. Under-performing services like the ones currently under review are one such area.

"And were not just talking about services under-performing because of low passenger numbers " although that is certainly part of the equation in some areas. Its about the bigger picture of services that need a significant input from the company to cover their operating costs and we cannot continue to do this on an indefinite basis. Our long-term aim must be to protect the future of our company.

"In addition, as a major employer within the central Scotland area, we need to identify solutions that allow us to continue to deliver viable and sustainable bus services for passengers across our operating network area " these changes provide a productive way forward.

"Its certainly not been an easy decision to make and we have tried to maintain as much of a balance as possible; however, there is no getting away from the fact that something had to be done. The withdrawal of services that do not cover their costs was identified as the most viable way forward.'

First also confirmed that there were no other options available to achieve the desired result, with Paul continuing:

"We cant simply increase fares as the increase required to cover the costs of these services would be significant and would undoubtedly hit our passenger numbers with passengers moving to other operators where the relevant fare was cheaper, which would subsequently impact on our financial performance.

"And the popularity and attractiveness of travelling by bus is being affected by issues such as the tramworks in the Edinburgh city centre and the knock-on effect these have on journey times as well as the fact that there may be a reduction in the number of people looking to travel to and from the city for work, particularly as a result of job losses in the financial sector. We also take these issues into account when reviewing our services.

"Ultimately, it comes down to the fact that these services are not making a financial contribution to the local economy in any way and are having a negative impact on the long-term sustainability of our business.

"Affirmative action like this is the only answer to make the difference we require and we have worked to maintain as balanced a service as possible while addressing the issues at hand.'