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The company says that all city trips departing from terminal points after 7:30 p.m., including services that operate on Lothian Buses, Lothian Country and East Coast Buses, will not operate Wednesday night. This applies only to night services; night bus services are expected to operate normally.
Lothian says services are expected to return as scheduled on Thursday, March 18, but will remain under review and services will be diverted from any areas targeted for further attacks until it is safe to return.
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Sarah Boyd, Lothian’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “I am proud that Lothian serves in the hearts of our local communities and after the challenges of the past year it is downright appalling that the actions of a few can directly impact so many. However, driver and customer safety is our top priority, so we deeply regret that we have to take this action.
“We understand that we provide a critical service for key workers and those for whom travel is essential and we can only apologize to these customers who we know will be harmed by this decision.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Scottish Police for all their efforts to help us maintain service thus far. I would also like to thank our clients and all our colleagues for their continued support and patience.
“We urge anyone with information related to these incidents to come forward to ensure that those responsible are held accountable for their actions.”
Lyn Turner, Regional Industry Officer for Unite, said: “Our members have the right to work without fear and we support Lothian’s decision to withdraw services from areas where they cannot safely operate. The safety of our members is paramount.
“We urge communities to come together and provide information on those responsible for these dangerous acts of criminal conduct that seriously jeopardize the safety of our members and the public.”
On Tuesday, Chief Inspector Sarah Taylor, local area commander for North West Edinburgh, said several buses threw large stones at the windows, describing it as “foolish behavior” that could lead to serious injury or even death.
Chief Insp Taylor said police have been working with Lothian Buses to address the rise in antisocial behavior in the past three weeks through Operation Proust.
Officers have been patrolling buses, vehicles and on foot in the affected areas and have so far identified and charged 18 youths.
Police have also engaged with more than 140 youth to ensure relevant safety and prevention messages are delivered.
Other measures have included visits to parents of youth identified as involved and warning letters issued.
On Tuesday, a Lothian employee told the Edinburgh Evening News that drivers are “really scared” about driving at night right now, as it is happening “almost every night.”
The employee fears there is the possibility of continued closures of “no-go” areas throughout the city, as the scale and frequency of vandalism is something “we’ve never seen before.”
Edinburgh City Council Transport Coordinator Lesley Macinnes said: “Like everyone who has seen the coverage of the horrendous attacks on our bus services in recent days, I have been utterly appalled by the reckless and intimidating behavior of those who are behind the assaults. Enough is enough, it has to stop.
“I am fully behind Lothian’s decision to withdraw bus services tonight as a clear message that this criminal attack on a vital public service will not be tolerated. Anyone who thinks they know someone who is involved in this despicable campaign of antisocial behavior should do the right thing and report it to the police immediately. “
