Since we were elected local councillors, we have been working with our colleague Cllr Hal Osler on the the issue of the 42 bus.
The bus route was recently cut back so it terminates at Craigleith Retail Park rather than the Tesco in Davidson’s Mains. It has caused all kinds of difficulty for those who relied on the bus and further reduced our local public transport options.
After Lothian Buses’ decision to cut back the route, Council officials wrote to the company and offered direct funding to reinstate the changes for six months. This would have allowed Lothian to work with the local communities and properly monitor passenger usage.
Unfortunately, the Managing Director of Lothian Buses did not support the reintroduction of the Craigleith-Davidson’s Mains part of the route, even with this subsidy. This was obviously a very disappointing and frustrating decision.
We always believed that, rather than reducing the route, the 42 should have been extended out to Cramond. We know there are many residents who are keen for a reliable bus service between Cramond and Davidson’s Mains which avoids the Barnton junction. We felt this kind of extension would have significantly increased passenger numbers on the 42 and made it more viable.
As councillors, we will continue to make this case to Lothian a part of our package of suggestions to improve public transport in the north west of Edinburgh. We’ll work to try and make sure this is considered in next route review.