regentlad
Competition at Seton Sands
For many years SMT/Eastern Scottish monopolised the busy Edinburgh-Seton Sands route - one of its most profitable. However deregulation (ouch, a nasty word in the bus industry!), enabled LRT the successor to Edinburgh Corporation, to extend their routes beyond the old city boundaries. This they did with glee and continued service 26 to cover much of old Corporation tram route 21 which ran between the GPO to Levenhall and Port Seton. The Port Seton section abandoned in 1928 and the Levenhall section in 1954.
By co-incidence Eastern Scottish had become but a small cog in the giant First empire, with key staff deciding to 'jump ship' to LRT/Lothian and get down to hard work in ensuring that the routes extended into the old Eastern Scottish territory became profitable. Not only did that happen but they surpassed the established operator to the extent that for every passenger carried by First at least ten are carried by Lothian - a staggering statistic!
Here at Seton Sands terminus the two rivals wait side by side. A hard worked First Olympian from the Musselburgh depot lays-over with Lothian fleet 685 based along the coast at Portobello. Note the smart Lothian branding which retained the traditional Edinburgh tram colours of maroon, gold, red and white. Lothian cleverly retained the cross-city element of the journey as its bus will continue beyond Princes St to Haymarket the Zoo and Corstorphine. Whereas First's will end at St Andrew Square on the east side of Edinburgh city centre.
Competition at Seton Sands
For many years SMT/Eastern Scottish monopolised the busy Edinburgh-Seton Sands route - one of its most profitable. However deregulation (ouch, a nasty word in the bus industry!), enabled LRT the successor to Edinburgh Corporation, to extend their routes beyond the old city boundaries. This they did with glee and continued service 26 to cover much of old Corporation tram route 21 which ran between the GPO to Levenhall and Port Seton. The Port Seton section abandoned in 1928 and the Levenhall section in 1954.
By co-incidence Eastern Scottish had become but a small cog in the giant First empire, with key staff deciding to 'jump ship' to LRT/Lothian and get down to hard work in ensuring that the routes extended into the old Eastern Scottish territory became profitable. Not only did that happen but they surpassed the established operator to the extent that for every passenger carried by First at least ten are carried by Lothian - a staggering statistic!
Here at Seton Sands terminus the two rivals wait side by side. A hard worked First Olympian from the Musselburgh depot lays-over with Lothian fleet 685 based along the coast at Portobello. Note the smart Lothian branding which retained the traditional Edinburgh tram colours of maroon, gold, red and white. Lothian cleverly retained the cross-city element of the journey as its bus will continue beyond Princes St to Haymarket the Zoo and Corstorphine. Whereas First's will end at St Andrew Square on the east side of Edinburgh city centre.