Our Annual General Meeting is on Thursday 6 June 2024, at 18:00 in the Augustine United Church, George IV Bridge, Edinburgh.
Our Guest Speaker will be Professor David Begg. He is the former political transport lead at Lothian Region and the City of Edinburgh councils, chaired the Government’s Commission for Integrated Transport, was on the board of the Strategic Rail Authority and First Group Ltd. He publishes the Transport Times.
Official notification has been sent to all members, as required by EBUG’s constitution. Non-members are welcome, but can not vote.
At the AGM:
the Committee will present a report of the work of EBUG over the year.
the Committee will present the accounts of EBUG for the previous year.
the officers and Committee for the next year will be elected. Any proposals given to the Secretary at least 14 days in advance of the meeting will be discussed.
It is helpful, but not compulsory, if you let us know if you plan to attend.
If you are interested in joining the EBUG committee and would like to discuss this before the AGM, please email chair@edinburghbususers.group.
Advance papers will be circulated to members nearer the time, including:
Provisional Agenda
1. Welcome, Apologies
2. Approve minutes of 2023 AGM
3. Committee report and accounts 2024
4. Elections to the committee
5. Guest Speaker: David Begg
6. Q&A
‘Secrets of a Successful Bus Operation’ : recommended viewing
Click on these links to see slides and a recording of the recent and utterly excellent webinar Secrets of a Successful Bus Operation organised and published by the Foundation for Integrated Transport. A brilliant exposition of how to do buses!
With Roger French, who was Managing Director Brighton & Hove Buses in some of its most successful years.
Roger says reliability should be a given, and identifies five other key areas:
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- Frequency, reliability, consistency
- Price, value, simplicity
- Legendary customer service
- Information, promotion, publicity
- Regular investment in new buses
Continue reading “‘Secrets of a Successful Bus Operation’ : recommended viewing”
Bad budget for buses
The Scottish Government has ‘paused’ the Bus Partnership Fund. The Fund is ‘a long-term investment of over £500m to deliver targeted bus priority measures…to reduce the negative impacts of congestion on bus services and address the decline in bus patronage’ https://www.transport.gov.scot/public-transport/buses/bus-partnership-fund/
When it was launched in 2019, it was the biggest investment in buses for years. Edinburgh and surrounding Councils planned to use it to finance major bus priority programmes, including on nine of Edinburgh’s busiest road corridors.
Updated Bus Lanes and Patronage Graph
We’ve updated one of our key graphs. It now shows:
- The impact of the Covid19 pandemic
- The reallocation of bus lane space during the pandemic, now largely reinstated
- The reduction in bus lane hours in 2015
No 12. Edinburgh Bus Users Group: Members’ Bulletin October 2023
The EBUG Committee has decided to increase the frequency of members’ bulletins. We’re aiming for 6 a year, roughly once every two months. Due to the temporary unavailability of our usual method of posting the bulletin to EBUG members, October’s bulletin comes to you direct from our email account.
Here’s the ‘highlights’ since our previous bulletin in June:
Our AGM took place on June 21. Once the formal business was complete, Councillor Scott Arthur, Convenor of Transport at the City of Edinburgh, spoke about the role of bus services in the Council’s future transport plans. We were particularly pleased to note:
- his reservations about the concept of ‘to not through’ the city centre with regard to buses.
- that Councillors have not approved a blanket policy of removing bus stops.
Continue reading “No 12. Edinburgh Bus Users Group: Members’ Bulletin October 2023”
Update – comments on the Edinburgh Tram extension and buses
In December 2022, EBUG published an initial commentary on the Tram extension to Newhaven and buses https://edinburghbususers.group/ebug-comments-on-the-edinburgh-tram-extension-and-buses. At the time, construction was not complete, particularly at bus stops.
The Tram route has now been operating since June, so we revisited the sites previously inspected for an update. To recap, we had surveyed only the most southerly bus stops on Leith Walk, and the updated survey covered the same ground.
NB as previously, we did not carry out a full bus stop audit.
At Elm Row northbound, the bus stop appears acceptable. The shelter is long, and therefore spacious. It is perhaps disappointing that the opportunity was not taken to install wider end panels for better weather protection; this would have required moving the shelter onto the cycle path.
Continue reading “Update – comments on the Edinburgh Tram extension and buses”
Guest Contribution No 1
EBUG is now occasionally posting contributions by ‘guest writers’ on our website. EBUG may, or may not, agree in full with their content, but believes they are interesting contributions to discussions on the future of buses in and around Edinburgh.
In the first post, Stacey O’Flaherty of the Ratho Bus Working Group reflects on a year of campaigning for better bus services for Ratho.
As well as leading the Working Group, Stacey led the ‘lovemybus’ youth programme, engaging with over 10,000 young people across Scotland in 22 Council areas, working with nine bus operators visiting nurseries, Outdoor Forest Schools, Primary and High and ASN Schools, Scouting and GirlGuiding groups.
Edinburgh Bus Users Group; response to call for evidence by the Cross-Party Group on Sustainable Transport inquiry into cutting public transport emissions
Edinburgh Bus Users’ Group (EBUG) is a campaign which aims to provide a voice for bus users; to protect and improve Edinburgh’s bus network. EBUG is concerned with bus services within the City of Edinburgh Council area and those which cross its boundary. It is user/supporter led, independent of any operator, local or national authority, political party or trade union.
Whilst our response is concerned with buses, some issues are shared with, for example, rail and ferries (and even freight), and the text of our response highlights this where particularly relevant.
Comments on The City of Edinburgh Council’s draft Public Transport Action Plan
As submitted to the City of Edinburgh Council
In commenting on the six Action Plans which underpin the City Mobility Plan (CMP), Edinburgh Bus Users Group is:
- Submitting the commentary below regarding the Public Transport Action Plan (PTAP)
- Submitting a general statement regarding the Active Travel, Road Safety, Air Quality and Parking Action Plans
- Submitting the commentary below, and the general statement, with regard to the Circulation Plan, taking account of the iterative relationship between PTAP and Circulation Plan.
Continue reading “Comments on The City of Edinburgh Council’s draft Public Transport Action Plan”
Comments on The City of Edinburgh Council’s draft Active Travel, Road Safety, Air Quality and Parking Action Plans
As submitted to the City of Edinburgh Council
In commenting on the Active Travel, Road Safety, Air Quality and Parking Action Plans, we submit this general statement which applies to all these Plans.
We have submitted separately comments on the Public Transport Action Plan, but note this general statement regarding overarching issues with all the Plans:
EBUG believes in a working partnership between the Council and bus operators which recognises that each should focus on what it can do, and what it does best.
The Council must increase the budget and capacity of the Council bus team and focus more pro-actively on delivering tangible improvements for bus users.