Overview

If you are a visitor to Edinburgh, you are probably arriving in the city via Waverley. The train station is right in the middle of things, between Old Town and New Town, and even if you took a plane from overseas, the airport bus will drop you off at Waverley Bridge. You will notice right away that this is also where sightseeing buses leave from to take visitors all around the city. It is very convenient then, that the Lothian Buses TravelHub is right there at the top of Waverley Bridge (Old Town/Market Street side) and you can pop in to learn about the different bus services or purchase a Ridacard, a season ticket for unlimited bus travel for a week, a month or even a year. I opted to buy a picture book about a tram instead, so if you are just looking for a unique souvenir, the TravelHub might still be worth a visit.

Transport & Parking

The airport bus and many of the sightseeing buses stop on Waverley Bridge, very close to the TravelHub. The most convenient public transport option is probably Waverley Station, which has a lift to the exit on Market Street. There are also bus stops on Princes Street, the Royal Mile and North Bridge, but even though they are close, there are significant changes in elevation along the way and the shortest ways from the Old Town will involve steps. I came from Princes Street and had no issues with my powerchair going down and then up again on Waverley Bridge, which is less steep than coming down Cockburn Street from the Royal Mile. If you come from Princes Street, you also have the option of taking the tram. There is some restricted parking along Market Street, which is paid and time-limited unless you have a blue badge.

Access

There are two doors into the TravelHub. While the left one is labelled as the entrance and the right one says “no entry”, it is the right door that has a door opener and a less steep mini-ramp up to the threshold. So if you are wheeling, ignore the sign and go for the right door! The door opener on the outside is a thin rectangle on the wall to the left of the door. The door opener on the inside is also a thin rectangle, attached to a barrier on the left side of the door, which sticks out about a meter from the door. The door on the left also has a mini-ramp, but it is quite steep and the door opens only about 80 degrees. The doors open to the inside. There is enough space on the inside to move and turn in a wheelchair, but when I visited, a queue had formed in front of the door on the left, which is yet another reason to enter on the right if you don’t want to accidentally run anyone over when taking the steep threshold at full power. There is a display of flyers on the left wall that is accessible from a seated position. There is a counter for the tourist buses on the left as well. It is quite tall, but there is a lower bit at the back wall where staff would enter to stand behind the counter. (It was not staffed when I visited.) There is a long counter with several staff along the back wall and it has a lowered section on the right. There is no hearing loop, BSL, large print or braille information.

Toilets

There are no toilets at the TravelHub, but there is a Changing Places toilet next door at the Wetherspoon’s and also in the station.

Staff

After some initial hesitation, presumably because my questions were a bit unusual, the staff warmed up and went out of their way to help me.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

You can find more info on the accessibility of Lothian Buses on their website: https://www.lothianbuses.com/accessibility/ If you are looking to go on a bus tour of Edinburgh, check the accessibility info here: https://edinburghtour.com/accessibility/

Photos