We have undertaken a significant transformation project to modernise our public transport offering and improve the service for communities.
Millions invested and increase in passenger numbers
The work has seen increased investment and an expansion in services combine to strengthen our role in the delivery of public transport across the Scottish Borders, with major achievements and key operational improvements including:
- Investing £1.5m in new accessible minibuses and coaches
- Installing real-time info screens at 15 locations, with 29 more on the way
- Bringing six key bus routes in-house, meaning we now run nearly half of all public services across the Scottish Borders
- Increased partnership working to expand local bus services and increase passenger numbers
- Strengthened links with neighbouring Councils to support cross-border travel
- Tap-and-go on all Council-run bus services making travel easier
- Improved connections to trains at Tweedbank and Galashiels Interchange
Changes made in reponse to 2024 Bus Network Review
The improvements have been made in response to the Bus Network Review which was carried out in early 2024 and set out to modernise the bus network in the region by using data analysis and community feedback to assess its effectiveness and identify future improvements.
The review highlighted opportunities to increase service frequency, improve town-to-town connections, and better align bus times with work, education, and healthcare needs.
More services brought in-house
Since then we have brought six additional local bus services in-house – services 54 & 74 (Galashiels), 80 & 81 (Kelso Town Service, Morebattle and Yetholm) and 90, 91 & 93 (Peebles Town Service, West Linton and Biggar) which were previously operated by commercial providers.
We now operate 19 of the region’s 39 dedicated bus services—making it the largest operator by route count for services operated in the Scottish Borders.
Passenger numbers have also increased significantly with services we run growing from around 2,000 to nearly 12,000 passengers annually and patronage on the core network have grown by around 70% in 2024. This is in response to continued partnership working with Borders Buses and changes to the network.
To support the next phase of the Bus Network Review, a new Member Officer Working Group is being proposed. This group will help guide future service decisions, ensuring they remain responsive, sustainable, and aligned with regional priorities.
Councillor Jenny Linehan, Executive Member for Environment and Transport
“Reliable and accessible local bus services in rural regions like the Scottish Borders are a lifeline for many helping connect people to jobs, healthcare, education, social activities and essential services.
“Following the bus network review which helped identify key areas where we could improve the service as a whole and meet travel demand, I am pleased to see really positive results with more people choosing to travel by bus. Clearly these changes are making a difference and we’ll keep building on them.
“Through these changes we have increased the resilience of our bus network by taking responsibility for more services and we will continue to keep adapting services to meet customer need. I would however like to recognise how vital commercial partners are to the network’s future and would like to express my thanks to them for their continued support and investment.”