public transport in Midlothian
train - bus - taxi
TRAIN
Four stations on the Borders Line are in Midlothiam - at Shawfair, Eskbank, Newtongrange & Gorebidge. All are unstaffed, so any passenger assistance needs to come from on-train staff. Booking Passenger Assistance is strongly advised, though they will help where possible even if not informed in advance. The class of train normally in use is Class158. originally these had narrow doors and a tight turn from the lobby for wheelchairs. These are currently being rebuilt and half of the 50 sets were done by Feb 2017, the remainder will be completed by Oct 2019. Other than ticket machines, a shelter on the platform and a car park, there are no facilies of any kind at the stations. However in the Borders at Galashiels just outside the station is the Hub with cafe and toilets, and Tweedbank has a privately-owned cafe at the station with toilets open to the travelling public.
BUS
Served by several companies, almost entirely on radial routes from Edinburgh. Lothian Buses goes as far as Penicuik, Bonnyrigg and Gorebridge; while Stagecoach continues to Dumfries, and Borders Buses to Galashiels, Kelso & Jedburgh. The one non-radial services are East Coast Buses, whose Service 140 runs through the Midlothian towns from Penicuik through Loanhead, Lasswade, Bonnyrigg, Eskbank, Dalkeith to Musselburgh while Service 139 provides a local service in Dalkeith.
TAXI
A number of medium to small size taxi operators work in Midlothian. The fleet is a mixture of wheelchair-accessible (the so-called 'accessible taxi') and regular saloon cars; some have small buses. It's not normal to be able to hail a taxi in the street, and note that an Edinburgh taxi may charge a supplement for travelling outside the city limits, especially at night.
GENERAL
No details of services are given here, but Forward Mid produces a regular newsletter with regularly updated details (which includes lists of taxis and their facilities). The current Transport issue is here. This gives information about everything travelwise except walking, cycling and private cars.