STAGECOACH believe the opening of the Queensferry Crossing will shorten bus journey times but want transport chiefs and councils to tackle congestion.

The £1.35 billion replacement bridge should be ready by May 2017 and the firm have welcomed measures to improve cross-Forth travel.

When the Queensferry Crossing opens, the Forth Road Bridge will be re-designed primarily for public transport use with dedicated bus lanes and links to Halbeath and Ferrytoll park and ride sites.

However, Stagecoach have also called on councils to combat the congestion in Edinburgh which continues to slow their express services from Fife.

Andrew Jarvis, Stagecoach East’s managing director, said: “We warmly welcome Transport Scotland’s significant investment in the new road structure and commitment in delivering bus priority when the new crossing opens, it is fantastic news for customers as we believe it will improve journey times on that part of the journey.

“However, we want to deliver a fast and reliable journey across the whole route and will therefore continue to work with local authority partners to encourage them to address road congestion in and around Edinburgh as this continues to put a strain on reliability.”

To support the opening of the Queensferry Crossing, dedicated bus lanes are being formed along 13.7 miles of motorway, extending from the M90 Halbeath junction.

Mr Jarvis added: “ Reliability is a vital part of delivering high quality services and central government and local authorities have a crucial role to play by putting in place bus priority measures and freeing up road space.

“Research shows that investing in targeted bus priority measures such as bus lanes can help reduce congestion for everyone and campaign group Greener Journeys has shown that there is over £3 of net economic benefit for each £1 spent.

“We believe action needs to be taken on the issue of road congestion to help bus and coach services flourish and deliver even better services for the millions of people who rely on them every week.”

Councillor John Wincott, transport spokesman for Fife Council, said: “We are always keen to support the use of public transport both within Fife, and on longer journeys, for example to Edinburgh.

“This is why public transport providers have to address the needs of local communities by providing services in places, and at the times, that they are needed.

“Likewise, reliability of bus timetables is vital if people are to use them, for instance to travel to work, which is why improvements to bus lanes are important.

“If journey times to Edinburgh can be improved then that will obviously be of benefit to communities in Fife, and I look forward to seeing any proposals that may be brought forward.”