  eastern scottish was a bus and coach operator based in edinburgh, scotland and a subsidiary of the scottish bus group (formerly smt group). eastern scottish omnibuses ltd. was formed in june 1985 from the main part of scottish omnibuses ltd., which had itself traded as 'eastern scottish' since the 1960s. following privatisation in 1990 the company traded as 'smt' reviving the original name of the company (scottish motor traction). it operated until 1999, when it became part of first edinburgh. ==operation== from its head office on new street, edinburgh, eastern scottish had an operating area throughout the lothians, in the east of scotland, bounded by the firth of forth to the north and east, bathgate in the west, and gorebridge in the south. eastern operated urban, interurban and rural services in and around bathgate, livingston, dalkeith and musselburgh, and services within the city of edinburgh. depots were also located in these towns. eastern was also active in the coaching business, operating day tours and private hires, as well as providing coaches for scottish citylink express from edinburgh to glasgow, aberdeen, inverness, london and many other locations throughout scotland and england. ==history== the scottish motor traction company ltd. (trading as "smt") was formed in 1905, and expanded quickly through a series of takeovers to become the principal bus operator in south east scotland. by the 1930s smt was also the parent company of the smt group, whose other subsidiaries operated buses elsewhere in scotland. in 1949 the smt group's bus operations were nationalised by transfer to a new british transport commission subsidiary, scottish omnibuses ltd., although the smt name remained in use until the early 1960s in the east, and was retained even longer in the western smt and central smt operating units of the scottish bus group. subsequently, "scottish omnibuses", "scottish", and then "eastern scottish" fleetnames were used.
Defunct_companies_of_Scotland Former_bus_operators_in_Scotland Transport_in_East_Lothian Transport_in_Edinburgh Transport_in_Midlothian Transport_in_West_Lothian