Our buses operate out of seven locations at Central, Marine, Longstone, Livingston, Musselburgh and North Berwick. We also have a maintenance workshop at Seafield.
From this investment we have diverted waste from our general waste stream and introduced a sustainable packaging alternative.
All canteens and office spaces contain recycling points for paper, plastic, food and general waste with clear signage to ensure colleagues are informed to help us achieve this goal.
We make every effort to reduce the amount of waste we produce, minimising pollution from landfill activity and recycling as much material as we can.
We have three canteens across our garages serving hot food to hundreds of staff members every week. We don’t use polystyrene food packaging, instead using biodegradable products from supplier Vegware. Vegware is an Edinburgh-based company that produces compostable packaging made from plants, and can be disposed of in our food waste stream.
Water
The presentation and cleanliness of our fleet is something we take great pride in. In order to ensure our buses leave the garage looking their best, while taking into account environmental considerations, our bus wash water reclamation systems help to reduce water use. Our modern bus washes also ensure an effective clean and complete the cycle as quickly as possible to reduce overall energy and water consumption.
Energy
From the incorporation of energy efficiency good practice, and lowering electricity usage as a whole, Lothian is making carbon savings across all sites. Many office spaces are fitted with motion sensor lighting, and signage is present in communal areas to remind colleagues to switch off lights when the space is not in use.
Travel
We help to reduce pollution caused by car usage by encouraging staff to commute sustainably and actively. To this end, every colleague in the Lothian Group is issued with a staff Ridacard for free travel across our network, valid also on Edinburgh Trams. Colleagues also receive a generous discount on one additional travel card for a member of their household to further promote sustainable travel and encourage modal shift across Edinburgh and the Lothians.
The major shift towards zero emission technology has highlighted a number of infrastructure changes that will be required in each of our depots. One of the main considerations is how we gain access to the required amount of alternative fuel that will be needed to run our services.
Due to the extremely high cost of the new infrastructure, it is recommended that only one fuel type is required per location.
Following extensive discussions with power and infrastructure providers, it is proposed that all depots will be converted in a 3-phase approach in order to support our fleet replacement plans.