Transport / Mid-evening Lerwick to Sumburgh bus trial to get underway
Meanwhile consultation continues into Shetland’s public bus service
A TRIAL involving a new 7pm bus from Lerwick to Sumburgh is getting underway tonight (Monday).
It comes after Shetland South councillor Alex Armitage highlighted earlier this year the gap in the service six timetable between 5pm and 9pm which he said was limiting opportunities for his constituents.
The new 7pm departure will run six days a week, Monday to Saturday.
ZetTrans chair Moraig Lyall said the bus heads down to Sumburgh already, to bring passengers north at 8pm.
“Making this into a passenger service will let us assess the uptake of a mid-evening bus,” she said.
Speaking at a meeting of Lerwick Community Council last week, ZetTrans lead officer Michael Craigie said the trial was partly a “response to the growing number of young people that have been using services” and acknowledged that a 7pm service would be a better fit with after-school activities.
The number of young people using buses in Shetland has shot up since free travel was extended to everyone under 22 in Scotland a couple of years ago.
In 2023/24 there were 134,728 journeys made on Shetland buses by youth concessions, and 23,486 by children.
In total nearly 400,000 journeys were made during the year – a 12.5 per cent increase since 2019/20, which is used as a pre-Covid benchmark.
In total 61 per cent of journeys were made with concessionary bus passes, while the busiest route on the network is service six, which connects Lerwick to Sumburgh.
Armitage said he was “delighted” that the 7pm pilot is getting underway.
There is already a bus from Lerwick to Scalloway at a similar time, and at the ZetTrans meeting earlier this year the board agreed to investigate more 7pm services.
“I have been pushing for more evening services for months and I’m grateful to fellow councillors Robbie McGregor and Moraig Lyall who were instrumental in making this happen, along with officers in the SIC transport planning department,” he added.
The Green councillor said an extra evening bus to the South Mainland will be a “gamechanger” for many people, allowing greater opportunity to shop and attend social, cultural and sporting activities in Lerwick after work or school without having to rely on a car.
“Expanding public transport is a win-win-win for people, the environment and the economy.”
Meanwhile Craigie was speaking to members of Lerwick Community Council on Monday night to inform them about engagement and consultation which is taking place ahead of new public and school bus contracts coming into place next year.
One key element is the desire to reach out to people who do not use public transport and ask what could make it more attractive.
In Shetland at the moment there are 28 timetabled bus services, 30 dial-a-ride services and 15 operators.
At the moment 7am-8am and 3pm-4pm are the most popular times to begin a bus journey.
Emma Williamson raised the topic of tourists using buses, particularly after there were some occasions on cruise ship days where services were full.
Craigie acknowledged there had been times where tourists have “flooded” services but said this was relatively rare.
He added that officers are engaging with tour organisers to see how the network works and explore any pinch points.
Craigie also noted how Shetland has an ambition to grow its tourist market, “so this problem is unlikely to diminish over time”.
“We will be looking at this can be better accommodated in the public transport network,” he said.
Williamson also raised the impending closure of the tourist office in Lerwick.
Craigie said the tourist office receives paper copies of bus timetables.
“We are kind of preparing ourselves for an increase in folk contacting us for travel information,” he said.
“The tourist office has been an incredibly important and valuable source of information.”
Craigie said the “personal touch” has helped people to understand some of the “nuances” of the local bus network.
Steve Mathieson of VisitScotland, the agency which runs the tourist office, also told the meeting that the organisation continues to talk with Promote Shetland to ensure a “good handover” of information once the building closes.
Craigie also conceded that more could be done to provide bus information to visitors, especially folk coming off the NorthLink ferry in the morning.
“We can improve on that and we will improve on that,” he said.
Craigie also told members that officers are looking into technology offering greater real-time information on the status of bus services.
It came after community councillor Stewart Hay raised the idea of electronic displays at bus stops advising when services are due to arrive, which are often seen down south.
He said the current ticket machines on buses have real time information and GPS capability.
Craigie said this technology comes at a cost but suggested there could be funding from Transport Scotland for this type of work.
He added: “People need to have confidence that it’s reliable, it’s comfortable and it gets them where they need to be when they need to be.”
There are a number of public meetings being across Shetland to gather people’s views on the bus service.
Details on the schedule of events can be found here. An online survey is also available.
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