Key Points
- Lothian Buses has announced further changes to bus services to reduce congestion on George Street during the ongoing closure of Princes Street.
- The closure follows the fire at the former Debenhams store on 9 July 2026.
- More than 50 bus routes were already diverted after the fire, but the changes have created bottlenecks on George Street and nearby streets.
- Commuters have reported delays of up to 30 minutes during peak times.
- The revised diversions were introduced after a review of recent data and discussions with Edinburgh Council.
- The new arrangements apply from Wednesday and will operate only between 9am and 8pm.
- Services affected include 15, 33 and 34, plus Lothian Country service 43 and East Coast Buses services 106 and X6.
- Eastbound diversions for these services will remain via George Street and Princes Street at all times.
- Outside 9am to 8pm, westbound services 15, 33 and 34 will continue on the current Princes Street and George Street diversion.
- Lothian Buses said the changes are intended to keep the network moving during one of the city’s busiest weeks of the summer.
Edinburgh Live Traffic & Travel (Edinburgh Daily) August 05, 2026 – Lothian Buses has announced further alterations to bus services in response to significant congestion on George Street, as the ongoing closure of uk/local/princes-street/">Princes Street continues to affect traffic flow in the city centre.
As reported by the local coverage of the disruption, the changes come after the fire on 9 July at the former Debenhams store on Princes Street, which triggered the diversion of more than 50 bus routes. Those reroutings were intended to keep services running, but commuters have since reported delays of up to 30 minutes during peak rush-hour periods, particularly on George Street and nearby streets.
Why were the changes introduced?
Lothian Buses said the revised diversions followed a detailed review of the latest data and ongoing discussions with Edinburgh Council. The operator said the aim is to ease pressure on road capacity on George Street during August, a period it described as one of the city’s busiest weeks of summer traffic.
As reported by the company, the changes are designed to keep the bus network moving and support more reliable journeys for passengers. The operator also acknowledged that route changes can disrupt travel plans and thanked customers for their patience and understanding while the measures remain in place.
Which bus services are affected?
The revised arrangements affect several services, with changes split between westbound and eastbound journeys depending on the route.
Service 15 westbound will be rerouted via North Bridge, South Bridge, Chambers Street, George IV Bridge, Teviot Place and Lauriston Place. Passengers needing city-centre or West End connections can use services 19, 26, 44 and 106 at Abbeyhill, while southbound links to Bruntsfield or Morningside are available on services 11, 16 and 36 at Lothian Road.
Service 33 westbound will run via Nicolson Square, Potterrow, Teviot Place, Lauriston Place, Lothian Road, West Approach Road, Morrison Link and Morrison Street. Connections to South Bridge are available on services 3, 5, 7, 8, 29, 30, 31, 37 and 49 at St Patrick Square, while Waverley Station and city-centre links are available on services 3, 29, 30, 31 and 37 at St Patrick Square. Westbound connections to Westburn and alternative West End stops are available at The Exchange as a proxy for Shandwick Place.
Service 34 westbound will be rerouted via North Bridge, South Bridge, Chambers Street, George IV Bridge, Bristo Place, Teviot Place, Lauriston Place, Lauriston Street and East Fountainbridge. Connections to Waverley Bridge or the city centre are available on services 1 and 19 at Leopold Place, while city-centre and West End links are available on services 19, 26, 44 and 106 at Abbeyhill. Lothian Road connections are available on service 1 at Leopold Place.
How will the diversions operate?
The new westbound diversion patterns for services 15, 33 and 34 apply only between 9am and 8pm. Before 9am and after 8pm, those westbound services will continue to follow their current Princes Street and George Street diversion.
Eastbound journeys for services 15, 33 and 34 will remain via George Street and Princes Street at all times.
For Lothian Country service 43, eastbound journeys will be diverted between Queensferry Street and Princes Street via Hope Street, Charlotte Square, North Charlotte Street, Queen Street and Frederick Street. Westbound service 43 will operate via Frederick Street, Queen Street, North Charlotte Street, South Charlotte Street and Princes Street.
East Coast Buses services 106 and X6 will also change. Eastbound journeys will be diverted between Queensferry Street and Princes Street via Hope Street, Charlotte Square, North Charlotte Street, Queen Street, North St David Street and South St David Street. Westbound journeys on those services will run via South St David Street, North St David Street, Queen Street, North Charlotte Street, South Charlotte Street and Princes Street.
What did Lothian Buses say?
As reported by a spokesperson for Lothian Buses,
“These changes are necessary to help support road capacity on George Street as the city experiences its busiest weeks of the summer during August.”
The spokesperson added that the alterations are “essential to keep the bus network moving and supporting reliable journeys for customers”, while also recognising that route changes can be disruptive.
What is the background to this development?
The latest changes are part of an ongoing response to the fire that affected the former Debenhams store on Princes Street on 9 July 2026. The incident led to widespread bus diversions across Edinburgh city centre, with more than 50 routes affected in an effort to keep services operating while the area remained restricted.
Since then, congestion has built up on George Street and surrounding roads, creating delays for bus passengers and adding pressure to the wider transport network. The revised service patterns appear to be an attempt to balance access, traffic flow and journey reliability while the closure continues.
What could this mean for passengers?
For commuters, the immediate effect is likely to be more predictable routing during the busiest part of the day, though journey times may still change depending on traffic levels. Passengers using the affected services may need to allow extra time, especially if they rely on connections at Abbeyhill, St Patrick Square, Leopold Place or The Exchange.
For city-centre travellers, the changes may reduce some of the worst bottlenecks on George Street, but they also create a more complex bus pattern that could cause confusion at first. For regular users, the main impact will be the need to check whether their service is operating on the weekday daytime diversion or the existing early morning and evening route.
