Ember and Flixbus to run Christmas Day services in Tayside, Fife and Stirling

Find out when and where you can catch inter-city coach services over the festive period.

By Finn Nixon

December 17 2024, 2:28pm

Flixbus will run some services on Christmas Day. Image: Flixbus

Christmas timetables for inter-city bus services in Tayside, Fife and Stirling have been revealed.

Ember, Scottish Citylink and Flixbus have unveiled details about their festive services.

Some will even run on Christmas Day.

Here is a full list of what to expect from the three major coach firms over Christmas and New Year.

It comes as bus firms Xplore Dundee and Stagecoach East Scotland have already revealed their festive plans, along with train operator ScotRail.

Ember buses Christmas timetable

Changes to Ember’s services over the festive period are as follows:

Christmas Eve: A normal service will run on Ember’s routes from Dundee to Aberdeen, Angus, Perth, Fife, Stirling Castleview Park & Ride, Edinburgh and Glasgow with earlier finishes. The last bus from Dundee to Edinburgh will leave at 9pm and the last bus from Dundee to Glasgow will leave at 8.50pm. Additionally, the last bus from Dundee to Aberdeen will leave at 11.28pm.
Christmas Day: Ember will operate a reduced service, with three departures from Dundee to Glasgow at 7:45am, 10:50am, and 2.40pm. There will also be five services to Edinburgh at 8am, 9.30am, 11am, 1.30pm, and 3pm. Dundee to Aberdeen buses will depart at 12.23am, 1.37pm, and 5.40pm
Boxing Day-December 30: A normal service will resume on all routes.
Hogmanay: A normal service will run until the evening. The last Dundee to Edinburgh bus will leave at 7pm and the last Dundee to Glasgow bus will leave at 6.45pm. Meanwhile, the last Dundee to Aberdeen bus will depart at 10.30pm.
New Year’s Day: The first Dundee to Edinburgh bus will leave at 9.30am and the first service to Glasgow will leave at 8.45am. Meanwhile, the first bus to Aberdeen will depart Dundee at 1.37pm. A normal service will then resume.

A full timetable and information on return services over the festive period is available on the Ember website.

Changes to Scottish Citylink services are as follows:

Christmas Eve: Normal services will operate during the day, with an earlier finish than usual.
Christmas Day: No buses will operate in Fife, Tayside and Stirling. A limited service will operate between Edinburgh and Glasgow. Some Megabus services will also run between Glasgow, Edinburgh and London.
Boxing Day: Buses on the 909 route from Edinburgh to Stirling and Dunblane will run as normal. However, a Sunday service will operate on all other routes with a later start than usual.
December 27-December 30: A normal service will operate on all routes.
Hogmanay: Normal services will operate during the day, with an earlier finish than usual.
New Year’s Day: Buses running from Edinburgh to Dundee, Perth, Aberdeen and Inverness will run on a special timetable. This will also be introduced on buses running from Glasgow to Dundee, Perth, Stirling, Aberdeen and Inverness. Other services between Glasgow and Edinburgh, and Glasgow and Edinburgh Airport will run to a limited service. Additionally, Megabus buses from Glasgow, Edinburgh and London will run on a reduced timetable.

Most services will start running to a normal timetable on January 2.

More information on how individual services will be affected is available from the Scottish Citylink website.

Flixbus will be operating a normal service on Christmas Eve, Boxing Day and Hogmanay.

Changes to Flixbus services on Christmas Day are as follows:

Dundee: Flixbus will operate 12 services to Aberdeen and Edinburgh. There will also be three services in each direction between Dundee and Glasgow.
Perth Broxden Park & Ride: About a third of the usual services will be running. These will include five services to Glasgow and four return journeys from Glasgow. Additionally, seven services will operate in each direction on the Dundee to Edinburgh route. Another six services will also run from the park and ride to Dundee and Aberdeen.
Perth Bus Station: An 11.50am bus will operate to Edinburgh, with a return journey leaving Edinburgh at 3.15pm.
Stirling Castleview Park & Ride: Three services will operate on Christmas Day to Glasgow, with two return journeys back to Stirling. There will also be two services to Dundee and Perth Broxden Park & Ride, with three buses running in the opposite direction.
Pitlochry: A normal timetable will operate throughout the day.

A full schedule is available by searching for specific journeys on the FlixBus website.