SEStran and East Lothian Council meet with Minister for Transport
SEStran were pleased to host the Minister for Transport Fiona Hyslop from The Scottish Government on 31 January 2024, along with our partners, East Lothian Council and Transport Scotland, for a productive discussion on our innovative pilot programs:
Scottish Government Minister Fiona Hyslop with SEStran Board Chair, Deputies and Director.
GoSEStran, an integrated journey planning app, and Pingo, our Digital Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) service. Our Projects Officer Hattie James shared the outcomes and insights gained from these initiatives with the Minister.
In just 18 months, 89% of journeys planned through the GoSEStran app have used sustainable modes of transportation. GoSEStran lets users plan and book multi-modal journeys across the region and beyond, aiming to foster behavioural change. Thank you to our GoSEStran MaaS partners: Tactran, East Lothian Council, Transport Scotland, Fuse, and University of St Andrews.
The East Lothian Pingo 109-bus service, operating as a DRT pilot since March 2023, has gained many valuable insights. We were delighted to share those insights and provide recommendations on effectively delivering DRT services in the future across Scotland. Thanks to our partners East Lothian Council, Transport Scotland, Prentice of Haddington, and The Routing Company.
These pilot initiatives have played a pivotal role in helping SEStran align with and accomplish our Regional Transport Strategy 2035 objectives, such as making multi-modal journeys easier through Mobility as a Service (MaaS) apps and addressing transport poverty with our DRT services. We look forward to presenting the comprehensive report of our pilot insights to our partners shortly.
Furthermore, our Chair, Deputies, and Director Brian Butler engaged in discussions with the Minister to address key priorities of our Regional Transport Strategy 2035. The focus was on advancing the Regional Bus Strategy, enhancing access to travel to healthcare, and improving freight transport.
The meeting was productive, emphasising the commitment to an ongoing partnership with local, regional, and national authorities. We extend our thanks to the Minister for visiting SEStran and East Lothian Council, looking forward to the continued success of this close working relationship.
Scottish Government Minister Fiona Hyslop met with SEStran Officers and East Lothian Council.
