Frequently Asked Questions

Journey Planning

Our service runs every 7 minutes between 7am and 7pm, out with these times trams run from every 10 minutes. During peak hours Monday to Friday we run additional services every 3 minutes.  

You can find the times for first and last trams below.

 

City to Airport

Airport to City

First tram

5:30

6:18

Last tram

23:30

22:48

To get information about tram and bus connections, and to find out the best route for you, try the Journey Planner on our website or get in touch with our friendly Customer Relations team.

Fares and Tickets

DAYtickets, LATEtickets and Family DAYtickets can be used on Edinburgh Trams, between Newhaven and Ingliston Park & Ride only, as well as Lothian Buses day services. A Network DAYticket is valid for travel to or from Edinburgh Airport.

We have a pre-purchase policy, so all tickets, smartcards and mtickets have to be purchased, validated or activated before you board the tram. We offer various ways to travel to suit all needs:

  • ticket machines on the platforms: pay by coins or card
  • mobile app: pre-purchase your tickets and activate before you board
  • website: pre-purchase your tickets and display your ticket on your phone

We also offer two types of passes both available through our TravelHubs 

If you do not purchase, validate or activate before you board the tram, you will have to pay the £10 On-board fare to the Ticketing Services Assistant.

If you need to jump on-and-off you might want to consider a DAYticket or one of our multi-day tram tickets.

Journeys using single and return tickets cannot be broken. Once you step off the tram, your journey is considered completed and you will need to buy another ticket to continue.

If you have a Scottish National Entitlement Card (also known as a Saltire card) issued by the City of Edinburgh Council, you are entitled to free travel on the tram. The same applies to cards from any local authority indicating visual impairment. However cards issued by other local authorities are not valid on the tram.

Child tickets are available for customers aged 5-15 inclusive. Up to two infants travel free of charge per fare paying customer.

Some students are entitled to a discounted Ridacard (see here for conditions) but otherwise there are no students rates available.

Keep an eye out for the validators on our platform, the grey and white machines with a pink square. All that you have to do is hold your card up against that square until a green tick appears on the screen above.

If you are a group of 20 or more, a corporate group of 10 or more or a school group, we are likely to offer discount. Please contact our Customer Relations team.

You can use any ticket machine, on any side of a platform, to get a ticket to your destination. However, if none of the ticket machines are working or you have any issues when purchasing your ticket, please get in touch through the green help point on the platform (it is staffed 24/7) and we will find a solution for you.

While you can purchase tickets using contactless payments, we do not yet offer a capping system similar to Lothian Buses or Transport for London. If you think you will be using both tram and bus, we would recommend you purchase a paper DAYticket at the start of the day.

General

Yes, we have six spacious luggage racks on each tram, including racks for large/bulky suitcases. Please do not block aisles, exits or priority seating areas and do not place luggage on seats.

Yes, dogs can travel free of charge. Please make sure however that your dog is kept on a lead at all times and is kept off the seats.

Yes, we have two dedicated spaces for wheelchairs and mobility scooters on every tram, located in the middle carriage of the tram.

Due to space limitations, we can only accommodate up to Class II mobility scooters. There is a permit scheme for mobility scooter users. You can read more on our Tram Accessibility page.

Yes, up to two bicycles may be carried on trams free of charge at the discretion of the Ticketing Services Assistant. Restrictions may apply on all peak services (Monday to Friday 07:30-09:30 & 16:00-18:30) and throughout the Edinburgh International Festival in August or any pre-publicised event. Please board at the centre doors indicated with the bike symbol and follow the instructions from the Ticketing Services Assistant.

Contact our Customer Relations straight away. We will do our best to locate your item and return it to you within the same day. After one week, all lost property is sent to the Lost Property Office. You can contact them directly to arrange pick up.

Yes. We recommend that customers use a smaller, easily foldable buggy where possible. Passengers who board with an unfolded buggy should position it in the buggy space whenever that space is available. If the wheelchair space is needed by a wheelchair user, customers with unfolded buggies are asked to make it available.