Edinburgh passengers fume 'there will be an uprising if our bus station shuts'

Edinburgh passengers have expressed concerns over the future of the city's bus station, after it was announced that the council had entered talks with owners over the lease.

Edinburgh Live went down to the hub to talk to those using it, who said its central location was "very important". This comes after Coal Pension Properties, which leases out the St Andrew Square site, have said they may consider redeveloping beyond 2027.

Those who use the station often said this would have a "huge impact" on their lives. Transport convener Scott Arthur has said the bus station "may be lost" if a new deal is not struck, and council officials are looking at options to relocate it elsewhere in the city.

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Currently, those who are over 60-year-old or have a disability are eligible for free bus travel in Scotland. Those who have the National Entitlement Card that we spoke to in the station said other transport options would cost them money they "don't have" - or mean getting multiple buses to get into the centre of town, which could be difficult for those with mobility issues.

Audrey Loy, 64, said moving the bus station would have a huge impact on her life. She uses it to get to family in Inverness, friends in Glasgow and trips around the country.

Audrey told us: "I go up to my sister's every other month. She's just been down so I'll go up to her in about four weeks. My nephew uses it to come down and visit me.

"My friend in Glasgow, I go through once a month to visit her. I go to Dundee with my friend on wee bus trips, and Linlithgow as well. The bus station is very important for me.

"I get free bus travel as well, so getting around on the train would cost me money that I don't have."

Audrey struggles with her mobility, and hasn't worked for years due to her disabilities. Having the station so close to her home means she's able to get around, which would be much more difficult if it were further out of town.

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She continued: "I stay at the bottom of the Canongate, so it's very easy for me to get here. It's so central. There's a lot of older people I see getting the bus, but also for tourists. They know exactly where they're going.

"It's been here for years, so I suppose you think it'll be here forever. It needs to stay. They did it all up and changed it, and it's so much better since they did that. Where are they going to move it that will be big enough to cater for everything?

"Even if they moved it to say, The Gyle, everyone would need to get two buses. With my disabilities that's not easy for me.

"The bus I get up to Inverness is at 9.30am from here, and that's easy enough for me to get here by. If the station wasn't central it would be a struggle for me."

Elizabeth McDonald, who was visiting from Aberdeen, told us she thought there would be an "uprising" if the bus station were to move further out of the city. She added: "I'm just heading back up to Aberdeen after visiting for the night.

"I think this bus station is great, it's much better than the one we have in Aberdeen. It's covered, and warm, and very well kept.

"It's so important for older people to have stations like this, and it would be really disappointing if they had to move. I came down for a concert at the Usher Hall and having the bus station so central makes everything so easy.

"You're right in the city centre when you get off the bus. I think there might be an uprising if this place were to shut.

"If they put it somewhere that wasn't so accessible it would be much harder for me to come and visit my friend."

Helen and David, a couple in their 70s who had just arrived from Stirling, said the bus station meant they can come through for the day without breaking the bank.

They told us: "It's free for us to come through and even if we don't do much it's a nice day out.

"However, if the station weren't so central then we'd probably think twice about coming through. Having to get another bus or something would make it less of an enjoyable day out.

"We're not getting any younger and it's not as easy to get about as it used to be. I hope they think twice about moving it, and what that'll do to people like us."

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Despite the uncertainty of the future of the bus station, Cllr Arthur said the talks were "a starting point" for negotiations.

He said: "They are reviewing their options. Personally, I have a pension and I expect that pension to invest sustainably so if it was my pension fund thinking about demolishing a bus station and perhaps replacing it with something like a hotel I wouldn't think that reflected my values or the values of my pension fund.

"It does not seem like the best decision to make in 2024 in the middle of a climate emergency. In parallel to those negotiations, I think it's really important the council takes it quite seriously.

"I think the buses that currently come into the city centre do need to have a place where they can come right into the city centre and where the drivers can access welfare facilities because that's a big part of what the bus station provides."

Cllr Arthur said the firm was "open to renewing the lease", though it's understood that the terms would likely not suit the council. He added: "Being open to renewing the lease isn't the same as the terms being possible for the council to accept in terms of cost and perhaps other restrictions that comes with."

Cllr Scott Arthur Transport Convener said: “Officers are currently considering a range of options including renewing the lease. I’ve asked for the options appraisal to be presented to and considered by the Transport & Environment Committee as a matter of urgency. Personally, I’m really concerned that such a modern and well used piece of Edinburgh's sustainable transport infrastructure may be lost."