Stagecoach East (Bedford, Cambridge, Huntingdon and Peterborough)

[Magdalia]

About 10% which is really quite a bit.

As an aside, and not aimed at you, but there does appear to be an enthusiast's hierachy

Solo or other mini... It really must be single deck
Single deck... It really must be a heavyweight single deck
Still a single deck... It really must be a double decker
It's a double decker... It really must be a dual doored double decker (cue discussion about bus company conservatism, dwell times, ticketing, how much better everything is on the continent for the 289th time)

As it is, the Busway has provided a steady stream of vehicles to be cascaded to the wider Stagecoach East fleet. However, and I noted this on my excursion to the area in July, the Stagecoach East fleet is looking a bit peachy now - no real relics to think of but definitely looking a bit middle-aged. Don't know what the age stipulations are on the Busway (are there any?) but 09 plate Eclipses are showing their age, and Peterborough seemed to have a lot of stuff from 2010-2012... did they lose newer deckers for the X5 or am I misremembering?

The X5 also has two ex Cambridge Park and Ride vehicles 10803 and 10804.

Peterborough now has a big chunk of the double decker fleet that was new to Cambridge in 2010, less than a third of which are still in Cambridge, and quite a few have also gone to Bedford. These have mostly been replaced in Cambridge by ex busway double deckers, some of which date back to 2009 when the busway was new. The ex London double deckers, that arrived in Cambridge just before COVID, have disappeared recently, bustimes says they are now in Canterbury.

The small Cambridge single deck fleet is still dominated by the vehicles that were new in 2013, supplemented by even older vehicles, including oddity 27522 registered in 2006.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

X5 never had ex Busway double deckers. It has 67 reg E400 MMCs cascaded from Peterborough (10871-10880) plus two newer 69 reg ones (11279/11280) new for it. Was this your question?

I think you misinterpreted my post (albeit only slightly) - I knew the X5 didn't have ex Busway deckers (though in the depths of 2020's lockdown, the X5 did have Busway single decks). Instead, I was purely referring to Peterborough's relative lack of recent deckers and whether they had lost some to the X5, which you've confirmed

 

[SouthEastBuses]

The X5 also has two ex Cambridge Park and Ride vehicles 10803 and 10804.

Peterborough now has a big chunk of the double decker fleet that was new to Cambridge in 2010, less than a third of which are still in Cambridge, and quite a few have also gone to Bedford. These have mostly been replaced in Cambridge by ex busway double deckers, some of which date back to 2009 when the busway was new. The ex London double deckers, that arrived in Cambridge just before COVID, have disappeared recently, bustimes says they are now in Canterbury.

The small Cambridge single deck fleet is still dominated by the vehicles that were new in 2013, supplemented by even older vehicles, including oddity 27522 registered in 2006.

You're right, I completely forgot that the X5 also uses 10803 and 10804! In fact I had 10804 on a X5 once!

About 10% which is really quite a bit.

As an aside, and not aimed at you, but there does appear to be an enthusiast's hierachy

Solo or other mini... It really must be single deck
Single deck... It really must be a heavyweight single deck
Still a single deck... It really must be a double decker
It's a double decker... It really must be a dual doored double decker (cue discussion about bus company conservatism, dwell times, ticketing, how much better everything is on the continent for the 289th time)

As it is, the Busway has provided a steady stream of vehicles to be cascaded to the wider Stagecoach East fleet. However, and I noted this on my excursion to the area in July, the Stagecoach East fleet is looking a bit peachy now - no real relics to think of but definitely looking a bit middle-aged. Don't know what the age stipulations are on the Busway (are there any?) but 09 plate Eclipses are showing their age, and Peterborough seemed to have a lot of stuff from 2010-2012... did they lose newer deckers for the X5 or am I misremembering?

Btw, I forgot to say, I had 21223 once, it was fine! Maybe 21223 is the only one of the AE09 B7RLEs that must see still be in a great condition?

