This page HAS been edited for the new timetables due Monday 29th July 2024.
These pages are written to help you make quick changes that might just enable you to get to your destination sooner.
If you are happier to have more time allowed for changing buses then you may prefer to use the Stagecoach Journey Planner.
There are four Stagecoach Express Buses from Edinburgh that you might sensibly use - the X59 and its pair the X54 (changing to an X24 at Halbeath Park and Ride) - and the X58 and X60 (which take the slower route along the coast).
If Edinburgh is busy and express buses are running late then it's best just to take which ever bus comes first for as far as makes sense. Your target route should be via Ferrytoll, Halbeath Park & Ride and Glenrothes to St Andrews for Crail (as that's the fastest route), but if it's easier to go along the coast via Kirkcaldy and Leven then that's not much slower.
When buses are running late from Edinburgh - which they often are - you need to think how the bus you manage to catch will meet up with other buses and maybe stay on the bus you have caught longer than you otherwise would. On an X54 which is running too late to catch up with its paired X24 you might stay on to Cupar for a bus like the Moffat & Williamson 64 though that now departs at different times each hour or Dairsie for a bus that came from Newburgh on its way to St Andrews (numbered 65 or M65 from 19th August 2024) or cross the road in Balmullo for a Moffat & Williamson 92 around 36 minutes past the hour or wait to cross the road at St Michaels or Pickletillum Inn for a Stagecoach 99 as they can be every 10 minutes. It helps if you are familiar with the bus you are planning to change to - so you may have your own preferences - or want to check out one or more of these routes first?
Here are the times for buses when everything is running to timetable:
The 06:25 X54A from Edinburgh Bus Station gets to Halbeath Park & Ride at 07:10 - from Tuesday 6th May 2025 you should be able to change to a JET787 departing Halbeath at 07:15 getting to St Andrews at 08:17 where you can change to the 08:35 95 getting to Pinkerton Road at 09:05.
The 06:50 X58 from Edinburgh Bus Station gets to Leven at 08:35 - the 95 departs at 08:40 (or 08:44 on schooldays) and gets to Pinkerton Road at 09:49. If the X58 is running late but not more than about 10 minutes late then you could stay on it to Upper Largo and change to the 95 there if you get there before 08:53, or stay on to St Andrews for a scheduled arrival at 09:15 to catch the 09:25 95 getting to Pinkerton Road at 09:55. Any more than 10 minutes late and you are probably better waiting in Leven for the 95 an hour later...
The 06:55 X59 from Edinburgh Bus Station gets to St Andrews for 08:50 where you can catch an 09:25 95 getting to Pinkerton Road at 09:55.
The 07:20 X60A from Edinburgh Bus Station gets to Anstruther Harbour at 09:50 - cross the road for a 95 at 10:31 getting to Pinkerton Road at 10:49.
The 07:30 X54A from Edinburgh Bus Station gets to Halbeath Park & Ride at 08:15 where with a tight change there is an X24 at 08:18 getting to St Andrews at 09:30 for the 10:25 95 getting to Pinkerton Road at 10:55. If you miss the X24 connection you should be able to catch the later X59 for the same 95 in St Andrews.
The 07:55 X58 from Edinburgh Bus Station gets to Leven at 09:40 - you are likely to miss the 95 which departs at 09:40 and gets to Pinkerton Road at 10:49. So you probably need to stay on to St Andrews arriving at 10:20 for the 10:25 95 getting to Pinkerton Road at 10:55. All connections are a bit tight and you may need to be looking at live bus maps to decide whether to change at Leven, Upper Largo or St Andrews - perhaps it's better to catch the following X59?
The 08:00 X59 from Edinburgh Bus Station gets to St Andrews for 10:00 where you can catch a 10:25 95 getting to Pinkerton Road at 10:55.
The 08:25 X60 from Edinburgh Bus Station gets to Anstruther Harbour at 10:50 - cross the road for a 95 at 11:31 getting to Pinkerton Road at 11:49.
The 08:30 X54A from Edinburgh Bus Station gets to Halbeath Park & Ride at 09:15 where with a tight change there is an X24 at 09:18 getting to St Andrews at 10:30 for the 11:25 95 getting to Pinkerton Road at 11:55.
The 08:55 X58 has similar problems to the one an hour earlier, so you may prefer:
The 09:00 X59 from Edinburgh Bus Station gets to St Andrews for 11:00 where you can catch an 11:25 95 getting to Pinkerton Road at 11:55.
The 09:20 X54A from Edinburgh Bus Station gets to Halbeath Park & Ride at 10:05 where there is an X24 at 10:18 getting to St Andrews at 11:30 for the 12:25 95 getting to Pinkerton Road at 12:55. From Monday 24th March 2025 there may be a slight advantage in staying on the X54A to Dairsie arriving at 11:04 for an 11:06 number 65 getting to St Andrews at 11:22 and a chance if everything is on time of catching the earlier 95 at 11:25 - you may need to make a judgement call on how well the bus you are on will manage to keep to its timetable.
