THE running of entire public transport system in Edinburgh has been overhauled just one year after the launch of the city's controversial trams.
New appointments including a former MSP and a transport innovator are being made to the boards of Transport for Edinburgh, the overarching arms-length firm that steers Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams.
An Edinburgh City Council committee has recommended the selection of Jim McFarlane as chair of Lothian Buses and also to sit on the Transport for Edinburgh.
Mr McFarlane s currently interim general manager at Lothian Buses and previous to this was managing director of operations at Scottish Enterprise.
He will be joined by former Labour MSP Susan Deacon, Tony Rose, Mark Yexley and Charlene Wallace as non-executive directors on the board of Lothian Buses.
Charles Monheim, who implemented the Oyster travel card in London, has been put forward as the second new appointment to the Transport for Edinburgh Board.
As part of the changes, it has also been proposed that non-executive directors are included on the board of Edinburgh Trams for the first time, allowing the board to benefit from the external scrutiny of independent members.
If this is approved, Mr Monheim will be appointed as chair, with Charlene Wallace and Andy Neal as additional non-executive members.
The new members will join non-executive directors councillors Lesley Hinds, Chair of Transport for Edinburgh, Adam McVey, Joanna Mowatt and Nigel Bagshaw.
Recruitment will fill a number of positions which have become or are due to fall vacant due to resignations or the expiry of the term of the appointment.
It is also proposed to extend the appointment Donald MacLeod, one of the existing non-executive directors of Lothian Buses, for a further two years.
Council Leader Andrew Burns, said: "These new appointments will really help us to look to the future of public transport in Edinburgh and to achieve our vision of a first-class, fully integrated service, combining Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams.
"I believe our new members will bring the perfect mix of transport, business and management expertise to the companies, along with a wealth experience, which will be pivotal as we continue to improve the city for public transport-users, pedestrians, cyclists and drivers alike.
"That said, we have already achieved so much in Transport for Edinburgh's first year, with excellent customer satisfaction, increasing patronage and a host of new developments on their way.
"Therefore I would also like to thank outgoing members for their contributions, particularly Tony Depledge, who stepped in as interim chair to guide the company during a very challenging time."
Lothian Buses has been mired in an embarrassing boardroom dispute among four directors - chief executive Ian Craig and directors Bill Devlin, Bill Campbell and Norman Strachan.
The row ended with allegations made against Mr Craig, but an investigation cleared him of any wrongdoing.
A new system of meetings between the bus and tram boards is being planned to foster "strong liaison" between directors of both those and the umbrella firm.
It is thought this will also help prevent isolated disputes descending to a damaging level.
The four directors have agreed handshake deals with two years' notice.
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