Something that I've been pressing the past 4 Scottish Citylink MD's to promote, and for around 20 years Hitrans has been supplying bags for the 961 Ullapool-Inverness service, as a way to avoid the slog up to Braemore on A835, & joys of sharing the road with fish lorries.
https://www.citylink.co.uk/media280621.php
Please do keep prompting Simone (& Hitrans) to deliver this:
* for some other key routes¹
* with the facility to 'book' spaces and guarantee them² (as already available with the #Ember 100% electric coach service Edinburgh-Dundee, which is fast because it never strays far from the M90/A90 - a nice day-out to Kinross & ride round Loch Leven)
Extracts from CoC for Citylink (Clause 56) and Stagecoach (Clause 6) for reference plus photos, loading 976 Glasgow-Oban, loading 900 Glasgow-Edinburgh.
¹ 926 - Glasgow-Argyll Peninsula
976 - Glasgow-Oban (especially 08.30 or 09.00 seasonal change)
X74/X7 & Buchan plus 10 & routes through Moray-Stagecoach Express, and routes in Fife/D&G
Had trials with Stagecoach E Scotland at Leven Garage & we know that a 2.4m tandem will fit across the hold (coach = 2.55m overall width).
Note that there is formal and informal carriage on buses
* Cloanaig-Lochgilphead 448 - all 3 ferry piers
* Borders 62, 95, 235
* All Comhairle nan Eilean Siar contracted services
All the old SMT rural routes used to carry bikes (4 per 49-seat bus) we just need to restore this, especially where informal use has been known, or past SMT use was common
² A small operation at the office on Killermont Street sorts out seat bookings made by phone. Having an allocation of pseudo seats that are bike spaces in the hold could easily be a way to deal with this, especially as there can be a large number of bikes coming off the Stornoway and Lochmaddy ferries at Ullapool & Uig, especially with party tours
PM any intelligence of informal options - eg need to know if Stuarts continue as Hendersons were on the Hamilton-Strathaven route & carry bikes
And comments ...
Ronnie Brunton
aye progress - we really need these though..... https://deafsluitdijk.nl/fietsbus-dienstregeling/
Richie Smith
Timely. I've just arrived in Innerleithen with my mountain bike, by bus from Edinburgh. Blissfully easy thanks to Borders Buses! (62)
Chester Parker
Ember buses carry up to 4 bikes between Edinburgh and Dundee, via Perth, I’ve tried them a couple of times, buses almost empty, and very helpful staff
Mark James
Borders buses 253. Only £2.53 single using the app Dunbar - Edinburgh
Also all Eve’s buses in East Lothian
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