The 09:25 X60 from Edinburgh Bus Station gets to Anstruther Harbour at 11:50 - cross the road for a 95 at 12:31 getting to Pinkerton Road at 12:49.
An 09:45 X59A can cause confusion as it only goes as far as Glenrothes, arriving at 11:00 - where at 11:15 you can pick up the following X59 that departed Edinburgh at 10:00 and gets to St Andrews for 12:00 and a connection with the 95 departing at 12:25 and getting to Pinkerton Road at 12:55.
This gives you the feel for how these buses work - the X59 departs on the hour and is simplest and fastest - just needing a change in St Andrews. The X58 departs 5 minutes earlier at 55 minutes past the hour but has worse connections.
The X54 once it settles down to departing at 20 minutes past the hour connects well with the X24 at Halbeath Park & Ride, but may just connect with a 65 in Dairsie to catch the earlier 95 - as the X24 arrival in St Andrews doesn't really suit the 95 timetable - in the same way, the X60 arrives in Leven or Anstruther at a poor time for connections with the 95 - but perhaps you need to do some shopping in Anstruther (or Leven) on the way?
From 6th May 2025 there is an additional choice every 2 hours - starting with the X54 at 10:20 arriving at Halbeath at 11:05 where there is a JET787 at 11:10 getting to St Andrews at 12:12 for the 95 at 12:25 getting to Pinkerton Road at 12:55 - this connection repeats for the X54 at 12:20 and 14:20.
And there is the new interloper of an X59A at 45 minutes past the hour which usually only goes as far as Glenrothes - but if Edinburgh is busy may provide a useful way to get out of the city.
From Monday 19th August 2024 there is a new 65 service between St Andrews and Perth via Cupar that may help with connections - meaning that on an X54 or X54A it can be worth staying on the bus to Cupar or Dairsie where you have a chance to pick up either the 65 or the X24 into St Andrews - and the 65 may be a more reliable time-keeper... We recommend changing at the small shelter in Dairsie because on the 3rd Saturday of every month there is a Farmer's Market in Cupar which means that the 65 won't stop at the Railway Station - and the diversion starts from Friday afternoon - and there can be other reasons why the Cupar marketplace in Crossgate is closed to traffic and the 65 omits Cupar Rail Station.
Anyway, these services repeat hourly for much of the day (except for connections with the 14:40 95 from Leven - which on Monday to Thursday schooldays waits an extra 12 minutes at Waid Academy - if you catch the 12:25 X60 or12:55 X58 from Edinburgh you will want to stay on to St Andrews to avoid this) and then:
The 14:00 X59 from Edinburgh gets to St Andrews at 16:00 but the 95 doesn't depart until 16:35 and it gets to Pinkerton Road at 17:05.
The 14:20 X54 from Edinburgh gets to Halbeath at 15:05 - from Tuesday 6th May 2025 if you catch the 15:10 JET787 from Halbeath it should get you to St Andrews for 16:12 - if you miss that, catch the X24 at 15:18 which gets to St Andrews at 16:30 to hopefully catch the 95 at 16:35 and get to Pinkerton Road at 17:05. If everything runs to time this is about the quickest version of this trip you can make! But you might end up missing a connection and being an hour later - these are the risks you take... (This is a bus where from Monday 19th August 2024 it can be worth staying on the X54 to Cupar or Dairsie as you then have two buses, the 65 and X24 that will get you to St Andrews in time for the 95.)
The 14:25 X60 from Edinburgh gets to Anstruther Harbour at 16:50 - cross the road for the 95 at 17:31 getting to Pinkerton Road at 17:49.
The 14:45 X59A from Edinburgh gets to St Andrews at 16:50 for a 17:30 95 getting to Pinkerton Road at 18:00.
The 14:55 X58 gets to St Andrews at 17:20 - where you have a chance of catching the 17:30 95 getting to Pinkerton Road for 18:00.
The 15:00 X54 gets to Dairsie at 17:04 where you may be able to catch a 65 at 17:06 getting to St Andrews at 17:22 for the 95 at 17:30 getting to Pinkerton Road at 18:00. If you miss this bus you could wait in St Andrews until 18:50 for the 95 arriving at Crail High Street at 19:15. But, this is one time at which a two-bus trip via Anstruther may save time - take the 17:55 X61 to Anstruther Harbour arriving at 18:15 where a 95 at 18:31 will get you to Pinkerton Road for 18:49.
The 15:25 X60A from Edinburgh gets to Anstruther Harbour at 18:15 - cross the road for the 95 at 18:31 getting to Pinkerton Road at 18:49.
The 15:45 X59 from Edinburgh gets to St Andrews 18:05 for the 18:50 95 getting to Crail High Street at 19:15.
