Lothian Buses - Main Fleet Liveries & Route Branding

Main Fleet Liveries & Route Branding

Traditionally, Edinburgh Corporation, Lothian Regional Transport (LRT) and Lothian Buses had a livery of madder (a dark red) and cream (white), with matching madder leatherette seating. Some coach-seated Leyland Olympian / Alexander RH-types and Volvo Olympian / Alexander Royales had been painted in the same scheme, but with red in place of the madder. These vehicles are not branded for, but were typically found only on, routes 15/15A.

While Lothian had traditionally maintained a uniform livery for all buses, deliveries of low floor vehicles has seen a new standard livery introduced. Low floor vehicles have also seen route branding come to be increasingly used by Lothian. Route branding highlights the route of certain services making the buses easier to be spotted throughout Edinburgh and the Lothians. Since May 2010 the Harlequin livery used to identify low floor buses has started to be phased out, as the company is now a full low floor operation, with a return to the traditional madder and white livery although the style has been altered slightly to suit the lines of modern buses. Each type of bus owned directly by Lothian Buses has had at least one of their type painted in the new livery.

In July 2011 Lothian Buses introduced 60 new double deck buses. These buses continued with the same madder red and white pattern on the outside of the bus but Lothian Buses changed the inside seats to a matching madder red colour. They also changed the entrance to the bus to a more wooden effect. Each bus features a Euro 5 Enhanced Environmentally Friendly Vehicle engine which means the new vehicles will produce less harmful emissions than the buses they replace. Services 4, 5, 19, 23 and 27 were the first buses to receive this branding. This led to service 5 being re-branded as 'Morningside Maisie' after the fictional kitten created by Aileen Paterson.

Eco branding

New branding was created to go with the reintroduction of the madder and white livery to Edinburgh. The buses used on their route 36 have/are being repainted to show their Eco qualities. On 11 September 2011, 15 new electric-diesel low-carbon hybrid 'ecobuses' added to the fleet began operating on the No.10 route between Western Harbour and Torphin. The new hybrid fleet also offers the first free wifi on a standard Lothian route.

Penicuik City Link

Buses for routes 37, 47 and X47 between Edinburgh and Penicuik were branded as "Penicuik City Link", with blue uppers and roofline, and the positions of the red and madder on the skirting transposed. One of the "Penicuik City Link" buses (bus 801) has recently been repainted into madder and white, with no roof colour. However, the other vehicles in "Penicuik City Link" colours are now to be repainted into the new madder and white livery with a turquoise mint coloured roof and the name "Pen-Y-Cog". This is to celebrate the history of the area as "Pen-Y-Cog" is the original name for Penicuik. The word Pen-Y-Cog is Old Brythonic meaning "Hill of the Cuckoo" and Penicuik's name is derived from this.

Playing cards theme

Four double decker routes using the low-floor scheme are, or have been, based on a playing card theme, with the symbol of the suit incorporating the route number;

• Route 3/3A was, until September 2010, "Club Class – across the City and Midlothian" with extra yellow on the uppers and roofline and a black "club" symbol. Bus 720, formerly one of the "Club Class" branded buses, was repainted into the new madder and white livery with a yellow roof and "3 Connect" branding in spring 2010, and it was expected that this would replace the "Club Class" branding. However, in September 2010, it was announced that the 3 and 3A would be rebranded, using the same livery style as trialled on 720, as "'The Lady Victoria'" to honour Midlothian's mining heritage as the routes pass the Scottish Mining Museum based in the former Lady Victoria Colliery in Newtongrange.
• Route 26 was, until mid-2009, "East to West Through the Heart of the City" featuring red on the roofline, gold between the decks and a large "heart" with an arrow symbol.
• Route 31 was "Ace of Spades – cutting across the city and Midlothian" with orange uppers and roofline, and a black spade symbol, which was worn by buses 751–768. However, these buses have been repainted into madder and white with no route branding.
• Route 44 was "Service with a Sparkle" with black uppers and roofline and a yellow diamond symbol. This is now being superseded by a new branding, "The Mill Race", with pebble grey uppers and roofline.

Two single-deck routes also received branding based on the playing card theme, "The Best Deal" for route 29 (Volvos 136–150, red) and "Leader of the Pack" for route 49 (Volvos 151–160 and 170, blue). 151–160 have now been repainted into a new branding for route 49, "The Queen of Scots" with 136–138 and 170 now repainted into standard madder and white. Meanwhile, Route 29 has been rebranded as "The Stock Brig".

"Connect" branding

Mid 2009 saw the introduction of 'Connect' branding, with the first example being red-based "26 Connect: Clerwood, City Centre, Seton Sands / Tranent." This supersedes the earlier playing card theme. The second example applies to new, buggy friendly vehicles on route 22, with the legend "22 Connect: Gyle + Edinburgh Park, City Centre, Ocean Terminal." The base colour here is pink. A third example was applied to bus 720 on route 3, with the legend "3 Connect". The base colour here is yellow, and was applied together with a new interpretation of the classic madder and white livery. The "3 Connect" branding was replaced by "The Lady Victoria" branding in October 2010.

"Zoom to the Zoo" advertising

June 2009 saw Lothian enter into a two-year deal with Edinburgh Zoo to create a fleet of ten vehicles wearing animal-themed advertising designs over Route 26 'Connect' branding. Five variations exist, on two vehicles each::

• "Recognise Anyone?" – featuring the chimps
• "Dive On" – penguins
• "Have a Purrfect day Out" – tigers
• "Go Faster Stripes" – zebras
• "Take Off!" – rainbow lorikeets