Friday July 3rd 2026
Midlothian Council Fairfield House
Reader Dean Wight writes a letter to the Editor
What is happening at Midlothian Council?
Instead of working with the local community and approaching Edinburgh Councillors to assist them with looking to get the 46 and 48 routes reinstated, they have totally undermined the local campaign.
Last weeks announcement of new services to the Royal Infirmary, while welcomed by some, does little for the majority of Midlothian residents affected by the removal of the 46 and 48 routes, undermines the ongoing campaign led by our local MP and rewards Lothian Buses with £245,000 of tax payers cash. Even worse this will make it nearly impossible to convince Lothian Buses to reinstate the 46 and 48 routes.
I would point out the obvious that this new service will not run for the majority of the day for any of us that need to travel to the Royal Infirmary or Community Hospital and will not alleviate the packed, late running afternoon buses between Musselburgh, Mayfield and Bonnyrigg that the withdrawal of the 46 and 48 has caused with Lothian Buses blatant profiteering.
All that is required would be to reinstate the routes and make the 46 hourly along with the 31 giving all residents a direct route to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary providing an improved service for all of us.
Too simple, not enough profit and now they would lose £245,000 !
They have been allowed to withdraw a vital direct transport link to our community hospital, Dalkeith, Royal Infirmary, Kinnaird Park and Musselburgh affecting thousands of residents of Midlothian without any consultation or impact assessments and with total disregard for the vulnerable, our elderly and our disabled.
The contempt Lothian Buses have treated and shown the community has been truly disgusting especially the contempt they shown to our local MSPs and MP even refusing to share the data that is blamed for the withdrawal. This will not have been the first time they have done this to a community but due to the severity and nature of this one it must be the last.
I would like to appeal to everyone affected with the withdrawal of 46 and 48, to take a couple of minutes out of their day to email their councillors, to demand that Lothian Buses reinstate the routes and adopt a formal consultation process with impact assessments carried out for future withdrawals of vital direct routes which involve removal of direct access to healthcare facilities.
Our councillors must appeal to their Edinburgh colleagues, who have majority control of this despicable company, to begin urgent talks with Lothian Buses management to adopt a consultation process so that communities have a right to be heard and one that Lothian Buses will have to follow. Viability not profitability.
Never again should Lothian Buses be permitted to put profit before community and treat any other community with this level of contempt,
Yours sincerely,
Dean Wight.
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