[Updated below] On 1st July, Argyll’s West Coast Motors, based in Campbeltown in Kintyre, operating across Argyll and the Isles, in the Central Belt of Scotland and in much of the southern Highlands of Scotland, began a new service in partnership with Scottish Citylink.
Service and frequencies
This is a direct express service between Glasgow’s Buchanan Street bus station and Edinburgh Airport. It takes an hour and runs at half hourly intervals, at a quarter to and a quarter past the hour from Buchanan Street; and on the hour and the half hour from Edinburgh Airport.
The service starts at 04.00 in Glasgow, with the last service at 21.15; and starts at 05.00 at Edinburgh Airport, with the last service to Glasgow at 21.00.
Public information failures at Citylink
West Coast Motors are the operators and Scottish Citylink are the service providers and therefore in their own interests as well as those of potential service users, responsible for letting the public know of the existence and timetable of the service.
A week into the operation, Scottish Citylink’s online service carries no mention of this service, neither in its list of routes served nor in its timetables.
Because we had been alerted to its commencement, we found that by typing into the booking system the two destinations, with a hypothetical date and time and one standard-fare passenger, the service was there and bookable.
For the vast majority of potential users who have no way of knowing it exists, it remains an invisible service – a lack so basic that the notion of marketing seem dizzyingly cutting edge.
Service support failure at Edinburgh Airport
We were alerted to the start of this service by reports coming in from very satisfied users of it, coming in to Edinburgh from international and national flights and finding this step-on shuttle a well run and valuable service.
However, yet again the British cultural inability to think properly in the provision of services, has made its presence felt in the set up at Edinburgh Airport.
The stance allocated to this key frontline service is well away for the terminal exit, at the end of the taxi rank.
The problem here is that passengers are not allowed to take trolleys beyond the taxi rank and so far, the experience has been of having to struggle with luggage between the taxi rank and the stance for the direct coach service to Glasgow.
For families coming off an international flight, this is no small business.
West Coast Motors are running this service with seven new Scania 14.2 metre coaches [and new jobs for drivers - for which they are still recruiting].
This is a seriously useful new service, and one clearly offering users a good and welcome operation. It is daft not to promote it and not even to make it discoverable online. It is another failure of a good service ethos to leave passengers struggling to access it without the use of luggage trolleys.
It would take little effort from Scottish Citylink to update their online information; and from Edinburgh Airport at least to extend the allowable use of luggage trolleys, to smooth out obstructions to a very useful and efficient service which will clearly do well.
We have not had a response from West coast Motors but we are drawing these matters to the attention of Citylink and Edinburgh Airport management.
Update 14.05: There is now a promotion for the Edinburgh Airport citylink – although it does not say that it is a link to Glasgow.
Update 14.20: Scottish Citylink say they are now working on the timetables element and we will publicise its availabiity when it’s there.
