Lowland Scottish Omnibuses Ltd was a bus operator in south eastern Scotland and parts of Northern England. The company was formed in 1985 and operated under the identities Lowland Scottish, Lowland and First Lowland / First SMT, until 1999 when the company's operations were combined with the operations of Midland Bluebird in a new company, First Edinburgh Ltd. As of 26 March 2017 these operations were transferred to West Coast Motors (trading as Borders Buses). Operation From its head office in Galashiels, Lowland Scottish operated throughout the Scottish Borders and parts of Lothian in south east Scotland and across the border into Northumberland in north east England, bounded by Edinburgh to the north, Peebles to the west and Berwick-upon-Tweed in the east. Lowland Scottish operated from depots in the towns of Galashiels, Haddington, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Dunbar, Hawick, Jedburgh, Kelso, North Berwick and Peebles. Principal services linked these towns with Edinburgh and with each other, along with a limited number of urban services in the larger towns and other rural or schools services. The most important route in the Borders was Service 95, linking Edinburgh and Carlisle, branded as the Borders Rail Link bus service. History Lowland Scottish Omnibuses Limited was created in 1985 as part of the reorganisation of the state owned Scottish Bus Group (SBG) in preparation for deregulation of the bus industry in 1986, and eventual privatisation. It inherited the south-eastern depots and operations of Scottish Omnibuses Limited (Eastern Scottish), in the Scottish Borders, eastern East Lothian and Berwick-upon-Tweed. The new company introduced a new livery similar to the green and cream Eastern Scottish colours, but using a brighter green and a more striking yellow. Upon formation, Lowland initially faced no significant competition, thanks largely to its sparsely populated operating area. Town services within Berwick-upon-Tweed continued to be shared with recently privatised Northumbria Motor Services, with Lowland and Northumbria having adjacent depot buildings fronting a shared bus station. This working relationship had been built up between the companies' predecessors, Scottish Omnibuses (SMT/Eastern Scottish) and United Automobile Services. On deregulation, the relationship between Lowland and Northumbria in Berwick-upon-Tweed broke down, and fierce competition ensued between the two operators for several years. The 'bus war' eventually ended in the mid-1990s with Lowland pulling out of Berwick as part of an agreement between First and Cowie Group, by that time owners of Lowland and Northumbria respectively. Arriva, Cowie Group's successor, withdrew from