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There are different types of Edinburgh transport tickets, suitable for different uses and needs. For those who occasionally use public transport, the SINGLEticket is the ideal solution. In this case, the ticket is indifferent for buses and trams; the cost is the same: £1.80 per adult and £0.90 for ages 5 to 15. On buses, it allows you to make only one trip on daytime lines. On trams, it allows you to make a journey from York Place to Ingliston Park; must be used within 30 minutes of validation.
The NIGHTticket allows the use of night buses. It costs £3.00, and can be purchased exclusively on board the vehicle. In this case, there is no reduced rate. The LATEticket costs £4.00 per person; allows you to make unlimited trips for the whole day and night, from 18:00 to 04:00. Only available with TapTapCap payment.
Photo ©, David McKelvey
The DAYticket – City Zone, is the equivalent of a day ticket, and allows you to make unlimited travel within the validation day, on all buses and trams in the city, excluding the airport and East Coast Zone; costs £4.50 per adult, and £2.20 for children aged 5 to 15. For families, the FamilyDAYticket could be quite convenient; a single ticket, valid for the whole day, for two adults and up to 3 children up to 15 years. It costs £9.50 in total.
The Network DAYticket, in our opinion, is an excellent solution. It costs £10.00 per adult, with a 50% discount for children aged 5 to 15, and allows you to use all the means of the entire network. Transfers from the airport by tram, Citylink, night bus, East Coast bus are also included.
The best solution, however, for those wishing to move around Edinburgh by public transport, is RIDACARD. It is a sort of real subscription, really convenient, ideal for those who use the vehicles in a non-occasional way. It costs £20.00 per adult, and £10.00 reduced for the one week version. With the RIDACARD you can use, throughout the period, buses, trams, night lines, airport transfers with Airlink, and Skylink. It can be purchased, as in the case of tickets, at the numerous points of sale and agencies that display the brand.
AIRPORT TICKETS
From the international airport, to reach the center, you can use the RIDACARD and the Network DAYticket. Alternatively, you can buy the ticket for the single transfer.
The AIRLINK 100 ticket, valid on the same bus, costs £4.50 per adult, and £2.50 reduced. The OPEN RETURN ticket on SKYLINK 200, 300, 400 costs £7.50 per adult and £3.00 reduced. If you plan to use public transport to get around Edinburgh, the RIDACARD might actually be the best solution.
WHERE TO BUY EDINBURGH TRANSPORT TICKETS
You can buy safely in contactless mode with your credit card, or in cash, with the exact amount on the buses (trams are excluded). If you pay the driver in cash, keep in mind that no change will be given: pay the exact amount.
With the official m.ticket app (for iOS and Google) you can buy tickets directly on your device, using a credit card.
In Edinburgh, like London, you can take advantage of the handy feature here called TapTapCap on many vehicles. Where you find the appropriate symbol (an arrow pointing up on a horizontal line) you can take advantage of the best applicable rate. A real threshold thanks to which the rates will be automatically limited to a certain price. You simply have to place your contactless card (or ApplePay or GooglePay enabled device) on the enabled machine every time you make a trip. Just remember to always use the same method (if you use the contactless credit card for the first time, you will always have to use the same card for subsequent payments). On the official lothianbuses website you will find a valid explanatory video.