East Lothian’s pilot ‘East L Go’ DRT (Demand Responsive Transport) 131 bus service between Dunbar and Oldhamstocks ended on Friday 19 July.
In response to demand evidenced from the research conducted for developing the local place plan in East Lammermuir, East Lothian Council used short term funding from SEStran to pilot a ‘demand responsive’ bus service covering the area between Dunbar and Cockburnspath. The EL Go bus service operated using an app and a phone number and was run by Eves Coaches.
The trial was successful both on the number of users and the heartfelt feedback received by East Lammermuir Community Council. The service allowed people to access essential services, work, leisure opportunities and onward public transport. For those unable to drive or without access to a car, the bus was an invaluable, but unfortunately short-lived, service.
A problem of any such short-term pilot is that is takes time to promote it to everyone who could benefit. There will be continued efforts to fund a similar service for the longer-term.