LOTHIAN Buses have indicated that a date for the return of the suspended X5 bus service between North Berwick and Edinburgh could be announced “soon” following the submission of a petition calling for the return of the service by Craig Hoy MSP.
Mr Hoy’s petition was made available to sign online and received 1,089 signatures in total, mostly from those living in the affected communities of Longniddry, Gullane, Aberlady, Dirleton and North Berwick.
The X5 bus was suspended two years ago by Lothian Buses following the introduction of national lockdown restrictions. The service ran through North Berwick, Dirleton, Gullane, Aberlady and Longniddry directly on to Edinburgh via the A1.
Commuters from the coastal villages of Gullane and Aberlady now face an extra hour on to their commute to Edinburgh without the X5 service compared to before the pandemic.
In response to Mr Hoy’s petition, the Interim Chief Executive of Lothian Buses, Nigel Serafini, wrote to him saying: “We are only just covering existing service levels but with an uplift of new recruits due to begin in the business shortly, we are hopeful that we will soon be in a position to announce a date for the return of the service. This does however critically hinge on no further outbreaks or changes to guidance in the coming weeks. As always, we continue to review our network provision and remain committed to restoring services where circumstances allow.”
Commenting on the response, Mr Hoy said: “I am pleased that Lothian Buses have now responded to the petition calling for the reinstatement of the X5 service, and I am delighted that they are looking at providing a date for the return of the service ‘soon’.
“The X5 bus was a popular service in the local community providing a direct and convenient route into the centre of Edinburgh in under an hour.”