The 15:55 X58 gets to St Andrews at 18:40 for the 18:50 95 getting to Crail High Street at 19:15.
The 16:00 X54 gets to Halbeath at 17:05 for the X24 at 17:18 getting to St Andrews at 18:30 for the 18:50 95 getting to Crail High Street at 19:15. (Again, this X54 is one it might be worth staying on to Dairsie for the 65 in case the X24 is having problems.)
The 16:25 X60A gets to Leven at 18:28 for the 19:20 95 getting to Crail High Street at 20:19.
The 16:40 X59 gets to St Andrews at 19:00 for the 19:50 95 getting to Crail High Street at 20:15.
The 16:55 X58 gets to St Andrews at 19:40 for the 19:50 95 getting to Crail High Street at 20:15.
The 17:00 X54 gets to Halbeath at 18:05 for the 18:24 X24 arriving at St Andrews at 19:35 for the 19:50 95 getting to Crail High Street at 20:15.
The 17:25 X60A gets to Leven at 19:28 - you need to wait until 20:20 for a 95 getting to Crail at 21:19.
The 17:40 X59 gets to St Andrews at 20:00 for the 20:50 95 getting to Crail at 21:15.
The 17:55 X58 gets to Leven at 20:00 for the 20:20 95 getting to Crail at 21:19.
The 18:00 X54 gets to Halbeath at 19:00 for the 19:24 X24 which gets to St Andrews at 20:35 for the 20:50 95 getting to Crail at 21:15.
An 18:10 X59 and an 18:20 X59A get to Halbeath at 19:05 and 19:10 for the same X24 connection and arrival in Crail at 21:15.
The 18:25 X58 gets to Leven at 20:20 just missing the 20:20 95 and instead catching the 21:20 getting to Crail at 22:19.
The 18:40 X54gets to Halbeath at 19:25 and from 5th May 2025 there is a JET787 departing at 19:30 which gets to St Andrews at 20:31 for the 20:50 95 getting to Crail at 21:15.
The 18:55 X60 gets to Leven at 20:30 and a long wait for the 21:20 95 getting to Crail at 22:19.
The 19:00 X59 gets to St Andrews at 21:00 for the 21:50 95 getting to Crail at 22:15.
The 19:25 X58 gets to Leven at 21:10 for the 21:20 95 getting to Crail at 22:19.
The 19:30 X59A gets to Glenrothes at 20:44 where there is a 59 at 20:50 which gets you to St Andrews at 21:40 for the 21:50 95 getting to Crail at 22:15.
The 19:55 X60 gets to Leven at 21:30 and a long wait for the 22:20 95 getting to Crail at 23:19.
The 20:00 X54 and the 20:30 X59A get to Glenrothes at 21:07 and 21:44 for a 59 at 21:50 which gets to St Andrews at 22:40 for the 22:50 95 getting to Crail at 23:15.
The 20:25 X58A gets to Leven at 22:10 for the 22:20 95 getting to Crail at 23:19.
The 21:00 X61 and the 21:30 X58 gets you to Leven at 22:40 or 23:15 and a 95 at 23:20 that will get you to Cellardyke at 00:10 where from Monday 14th August 2023 the bus turns into an X60 and travels to St Andrews Bus Station arriving at 00:30 and then turning into a 95 departing at 00:35 and getting to Crail at 01:00.
The 21:30 X59A gets you to Glenrothes at 22:44 for a 59 at 22:50 which gets you to St Andrews at 23:40 where from Monday 14th August 2023 there is a 95 at 00:35 getting to Crail at 01:00.
The 22:00 X61 and 22:30 X58 will get you to Leven for 23:40 and 00:15 that would enable you to catch a 95 at 00:25 that will get you to Cellardyke at 01:15.
From 5th May 2025 the 22:30 X59A will get you to Halbeath for 23:15 where you can catch a JET787 at 23:30 getting to St Andrews at 00:31 and a tight change to the 95 at 00:35 getting to Crail at 01:00.
When looking at bus timetables for late night services travel between midnight and about 4am can be confusing - the buses between these times tend to "belong" to services that started the previous day - and so you will find, for example, that there is no 00:35 service 95 from St Andrews in the early hours of Monday morning as that service doesn't follow the more limited services on the Sunday timetable - instead there IS an 00:35 service 95 in the early hours of Sunday morning as that belongs with the Saturday timetable...
There may be an early morning E1 service from "ember" that is the earliest way to get to Crail - but due to the time spent hanging around waiting for connections it's probably best avoided - either by travelling the night before or using a train if you can...
Or there may be a FLY bus from Edinburgh Airport to Dundee that will get you to Crail at the same time - you need to be leaving Edinburgh about the same time as the E1 to guarantee catching this bus...
Megabus, Ember, Flixbus and FLY timetables change quite frequently, often without much notice. So, it's probably best to use the Traveline Scotland Journey Planner if you want to travel in the early morning hours...