 

[Simon75]

Since the recent timetable changes did any of the outstations close?

 

[paulmch]

https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/new-electric-buses-cambridge-hailed-26530517

Darren Roe, Managing Director at Stagecoach East, said: “We are delighted to introduce 30 new fully-electric buses to our Cambridge fleet... this news indicates a crucial step towards our overall goal of decarbonising our entire UK network by 2035 and demonstrates our commitment to tackling climate change by investing in sustainable and green transport options for our local communities.

“We look forward to seeing our buses roll out on the Park and Ride and Citi 2 service in Cambridge and celebrating this fantastic milestone at our launch event in May.”

Looks as if the launch of the Volvo BZLs are imminent for Cambridge!

The traffic commissioner also has changes registered from 16th April for the A, B, 5, 7, 9, 13 and 904 but no word yet from Stagecoach as to what the changes will entail. I wonder whether the 9 has a long-term future now - without passengers from Milton and Waterbeach it seems to be carting a lot of fresh air around!

 

[Magdalia]

Looks as if the launch of the Volvo BZLs are imminent for Cambridge!

Thanks. I missed the tiny report about the electric buses on page 2 of this week's Cambridge Independent.

There was an announcement from the Cambridge and Peterborough Combined Authority on Tuesday 21st.

LAUNCH OF 30 NEW ELECTRIC VEHICLES FOR CAMBRIDGE AS PART OF MULTI-MILLION POUND INVESTMENT TO TAKE PLACE IN MAY​

• Multi-million pound investment in green travel for Cambridge
• 30 new electric buses to enter service in May 2023
• Funded by the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority, Department for Transport, Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) and Stagecoach East

The launch of 30 new electric vehicles for Cambridge will be taking place in May.

The zero-emission, double decker buses, which are due to come into service in May 2023, will see the Cambridge Park and Ride network and Citi 2 service become fully electrified and carbon-free.

All 30 buses will be in operation in May 2023, signifying a major milestone in the commitment to a rolling bus replacement programme, to replace 30 vehicles a year across the Combined Authority area. There is an ambition to convert the entire bus fleet from diesel buses to zero emission vehicles within the Combined Authority region by 2030 to hit carbon emission targets and help tackle climate change.

The announcement represents a significant investment in green travel for the region, with the new vehicles costing close to £500,000 each. The new fleet is being funded by by the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority, Department for Transport, Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) and Stagecoach East.

The new buses will take Stagecoach East’s total zero-emission fleet up to 32, joining their current two electric vehicles which have been in service since February 2020 as part of a jointly funded partnership with the Greater Cambridge Partnership.

Since their launch three years ago, the two ULEB (Ultra Low Emission Buses) vehicles have covered over 124,000 miles between them, saving over 215 tonnes of CO2 and have carried over 200,000 passengers in 2022 alone.

Media reports will be based on this, full version of which is here:

Launch of 30 new electric vehicles for Cambridge as part of multi-million pound investment to take place in May - Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority

Multi-million pound investment in green travel for Cambridge 30 new electric buses to enter service in May 2023 Funded by the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority, Department for Transport, Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) and Stagecoach East The launch of 30 new electric vehicles...

cambridgeshirepeterborough-ca.gov.uk

It will be interesting to see whether Cambridge will keep the existing Park and Ride fleet, some of which have already lost their Park and Ride liveries.

The traffic commissioner also has changes registered from 16th April for the A, B, 5, 7, 9, 13 and 904 but no word yet from Stagecoach as to what the changes will entail.

Thanks for the warning! The A, B, 7 and 13 are the busiest country routes into and out of Cambridge.

ps thanks to the moderator who has edited this to make it look proper!

 

[CBlue]

Btw, I forgot to say, I had 21223 once, it was fine! Maybe 21223 is the only one of the AE09 B7RLEs that must see still be in a great condition?

