Scotland has a truly diverse capital city with grand attractions such as Edinburgh Castle through to the great bridges across the Firth of Forth. Visitors can enjoy many individual areas – each with its own identity such as the Old Town, New Town and Leith.
Edinburgh’s award winning public transport operators Lothian Buses, Edinburgh Trams and Edinburgh Bus Tours work hard to ensure that all passengers find services accessible and can get out and about to enjoy Scotland’s Capital.
Sights and attractions
Edinburgh Bus Tours – operators of the four five-star city tours, plus The Forth Bridges Bus & Boat Tour, boasts a highly accessible fleet that is suitable for a range of different visitors.
Wheelchair users benefit from entrance ramps and wheelchair spaces on board tour buses. Battery powered wheelchairs are welcome on board providing there is enough space available. Assistance dogs are also welcome to travel too.
If you’re new to the city or want to visit highlights including Edinburgh Castle, the Palace of Holyroodhouse and Royal Yacht Britannia, hop on – hop off tickets that are valid for 24 hours offer a flexible sightseeing option for any Edinburgh itinerary. Inclusive bus tours combine a genuinely pleasant bus journey capturing the sights and sounds of this capital city. Plus, Grand and Royal tickets let you see more, for less.
Edinburgh Bus Tours’ green Edinburgh Tour, red City Sightseeing and the Majestic Tour to Leith are particularly accessible and all offer different sightseeing routes. While the Edinburgh Tour offers a specially trained live guide in English, recorded commentaries in up to 10 different languages are available on board City Sightseeing and the Majestic Tour. Information screens are available on the lower decks of City Sightseeing, the Majestic Tour and The Forth Bridges Bus & Boat Tour (bus only) to make sure that everyone gets a feel for the route they’re taking, including people with hearing impairments.
The vintage MacTours City Tour uses old-style Routemaster buses that have a step at the entrance to the vehicle. This is generally fine for people who can walk a few paces and there is space to store wheelchairs and buggies. The Forth Bridges Bus & Boat Tour can accommodate disabled users in most cases on the boat section of the tour – visitors are advised to go to: forthtours.com for more information in advance.
Disabled visitors pay the relevant adult or child fares and a carer carrying valid identification can enjoy concession prices.
Travel by bus and tram
One of the best bargains to be found anywhere in Edinburgh must be the DAYticket. At £4 for adults, £2 for children and £8.50 for families (2 adults and up to 3 children), tickets open up the city via unlimited travel on daytime bus services and Edinburgh Trams (City Fare zone only) for a whole day.
DAYtickets are perfect if you are making three or more journeys in a day. Like single tickets, these can be purchased from the bus driver of the first bus you board (passengers should have the correct fare ready) or from a ticket vending machine at a tram stop before travel. Simply show your DAYticket to the driver on every bus you board and to every Ticketing Services Assistant on board trams. DAYtickets can, of course, be pre-purchased from Travelshops, online from lothianbuses.com or via the free Transport for Edinburgh app (tfeapp.com). Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams offer a convenient way to travel around the city with DAYticket – all day.
Information
To find out more about Lothian Buses, Edinburgh Trams or Edinburgh Bus Tours why not pop into the recently refurbished Travelshop on Waverley Bridge? A major new feature is a series of large display screens that are updated instantly with the latest travel news including details of any travel disruption. Travelshops are also staffed by helpful and knowledgeable members of the team who are on hand to answer your questions.
Alternatively, download the free Transport for Edinburgh app (tfeapp.com) that includes functionality to assist those with visual impairments.
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