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| Scotland
Getting Around - Internal Travel |
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Road
Taxis
Edinburgh’s taxis are mainly black hackney cabs and can be
safely hailed in the street. All are licensed and have meters. Taxi
companies include City
Cabs (telephone: (0131) 228 1211) and Central
Radio Taxis (telephone: (0131) 229 2468). Rates are fairly expensive.
A tip of 10 per cent is expected.
Public
Transport
Traveline (telephone:
(0870) 6082608), provides information on all bus, coach and train
routes within Lothian. The office is open from Monday to
Friday 08:30 hrs-17:00 hrs (telephone lines operate until
20:00 hrs). There is no light rail or tram system within the city
and Edinburgh commuters rely on the frequent bus services.
Lothian
Buses, 27 Hanover Street (telephone: (0131) 555 6363), provides
bus services within the city and to outlying districts, as does
First
Edinburgh (telephone: (08708) 727271).
Fares range from 80 pence to £1.00 and night buses
charge £2 and exact change is required. There are
several passes allowing reduced fares.
A new One-Ticket covers travel on both bus and
train throughout Edinburgh and the outlying areas. Tickets
and Daysaver passes are available for purchase on the bus, although
exact change is required. All other passes must be purchased
at the Waverley Bridge Ticket Centre, Waverley Bridge (telephone:
(0131) 555 6363), open daily 08:30-17:30 (summer) and 08:30-16:00
(winter).
The major rail provider for routes to and from the south is Great
North East Railway – GNER (telephone: (0845) 722 5225),
while Scotrail
(telephone: (0845) 755 0033) operates within Scotland, as well as
a London-Edinburgh link. National Rail Enquiries (telephone: (0845)
748 4950) provides 24-hour timetable and fare information for all
train companies.
Edinburgh has two train stations – Waverley station
(located in the heart of the city, at the East End of Princes Street)
and Haymarket station (at the junction of Dalry
Road and Haymarket, in the West End). Facilities at Waverley include
a food mall, a newsagent and a pub.
Scotrail
operates a train service from Glasgow to Edinburgh
every 15 minutes (journey time about 50 minutes). Scotrail’s
Caledonian Sleeper, between London (Euston) and
Edinburgh, runs every night except Saturday (journey
time about 6 hours and 45 minutes). Virgin
Trains (telephone: (0845) 722 2333) operates a direct service
between Manchester and Edinburgh, three times a
day (journey time about 3 hours). GNER operates
a direct half-hourly service between London (Kings Cross) and Edinburgh
(journey time about 4 hours and 30 minutes).
Waverley station and Haymarket station are within walking distance
of the Old Town and the New Town. The stations are also served by
bus routes and taxis.
Strathclyde
Passenger Transport (telephone: (0870) 608 2608, for the Traveline
information hotline) is the passenger transport authority and manages
the underground.
Glasgow is served by a 15-station underground system
known as the ‘Clockwork Orange’, which
runs in a six-mile loop through the city centre and the West End,
every four-eight minutes, Monday-Saturday 06:30 hrs-23:20 hrs and
Sunday 11:00 hrs-17:50 hrs.
The suburban commuter rail network, run by Scotrail
(telephone: (0845) 755 0033) on behalf of the SPT (see above), is
the largest in Britain outside of London. Services run between 06:30
hrs and 24:00 hrs, although different services vary, with later
starts at the weekend. National
Rail Enquiries (telephone: (08457) 484 950) provides 24-hour
information on timetables and fares.
Limousines
Little’s
Chauffeur Drive (telephone: (0131) 334 2177; fax: (0141) 891
5766; e-mail: reservations@littles.co.uk) has a fleet of Daimlers,
Mercedes, people carriers and Volvo limousines.
WL
Sleigh Ltd (telephone: (0131) 337 3171; fax: (0131) 346 8335;
e-mail: info@sleigh.co.uk) hires out Mercedes and people carriers.
Car Hire
Regulations vary from company to company.Drivers will require
a valid driving licence to hire a car in the UK. In most
cases, this can be a national driving licence, although
an International Driving Permit may be preferred if the licence
is not in English. Separate proof of address is usually
required. A credit card is also needed. It is important
for visitors to check what level of insurance is included in the
price of car hire. In general, drivers have to be over 23
years of age to hire a car.
Avis
(telephone: (0131) 337 6363 or (08700) 100 287) Hertz
(telephone: (0131) 556 8311; or (0870) 846 0013) Arnold
Clark Car Rental (telephone: (0131) 228 4747) . |
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