Work towards initial delivery of the Edinburgh Coach Plan has been allocated £100,000 from the city’s pending visitor levy scheme in FY2026/27.
The plan aims to lay the foundation for better handling of coach traffic and improved facilities for those vehicles in the Scottish capital. It is one of a variety of projects for which visitor levy funding was agreed by Edinburgh City Council (ECC) on 12 February.
Papers that went in front of ECC’s Transport and Environment Committee on 29 January note that coaches are currently “not adequately managed in Edinburgh, negatively impacting operators, public safety, and the economy.”
Using visitor levy proceeds to assist delivery of the Edinburgh Coach Plan will bring benefits to public safety and visitor experience, the report continues. The Edinburgh Visitor Levy Advisory Forum (EVLAF) is cited as being supportive of a need for better management of coaches in the city.
No allocation beyond FY2026/27 has been approved, but the papers add that after initial delivery in 2026, the plan will “go back through EVLAF for comment to determine if [it] would be supportive of additional funding from the visitor levy.”
ECC has declined to share details of measures within Edinburgh Coach Plan policy. A session on city access and sustainable tourism at the 2025 Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) Scotland conference informed the establishment of a working group to take forward the plan, CPT Scotland Director Paul White advises.
That working group has now met twice. ECC is a member alongside other stakeholders. Mr White adds that the plan is expected to focus on the positives for sustainable tourism that a good welcome and facilities for coaches can deliver.
“We are delighted that the city has recognised the value of sustainable coach tourism and is committed to a plan to improve its coach welcome and facilities,” he continues.
While a completed plan is not expected before the summer season, the intervening period gives the industry “an opportunity to better evidence the number of [coach] visits to the city and the associated social, environmental and economic benefits,” Mr White concludes.
The Edinburgh Visitor Levy begins on 24 July. A 5% fee will apply to the cost of overnight accommodation. It is expected to raise up to £50 million per year once fully established. Proceeds will protect, support and enhance the city’s appeal as a place to live and visit, ECC says.
