RZSS Edinburgh Zoo has asked the public to name their favourite animal in a new competition to choose a design for the number 26 Lothian ‘Zoo bus’.

People across Edinburgh and the Lothians are being given a unique opportunity to select from three different animals to appear on one of the new collection of branded buses as RZSS Edinburgh Zoo and Lothian announce a public vote today.  The meerkat, the kangaroo and the otter are all up for the vote and the winning design will appear on the new bus on one of Edinburgh’s busiest public transport routes from November.

The public can cast their vote on Edinburgh Zoo’s website and the winning design will be named on Monday, 23 October with the bus appearing on roads two weeks after.

The public vote follows the recent renewal of the Edinburgh Zoo and Lothian partnership. The new three-year deal will see 30 Lothian buses transformed into animals from the Zoo’s collection, cementing Lothian’s role as official transport partner for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS).

Eagle-eyed commuters will have spotted the first of Edinburgh’s new number 26 buses featuring huge pictures of the Zoo’s most popular animals. The first design to hit the Capital’s streets was the spectacular Natal dwarf chameleon, which can be seen in the Zoo’s brand new ‘Wee Beasties’ exhibit, alongside the slogan ‘we come and go’.

Other designs in the collection include a flamingo who encourages travellers to ‘feel fabulous’, a lion who invites passengers to ‘travel with pride’, and the Zoo’s famous giant pandas who call on day-trippers to ‘sit back and relax’.  The fifth and final design for 2017 is being put into the hands of the public.

Barbara Smith, Chief Executive at RZSS Edinburgh Zoo, said:

The new bus designs perfectly encapsulate all that is wonderful about RZSS Edinburgh Zoo – from much-loved giant pandas to the fascinating Natal dwarf chameleons, there is a vast collection to explore and an opportunity to learn more about conservation work we do that makes an international impact. We hope the new bus designs capture the imaginations of Edinburgh residents and tourists alike.

We’re pleased that our partnership with Lothian continues to go from strength to strength and look forward to visitors to the Zoo catching the number 26 ‘Zoo bus’ for years to come.

Gaynor Marshall, Communications Director at Lothian, said:

We are delighted that the development of our partnership with RZSS will give our customers and staff a unique and fun opportunity to be involved in selecting the next eye catching animal design for one of our new low emission vehicles which run on Service 26.

We hope customers will take advantage of the discounted entry to the Zoo which is available through travelling with Lothian and look forward to either a meerkat,  kangaroo or otter joining  the chameleon, flamingo, panda and lion buses!

To coincide with the opening of the vote and the upcoming October school break, Edinburgh Zoo and Lothian put on a catwalk like no other with all newly branded ‘Zoo buses’ taking a tour of the capital on Monday, 16 October, to show off their new looks.

The buses will travel from Lothian’s Marine Garage at 11.30am across the city before making their final red carpet moment outside the Zoo entrance at 12.30pm.  Members of the public are being encouraged to come out and wave them by.

From Monday 16 October until Tuesday, 31 October, RZSS Edinburgh Zoo will also be offering discounted child entry tickets with every paying adult on redemption of their Lothian service 26 bus ticket at the Zoo’s customer service desk.  The offer is valid on the day of travel only.

The 26 Service connects communities from the west of the city to East Lothian. It has become known locally as the “Zoo bus” as it drops thousands of customers at the entrance of RZSS Edinburgh Zoo. The new buses are part of Lothian’s environmentally-friendly fleet and will reduce Co2 emissions by 25% compared with its current vehicles.

As a conservation charity, RZSS believes that conservation and protecting the environment go hand in hand, working in over 20 countries around the world, our team of experts work around the clock tackling issues affecting rare and endangered species.

Voters can cast their vote on the RZSS Edinburgh Zoo website. Voting can also be accessed via the Zoo’s Facebook page.