Friday August 15th 2025
Photograph by Lee Live
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Joe Sullivan
All Lothian Bus services at Midlothian’s park and ride to the south of Edinburgh will be withdrawn from next month, it has been announced.
The X37, 47, and 47B will stop serving the Straiton park and ride from that date, with services bypassing it and running directly down Straiton Road.
Edinburgh’s NightBus network will also see service reductions from September 7, as well as some routes in the city network – though some service frequencies will be increased.
Located just over the Midlothian border, the 600-space park and ride opened in October 2008, hosting a high-frequency bus service into Edinburgh city centre.
During the pandemic, the station building there was shuttered alongside others at park and ride sites around the city, and has not reopened since.
In a statement on their website, the firm said that the decision was made in consultation with Edinburgh and Midlothian councils due to a ‘low volume of customers’ using the facility.
Lothian added that it would reduce journey times for most passengers in Midlothian, and that bus stops located near to the park and ride on the A701 would remain open.
NightBus services across the city will be reduced, with the N22 service from Princes Street to South Gyle being axed and the N26 losing all service between Haymarket and Clerwood.
A new N1 service, running once on weekdays and three times on weekends, will partially replace the N22 and part of the N26 – though the N22 ran three times a night all week long.
And the N25, N30 and N31 will either see frequencies drop or lose some services during some days of the week, while half of the N3’s weekend trips will end early at Mayfield.
However, the N35 service, from Ocean Terminal to Heriot-Watt, will gain a new journey in one direction every night.
In the city network, the 1 will see weekday services go from one every 12 minutes to one every 15, and the 35 will run less frequently on Sundays.
But the 5 will go from every 20 minutes to every 15, and the 45 will get buses on Sundays, while the 9 will get extra trips in the morning during term time.
At West Maitland Street, the 3, 4, 25, 26, 31, 33 and 44 will no longer stop, with service available nearby near Haymarket Station or Shandwick Place.
However, East Coast, NightBus and express services will still stop there.
At the eastbound side of the Abbeyhill stops, the 15, 26, X26 and 45 will be moved to the rear of the two stops.
The X18 Lothian Country service will get an extra journey in each direction on weekdays, while the X27 and X28 will make less stops in the west of Edinburgh.
Additionally, the X27 will gain extra services towards Edinburgh in the morning.
The 72 will run more frequently seven days a week, going from hourly to once every 40 minutes, but will stop serving Kirkliston.
And the 73 and 74 are set for significant changes, with the 73 partially taking on a new routing that links Armadale and Livingston.
The 74 will pick up some of the areas no longer served by the 73, but will stop serving parts of Ladywell and St John’s Hospital.
On the East Coast network, the X4 will lose afternoon peak hours services to Tranent Castle, as well as the midnight service from Tranent to Musselburgh.
But it will gain extra early morning services, which Lothian says will improve coordination with the 106 and 113.
And the 106 will run through Edinburgh city centre Monday through Saturday, with services terminating at Western General Hospital.
Sunday services will still terminate at Fort Kinnaird, as at present.
Lothian Buses has been contacted for comment.
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