In honesty that's your opinion and highly subjective. The 2009 B7RLEs have been worked very hard in their life, not helped when several spent time at Cambridge depot who struggled to look after them properly. They're not in the best shape along with most of the ex Busway stuff.

As it is, the Busway has provided a steady stream of vehicles to be cascaded to the wider Stagecoach East fleet. However, and I noted this on my excursion to the area in July, the Stagecoach East fleet is looking a bit peachy now - no real relics to think of but definitely looking a bit middle-aged. Don't know what the age stipulations are on the Busway (are there any?) but 09 plate Eclipses are showing their age, and Peterborough seemed to have a lot of stuff from 2010-2012... did they lose newer deckers for the X5 or am I misremembering?

The original requirement on the Busway was simply Euro V compliant vehicles, which I don't think has changed. You're certainly right about East's fleet in general, it's looking rather tired in a real hotchpotch of liveries. I understand that the Volvo BZL fleet for the Cambridge Park & Ride, and service 2, has started to arrive at Volvo Ely. Hopefully this will weed out some of the nastier Scania E400s along with the few early Enviros that are clinging to life - 27522 and 19164 are the eldest vehicles in the fleet and are total dogs.

 

[Magdalia]

The 2009 B7RLEs have been worked very hard in their life, not helped when several spent time at Cambridge depot who struggled to look after them properly.

All of 21221-21230 have worked off Cambridge, apart possibly for 21225. This was all pre-COVID.

 

[al_557]

Thanks. I missed the tiny report about the electric buses on page 2 of this week's Cambridge Independent.

There was an announcement from the Cambridge and Peterborough Combined Authority on Tuesday 21st.



Media reports will be based on this, full version of which is here:

Launch of 30 new electric vehicles for Cambridge as part of multi-million pound investment to take place in May - Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority

Multi-million pound investment in green travel for Cambridge 30 new electric buses to enter service in May 2023 Funded by the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority, Department for Transport, Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) and Stagecoach East The launch of 30 new electric vehicles...

cambridgeshirepeterborough-ca.gov.uk

It will be interesting to see whether Cambridge will keep the existing Park and Ride fleet, some of which have already lost their Park and Ride liveries.



Thanks for the warning! The A, B, 7 and 13 are the busiest country routes into and out of Cambridge.

ps thanks to the moderator who has edited this to make it look proper!

Rumour is that the existing Park and ride fleet is being split between Bedford and Peterborough.

Bedford depot need them for the 905 and MK1 which are supposed be MMC's as well as the X5 but they haven't got enough of them. 20 deckers are needed to run the 3 services and only 15 E400 MMC's are in the fleet with the rest of the workings currently being done by 10,60 and 11 plate E400's which are not ideal for long distance work.

 

[Silver Cobra]

Good news for users of the 9A/B between Bedford and Hitchin: from 16th April the service is returning to it's original frequency of two buses per hour all day Monday to Saturday, alternating between the A and B (the current frequency is two buses per hour during the peak and one per hour off-peak). I imagine that there must have been enough of an uptick in usage of the service following the £2 fare cap that they can now justify restoring the service to it's original frequency pre-October 2022, while also retaining the two additional services at the start of the day (0500 9A and 0530 9B departures from Bedford).

 

[SouthEastBuses]

Hopefully the 41 will return to Northampton, and the X5 will hopefully return to every 30 mins off peak too

 

[Silver Cobra]

Sadly neither of those were mentioned in their most recent service update. The only other changes within the East region are to services in Cambridgeshire.

All changes can be found on this page: East Bus Network: Latest Timetables Across The East

East Bus Network
Latest Updates



Sunday 16th April

We will be making changes to some of our Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Busway timetables from Sunday 16th April 2023. Please see below the new timetables and our Handy Guide for specific route changes.



Cambridgeshire

Citi 5, Citi 7, 9, 13, 904

Busway

A,B &C

Bedfordshire

9/a/b

 

[paulmch]

The update is a classic example of Stagecoach taking absolutely no pride in their work - it mentions an hourly frequency on the 7 and 9, neither of which have an hourly frequency, and the timetables for the A, B and C don't have any links associated with them so it's not possible to actually look at the changes.

