First Edinburgh Travel Information
Bus operator linking Edinburgh to Lothian and Central Scotland
First Edinburgh is the second bus operator in Edinburgh. You can use First buses to travel to places around Edinburgh as far as the Borders, Midlothian, East and West Lothian and Central Scotland.
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First Edinburgh is not an alternative to Lothian Buses because they compete on very few routes. First links Edinburgh to many places outside the city boundaries while Lothian buses cover only Edinburgh itself -- with a few minor exceptions.
First Edinburgh is a large bus operator covering many areas of the United Kingdom. Edinburgh is just another of those areas and not much attention has been given to offer the same standard of quality as Lothian Buses.
They are still reasonably ok to travel with, though, but they are the only way to travel to many of the great places around Edinburgh so it's not really a matter of choice.
Buses
Most First Edinburgh buses are single deckers although you occasionally see the odd double decker bus. The buses themselves are not very old but not as well maintained as they should be.
However, First Edinburgh recently started introducing state-of-the-art buses on some routes. The older buses can be quite noisy and the windows can be quite dirty although they are comfortable to sit on.
Service
Because First buses travel to areas outside of Edinburgh they are not very frequent -- running from every 30 minutes to every hour. The buses leave from Waterloo Place, just off Princes Street, towards Calton Hill or from the bus station in St. Andrew's Square, again, just off Princes Street.
Not every bus stop has timetables for First Buses and any route details that are displayed are very basic. This means that you have to gather your travel information before going out. When you board the bus ask the driver or check the maps and travel information that are available on the bus.
Tickets - Cost of Travel
First Buses have a very complicated fare scheme. Edinburgh and the surrounding areas are divided in zones. You can get day tickets to travel within a single zone or across 3 to up to 5 zones.
For a single zone you can get a day ticket for £2.20 if you buy it before 9:30am or £1.80 if you buy it after 9:30am. You buy the ticket on the first bus you board, directly from the driver.
Timetable Guides
Timetables and information on First Edinburgh buses are available at the Scottish Citylink desk in the St. Andrews Bus Station. Take timetables and ticket leaflets to help you better plan your travel to places outside of Edinburgh.
Travelling with First Edinburgh - Web links
Bus timetables
Listings of routes and timetables. Links are not underlined so click on the 'Monday to Friday', 'Saturday' or 'Sunday' words to see timetables for every route.
Bus fares and zones [pdf]
Breakdown of travelling cost to zones designated by First Edinburgh.
First Edinburgh Contact details
Website: First Edinburgh
Address: Carmuirs House 300 Stirling Road, Larbert, FK5 3NJ, Scotland
Infoline: +44 0870 872 7271
>> Back to Edinburgh Bus Travel guide index
All Edinburgh bus travel articles:
General bus information Essential tourist information on using buses in Edinburgh.
Lothian Buses travel information Details about travelling with Lothian Buses, tickets, contact information and description of buses, etc.
First Edinburgh travel information Details about travelling with First Buses, tickets, timetables, routes, contact information, etc.
Also see:
Edinburgh travel guide How to travel to and from Edinburgh by different means of transport.
Edinburgh tours by public bus How to make your own cheap tours by combining walking with public transport.
