Get on board now!
Campaigners check if city’s public transport is just the ticket
EBUG IS A BODY WHICH LOOKS out for Edinburgh’s bus passengers and services. Edinburgh Bus Users’ Group campaigns as a voice for bus users, and is committed to protecting and improving Edinburgh’s bus network for the benefit of current and future bus users. EBUG is concerned with bus services operating within The City of Edinburgh Council area and those which cross its boundary, and with city-wide - rather than local - issues.
EBUG is committed to sustainable transport. It is user/supporter led, independent of any operator, local or national authority, political party or trade union.
Participation is open to anyone with an interest on that basis, and the group co-operates with other user-focused groups, such as Bus Users Scotland at a national level, and other local groups, as appropriate.
WHO ARE YOU?
Edinburgh Bus Users’ Group (EBUG) is a campaign providing a voice for bus users. We’ve about 60 signed up members (new members welcome and over 700 Twitter followers.
The members elect a committee each year to deal with day-to-day business. The committee is made up of ordinary Edinburgh residents.
WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE?
To protect and improve Edinburgh’s bus network; bus services within Edinburgh Council’s area and others which cross its boundary.
Edinburgh has a much-loved bus network which is the envy of other cities. But it’s been rather taken for granted and, even before Covid, there were dark clouds on the horizon. We want to help ensure that it has a strong, long-term future, meeting Edinburgh residents’ needs.
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
Because without a strong, user-friendly and growing bus network, Edinburgh can’t be a sustainable, thriving city. Good public transport is at the heart of successful cities world-wide; in Edinburgh that means, in the main, buses.
WHAT FORM DOES YOUR CAMPAIGN HAVE?
We always start with question: ‘what is in bus users’ interests?’. Sometimes that means, for example, looking at bus stop design, sometimes at wider issues like the City Mobility Plan, or transport policy.
Since we started in 2019, we’ve spent a lot of time responding to the Council’s consultations and actions. Recently we’ve tried to be more proactive, for example by creating “Bus Stop Audits” to highlight how bus stops could be improved. In the run-up to May this year, we’ll be challenging candidates and parties in the Council elections on what they’d do for bus services.
We’re still quite a small group, so we concentrate on city-wide issues. Where there’s an issue which is important to one or two particular communities, we can best spend our efforts supporting local campaigns. We aim to help, not to take over, local initiatives.
We spend a fair bit of time collaborating with other sustainable transport interests. We’re careful to keep ourselves independent of operators, local or national authorities, political parties and trade unions.