Wheels on the bus go bump, bump, bump

IT was supposed to be the moment of crowning glory for the Capital’s latest weapon against snarled up roads.

The "Fastlink" had been built to glide past west Edinburgh’s notorious traffic jams, along the UK’s longest stretch of guided busway.

But the VIP launch of the £10 million scheme turned into a rather bumpy ride for Transport Secretary Alistair Darling and other special guests.

In a specially arranged run, the Cabinet minister and his Scottish counterpart Nicol Stephen found themselves continually bounced around in their seats. They were joined on the special trip by, among others, city transport leader Andrew Burns.

One council insider described the ride as "bumpy". Their experience proved unsettling enough for the service’s public debut to be cancelled.

The Fastlink bus has specially adapted wheels, so it can slip on to the 1.5km guided busway, between Hermiston Gait and Stenhouse Road, avoiding traffic jams on the adjoining roads.

The idea is that the wheels fit snugly between rails on either side of the bus lane. But workmen for Transport Initiatives Edinburgh (TIE), the council-owned arms-length company running the scheme, had to be dispatched to smooth out kinks in the tracks. It carried out a process known as "grading" to smooth the track and ensure a more comfortable ride for paying customers.

Officials said tests were conducted to create "optimum passenger comfort", with the end-result proving "satisfactory".

It finally opened for business yesterday with Lothian Buses scheduling its Number 22 service for the route after four days of cancellations.

Passengers were taken from the Gyle to Ocean Terminal using the busway with the company reporting no complaints so far. Until then, only buses used for training runs had driven along it to familiarise drivers with the unusual roadway.

The service features 12 buses an hour running along an 8km corridor, including the 1.5km of dedicated bus lanes from Stenhouse to Broomhouse.

Now the Fastlink is expected to cater for more than 10,000 passengers a day, cutting 15 minutes’ journey-time from the city centre to Edinburgh Park.

The service’s shaky start was labelled another transport bungle by Tory transport spokesman Allan Jackson. He said: "With all the bumpy roads in Edinburgh it’s surprising the council thought this would be a problem. However, even they seem to have realised that it is. Now, with a bit of luck and a tailwind, they might get round to fixing all the other roads in the city."

Despite its unsure start, Lothian Buses said today the scheme would soon be seen as a big boon for travellers.

Bill Campbell, the firm’s operations director, said: "It took a few days longer than expected for finishing touches but this was a fairly big project. The main thing is that it’s now up and running for passengers."

Mr Stephen, who was among the guests at the official opening ceremony last week, praised the "high-quality new service" for which the Scottish Executive provided more than £6m.

Although Lothian Buses had expected the service to start on Sunday, Councillor Burns insisted the project had actually been finished early.

"The original completion was March 2005 so we are ahead of schedule by several months," he said.

"We have been clearing up a few minor technical difficulties and I’m delighted that it is now open to the public. I’m sure it’s going to be a huge success."