On Tuesday 9 April, Lothian welcomed visitors from Upmo to their Central Garage for a tour of the facilities.

Upmo are a charity which supports adults with learning disabilities and autism across Edinburgh, East Lothian and Midlothian. For over a decade, Upmo have been providing opportunities to their service users through their combined tailored support network alongside creative workshops, educational activities and vocational programmes.

The visit came on the back of Jason’s Journey, which shows how Jason, a student at Upmo, travels from his home in Prestonpans to his volunteering opportunity at the Upmo Café in Drum Brae.

Jason, an avid bus fan, travels on East Coast Buses’ Service 124 before changing onto Lothian’s Service 26 at Princes Street. Throughout the journey, Jason demonstrates the accessibility of Lothian’s network as well as how buses can help people gain access to opportunities that they may not be able to get to without buses.

The visitors were given a behind-the-scenes tour, which included a trip on a Lothian bus through the garage’s bus wash, and a look inside Lothian’s Control Room.

The visit also marked Lothian and Upmo’s entry in the Scottish Transport Awards being shortlisted in the ‘Excellence in Transport Accessibility’ category for their work on Jason’s Journey.

Gaynor Marshall, Communications Director, Lothian said: “We were delighted to welcome Jason and the rest of the Upmo team in to Lothian for a visit and tour of our Central Garage.

“Our teams work incredibly hard to deliver sustainable, affordable and reliable bus services for all with accessibility at the heart of everything we do. Jason’s Journey demonstrates the value public transport can have in breaking down social barriers and allowing everyone to access better opportunities.”

Patrick Findlay, Digital Development Manager, Upmo said: “Our team wanted to make a video which highlighted that for some people, a journey like this is a challenge to overcome with determination, practice, and the right support.

“We hope that others wondering about the possibilities that independent travel can unlock will watch this video and think ‘I can do that’. We are very grateful to Lothian Buses for the service they provide to help people like Jason achieve their goals every day of the week.”

You can watch Jason’s Journey by clicking play below.