Councillor Sheila Gilmore and City Centre Manager Ian Broadfoot have launched the new Transport Marshals pilot scheme for Edinburgh, which will begin tomorrow.

The Edinburgh Community Safety Partnership is working to make Edinburgh a safer place for residents and visitors to the city. The Transport Marshals project led by Edinburgh City Centre Management Company (ECCM) will be trialled over the festive period.

The aim of this initiative is to help people who are out at night to get home in a safe and speedy manner. Transport Marshals will be on hand at taxi stances at Waverley Bridge, Lothian Road and the Caledonian Hotel to guide and assist members of the public queuing for a taxi. The Marshals will also distribute information about night buses and private hire cars, to ensure members of the public are aware of all alternative routes home.

The project will run on Friday and Saturday nights from 10.30pm-4am every weekend in December. Marshals will also operate on the last two Thursday evenings before Christmas.

Similar projects have been successful in other cities in Scotland and south of the border. Their presence will help reassure members of the public that Edinburgh is a safe city to live in and visit.

Councillor Sheila Gilmore, Executive Member for Community Safety said, "At this time of year the town is particularly busy and travelling home safely at the end of a night out can be a worry. So it's a good time to trial this new service which will help ensure that the end of a night out is as good as the rest of the evening has been."

Ian Broadfoot, City Centre Manager, ECCM said, "The Transport Marshals pilot is the latest innovation introduced through the Edinburgh Safe City Centre Initiative, which works closely with the Edinburgh Community Safety Partnership and Lothian and Borders Police to identify methods designed to reduce incidences of crime and anti-social behaviour in Edinburgh City Centre.

I hope the December pilot proves to be a success and lays the foundations for the marshals to be established on a more permanent basis."

The Edinburgh Community Safety Partnership hopes that members of the public will see transport marshals as a helpful resource in the city and that they will be a regular sight in the city centre in the future.