17.12.15

38/38A: Edinburgh - Stirling


The 38/38A connects Scotland's current capital with its former one under the Royal Route sub-brand. Buses run every 15 minutes Mon-Sat daytimes and are operated by First Scotland East.


Click here to discover more Great Scottish Bus Routes.


Places served:




In Central Edinburgh, the 38/38A serves the stops marked with a blue square.

Buses start from St. Andrew's House on Regent Road:

Next is stop ZG at Waterloo Place:

Then it's stop PQ on Princes Street for Waverley Railway Station:

Further down Princes Street is stop PX:

Next is stop SD on Shandwick Place:

Last stop in the city centre is stop HH on Haymarket Terrace:

Try these links for a taste of what there is to see and do in Edinburgh:
Waverley
Haymarket

After Haymarket, the 38/38A is limited stop until the edge of Edinburgh, stopping only at these stops:


For the stadium, use this stop on the right towards Stirling and this stop on the left towards Edinburgh:





Buses stop right outside Edinburgh Zoo, buses to Stirling on the left, buses to Edinburgh from stop 1 on the right. The zoo entrance is behind the two buses:

Use these stops for Iceland and the Toby Carvery




Only the 38A runs via the Gyle Centre, using stop 5 towards Stirling and stop 3 towards Edinburgh:













Buses to Stirling stop on the left, buses to Edinburgh on the right on A89 Edinburgh Road:





Buses to Stirling stop on the right, buses to Edinburgh on the left on Main Street:








Buses to Stirling stop on the right, buses to Edinburgh on the left near the Cross on High Street:





Buses to Stirling stop on the right and buses to Edinburgh on the left near the Black Bull on A803 Main Street:






Buses to Stirling use stance 6 and buses to Edinburgh use stance 4 at Falkirk Bus Station:

Buses to Stirling also use stop 1 by St. Andrew's Church on Newmarket Street:

Buses to Edinburgh also use stop 1 right outside Asda on Newmarket Street:



















The 38/38A starts from stance 5 at Stirling Bus Station:

The other major stop in the city centre is stance 1 on Wellgreen Road:



Timetable

Find the full timetable on First's website here as a webpage and here as a pdf leaflet.

Here are your links for live scheduled bus times from major stops towards Stirling:



...and back towards Edinburgh:




Fares


The cheapest day ticket valid throughout route 38/38A is the FirstDay Zone 3-5 at £10.50 for an adult. It is valid on the 38/38A and all First buses in zones A, B, C, L and M on this map.

If you'll only be travelling in one or two of those zones, then cheaper day tickets are available.


If you also want to travel on buses of other operators (such as Lothian Buses in Edinburgh), then you should buy a One Ticket. For the full length of route 38/38A, the Travelarea THREE day One Ticket costs £12.60 for an adult. It's valid for one day on all buses regardless of operator in zones 1 to 3 on this map.

Cheaper One Tickets are available for smaller zones that do not cover the whole route. See their website for the full range.


If you're arriving in Edinburgh, Linlithgow, Falkirk, Larbert or Stirling by train, then a Plusbus ticket bought with your train ticket is valid on the 38/38A between the following points:



Connections

For local destinations in Edinburgh and the Lothians, see Lothian Buses on which One Tickets are also valid.

Longer distance bus connections from Edinburgh:



Change at Falkirk for:



Connections from Stirling:




The following railway stations are served by the 38/38A:




Alternatives

Your main alternative to the 38/38A is the train. An adult day return between Edinburgh and Stirling by train is currently £9.40, but that is not valid on some rush hour trains.


Click here to discover more Great Scottish Bus Routes.

All of the information in this post is correct at the time of writing, but please check the relevant links before travelling.