Shaman, if you had a rental place Edinburgh then a bus pass would be £48 a month with a great 24hour service to Edi airport.
Arnold Clark advertise car rental £25 a day which would make working at GLA very viable. Their depot is at EDI airport.
As for living in the 'dreadful' central belt. Well its not all that bad. There are nice parts, extremely nice parts and, of course, pretty crappy areas too. But the amenities, particularly in Livingston, are admirable. House prices are a fraction of the South.
Great part of the world to live.