In 2015 Lothian Buses created an Ecobrand as part of a company wide strategy to lower its environmental impact and highlight its continuous journey of improvement.

With support from the brand, the environmental and marketing teams collaborated to advertise the brand on bus and create internal materials including posters and stickers to be used in resource efficiency projects.

Lothian Buses’ commitment to reduce its environmental impact has led to continued investments within its fleet. 2015 saw the arrival of a further twenty Volvo B5LH double deck hybrid buses with support from the Scottish Green Bus Fund. These buses, in use on the Service 34, have removed over 500 tonnes of carbon from our footprint.

Internally, a new efficient recycling system was put in place with the hopes of increasing recycling. With this system and accompanying posters, recycling has successfully increased to 94%.

Working with this year’s Charity of the Year, Fresh Start, has seen over 600 unwanted items donated from both staff and members of the public. These items are then reused to help those who have been homeless, to get established in their new homes.

What you can do to reduce your impact?

• Travel sustainably – did you know on average per passenger, buses produce ½ the CO2 emissions compared to a car? Taking the bus can help to reduce your personal carbon footprint.
• Recycle – know what can and cannot be recycled, reduce your waste and recycle what you can.
• Reuse – reusing reduces waste and removes the creation of unwanted items. For example, purchase a reusable coffee container which you can fill up at local cafes and at work.