This page has NOT been updated for the new timetables due Monday 29th July 2024.
There are usually two direct buses an hour, the X58 and X60.
Often it can be quicker changing at Glenrothes rather than waiting for the next direct bus - especially if the direct bus is running late due to problems elsewhere on the route.
And if it's chaos in Edinburgh it can be as well to catch any Stagecoach Express and if necessary change again at Ferrytoll.
These timetables HAVE been updated for the changes to the bus timetables between Leven and Glenrothes from Monday 3rd June 2024.
The X54 leaves Edinburgh hourly from 06:30 to 18:30 - then there is one more journey at 19:40. You are advised to stay on to Glenrothes and catch a 43 or 44 (or 43A or 44A) or Moffat & Williamson M4 to get back to Leven. For example the 19:40 X54 gets to Glenrothes at 20:55 - a 43 at 21:16 will get you to Leven for 21:53 - a journey time of 2 hours 13 minutes, which since the timetable change on 3rd June 2024 may be a little bit worse than before...
The X58 leaves Edinburgh Bus Station every hour from 06:50 to 18:50 - and then the X58A variation runs hourly from 20:20 to 23:20. Journey time is scheduled to be between 1 hour 45 minutes and 2 hours 5 minutes.
The X59 leaves Edinburgh hourly from 07:00 to 20:00 - and then the X59A variation runs hourly from 20:40 to 23:40. Usually it is best to stay on to Glenrothes because there is more choice of buses on to Leven. But the 19:00 departure connects well with an X27 at Halbeath if it is on time! The 44 is the bus to aim for in Glenrothes as it's the quickest to Leven - but the 43/43A and Moffat & Williamson M4 can be useful alternatives. The 22:40 X59A is the last bus to connect in Glenrothes arriving at 23:55 and connecting with a 00:10 43 getting to Leven at 00:53 - or if the X59A is late there's a 00:38 44A getting to Leven at 01:18. If you catch the 23:40 X59A bus you will need to get a taxi from Glenrothes!
The X60 leaves Edinburgh Bus Station every hour from 07:20 to 18:20 - plus one extra journey at 19:30. Journey time to Leven is between 1 hour 40 minutes and 2 hours.
The X61 leaves Edinburgh Bus Station for Kirkcaldy via Halbeath every hour from 07:45 until 18:45 - journey time to Kirkcaldy is 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes. Arrival in Kirkcaldy is timed so that it should be easy to change onto the X58 that left Edinburgh 5 minutes after the X61. But, as the X58 and X60 can suffer from delays either around Dalgety Bay or around St Andrews that put their timetables into disarray, it's also worth remembering the slower numbers 7 and 46 which run between Kirkcaldy and Leven - they take 40 minutes rather than 30 on the X58 or X60 but they may be more reliable...
The X56 departs Edinburgh at 06:45 and then hourly from 08:15 to 18:15 plus a final journey at 19:20 - the bus does go to Halbeath and you can change there to an X54 or X59 or X24 to Glenrothes or an X27 to Kirkcaldy - but it may be quicker to change at Ferrytoll to the following X60 or X58.
The X55 departs Edinburgh around every half-hour from 05:40 - dropping to hourly from 21:00 to 00:00 - this bus is probably only useful if Edinburgh is really busy and you just need to take the first bus to Ferrytoll where you can hopefully change to the following bus running one of the services listed above...