Commuting in Edinburgh

Want a quick version? See the tl;dr here ;)

I’ll never get tired of how gorgeous Edinburgh is. The clean streets, raw nature, stunning architecture still leaves me feeling amazed at the fact that I live here now, in officially the best city in the world. I’ll also never get over how tiny Edinburgh is (at least, the part of Edinburgh we actually visit). Coming from Indian metro cities, it’s impossible to understand just how easily accessible everything is. I spent my life being driven around in cars and I didn’t realise how much I took it for granted, until Edinburgh just made it spectacularly unnecessary.

In the unlikely event that no one has told you yet, people in Edinburgh walk a lot. Everywhere, every time. It was probably (strike that, certainly) my number one means of commute in semester 1. I walked to campus, to grocery shops, to clubs, to the movie theatre, literally everywhere, in all seasons- rain and sun and hail and snow. In Freshers Week, I hit my peak with 30,000 steps a day, and even after, I’d hit 12k steps a day without even realising it. I know it can all sound a little exhausting, but it’s really not. The farthest place I’d go to with any amount of regularity (read: every single month) was the movie theatre, and that was a 45-minute walk from my accommodation (even with my short legs and consequently slow pace). With the weather so nice and the city so pretty, you won’t mind the walk. You’ll likely even love it.

Another common means of commute everyone considers is cycling. I used to cycle a decent bit before I moved to Edinburgh, so it was easy to picture myself whizzing past mortals going around on foot or on a staggering bus journey. It's at least thrice as fast as walking and was a very convenient way to get to campus and such. When one month in, I bought myself a £200 cycle from Halford’s and drove it back to Pollock, I got a painful reality check. Here are the facts. Number one, Edinburgh is a city built on hills. Anywhere you go, you’ll need to ride up and down a hill (likely more) – Google Maps shows you the elevation gain in the path you’re planning to take. Even though I cycled so much back in India, I would still end up out of breath in Edinburgh after cycling a few hundred metres uphill.

Number two, Edinburgh weather, much like any other UK city, is unpredictable and it rains across the year. If it’s raining or snowing or just very windy, it doesn’t make any sense to cycle, and it’s not safe or advisable. I still don’t know if my purchase was worth it. The most use I’ve made of my cycle was when I was running late to class, or when I went on a short cycling trip to Queensferry. Getting a cycle is a very subjective decision - unless you’re a serious cyclist, think carefully about whether you really need one (a new cycle could easily cost you over £150), and look into the different cycle rental schemes that the university offers before you jump into buying one.

The mode I used the most in semester 2 was the bus and all credit for that goes to the bliss that is NEC (more on that later). Edinburgh’s Lothian Bus system is fairly reliable and convenient (except some buses like number 8 from Beaverbank which are always delayed). There is a bus stop on pretty much every major street, with buses stopping by every few minutes. The Bus and Tram app shows schedules of all bus routes, and Google Maps or Apple Maps too will show real-time updates of the best bus routes to get to your destination. Each bus ride costs £1.80, while night buses cost £3. There are a lot of passes available that let you take the bus multiple times for a cheaper price. You pay as you go – you get on the bus and scan your card onto the scanner next to the driver (you need exact change if you choose to pay in coins). Any bus can be delayed or early sometimes, no system is perfect, but I’d give the Lothian Buses a solid 8 on 10.

I didn’t take the bus too often in semester 1 but compensated for it a bit too well in semester 2, and that was all thanks to the Young Scots NEC. In early 2022, the Scottish government released a scheme where Scottish residents (which thankfully includes us BRP-holders) under the age of 22 would get free travel on public transport. There’s a few if’s and but’s to this, but to sum it up, let’s just say all day buses in Edinburgh are free. Anywhere you need to go to in the city – the mall, the campus, the beach – all you need to get to your destination is your NEC. They work on buses throughout Scotland, in fact, so you can save on transport costs to your weekend holiday without even needing to pre-book tickets.

I learned this the hard way – NECs don’t work on night buses (any bus numbers that start with an N). Also, buses are much less frequent later at night; while buses run every 7-10 minutes during the day, you may need to wait 30-45 minutes for the next bus at night. Another handy tip - if you’re not eligible for the NEC, look into Ridacards to save some money on the bus cost.

Much like I depended on Zomato and Swiggy, I was also very used to Ola and Uber. Thankfully, Uber in Edinburgh remains much the same, except that they don’t take cash, only card payments via a pre-registered card. Taking an Uber is the most expensive mode of commute, and I’ve only taken it a handful of times, but it’s important to have the Uber app handy and ready to go in case of emergencies. I remember being lost in the dark on the other side of the city during my first month, betrayed by Apple Maps, but I got myself an Uber and was back home in 10 minutes. Uber is gold for those situations when time, safety, health or peace of mind comes into play.

For emergencies – The University provides an emergency taxi service for you to get home. You can flag down a Central Taxis cab or call 0131 229 2468 to book one. If you tell the driver your student number, EUSA will the pay the fare and arrange for you to pay them back later.

There are trams and trains in Edinburgh too, but they don’t come into use nearly as often. I’ve only ever taken the tram to go to the airport, and trains are for inter-city travel only. Nonetheless, they're two of the best means if you want to appreciate the landscapes and scenic beauty of Scotland as you speed to your destination (much faster than a bus).

Commuting in Edinburgh may be a bit of a shock, but I got so used to it in the end that India’s traffic will felt almost weird. A nostalgic weird.

Thanks for sticking around! For updates on the mini-hiatus and more adventures, stay tuned to Deep-Fried Bagpipes and follow me on Instagram @diyagoel4712.