Lothian Buses carried 110 million passengers in 2023, a more than 17% uplift from the 94 million customers conveyed by the Edinburgh operator a year previously.
The increase represents what Managing Director Sarah Boyd describes as “strong commercial performance” and prefaces expected network growth in 2024. Figures capture ridership across the Lothian, Lothian Country, and East Coast Buses brands.
Ms Boyd adds that the municipal operator is “really pleased” with the increased patronage in 2023 despite what she terms “operational challenges” across its network last year. The return represents a further closing of the gap to 2019’s usage figure of 124 million.
2024 will also see the arrival of further battery-electric buses and associated charging infrastructure. 50 Volvo BZL double-deckers are on order for delivery this year. “Heavy investment” will continue in the operator’s staff and the future of its business, Ms Boyd continues.
Perhaps equally notably, Lothian recruited and trained in-house no fewer than 413 drivers in 2023. Its vehicles covered 26.7 million miles over the year, while the business recorded 100,000 contactless taps on one day in August, saw its journey planner app downloaded almost 370,000 times, and recorded nearly 1.3 million visits to its journey planner webpage.
Edinburgh City Council Transport and Environment Convener Cllr Scott Arthur describes the patronage figures as demonstrating “the commitment all at Lothian Buses have shown to get Edinburgh moving and our economy back on track after the pandemic.”
Continues Cllr Arthur: “Key to this has been that everyone in Edinburgh, no matter what their background, feels safe and at home on a Lothian bus.
“Not only does Lothian provide millions of reliable journeys to passengers every week, it also supports efficient, sustainable public transport, and our net-zero 2030 goals, the impact of which will benefit the city for generations to come.”