It seems clear to me that Stagecoach management don't actually use their own product that often; there are a multitude of small details that they continually screw up, that all add up to an offering that says "we don't care whether you give us your business or not".

 

[markymark2000]

The update is a classic example of Stagecoach taking absolutely no pride in their work - it mentions an hourly frequency on the 7 and 9, neither of which have an hourly frequency, and the timetables for the A, B and C don't have any links associated with them so it's not possible to actually look at the changes.

It seems clear to me that Stagecoach management don't actually use their own product that often; there are a multitude of small details that they continually screw up, that all add up to an offering that says "we don't care whether you give us your business or not".

I mean, right now, why care? As with most managers at Stagecoach right now, it doesn't matter how good of a job you do, you remain in your post and get moved around and/or promoted. If a bus doesn't run, you blame lack of drivers or the new one for South Wales is 'internal issues'. If passenger numbers are lower, you whinge and whine at the government until they give you funding and you blame everyone else for falling passenger numbers. If the business goes bankrupt tomorrow, it's all someone elses fault. There is zero accountability and sadly they are now doing an Arriva. It's a case of not being the worst rather than striving to be the best.

 

[Magdalia]

Sadly neither of those were mentioned in their most recent service update. The only other changes within the East region are to services in Cambridgeshire.

All changes can be found on this page: East Bus Network: Latest Timetables Across The East

Thanks for the link.

the timetables for the A, B and C don't have any links associated with them so it's not possible to actually look at the changes.

It does now have a link for routes A, B and C.

It seems clear to me that Stagecoach management don't actually use their own product that often; there are a multitude of small details that they continually screw up, that all add up to an offering that says "we don't care whether you give us your business or not".

But the A, B and C timetable going from St Ives towards Cambridge is complete and utter garbage at the Cambridge end. It clearly has not been proof read.

 

[Magdalia]

There was an announcement from the Cambridge and Peterborough Combined Authority on Tuesday 21st.


Media reports will be based on this, full version of which is here:

Launch of 30 new electric vehicles for Cambridge as part of multi-million pound investment to take place in May - Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority

Multi-million pound investment in green travel for Cambridge 30 new electric buses to enter service in May 2023 Funded by the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority, Department for Transport, Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) and Stagecoach East The launch of 30 new electric vehicles...

cambridgeshirepeterborough-ca.gov.uk

The new Cambridge electric bus fleet was officially launched at an event at the Imperial War Museum Duxford on Friday 12 May.

The new electric buses have entered service starting on Sunday 14 May on the Madingley Road, Newmarket Road and Trumpington Park and Ride routes,

The Babraham Road and Milton Park and Ride services are due to get new electric buses from Sunday 4 June.

 

[Simon75]

Is Ely outstation closing? That is my interpretation. Actually, are all the outstations going, March and Holbeach Drove?

Are they still open ?

 

[Surreyman]

Anyone know what height the new Volvo/MCV electrics are?
- I know Stagecoach normally go for 'low-height' but I note that the only low bridge in the Cambridge area appears to be in Newmarket.

 

[GusB]

Anyone know what height the new Volvo/MCV electrics are?
- I know Stagecoach normally go for 'low-height' but I note that the only low bridge in the Cambridge area appears to be in Newmarket.

4.3m, according to:

Volvo BZL Electric body options

We only partner up with the best bodybuilders

www.volvobuses.com

Length - 10900mm x Height - 4300mm x Width - 2550 mm

 

[PG]

Anyone know what height the new Volvo/MCV electrics are?
- I know Stagecoach normally go for 'low-height' but I note that the only low bridge in the Cambridge area appears to be in Newmarket.

4.3m, according to:

Volvo BZL Electric body options

We only partner up with the best bodybuilders

www.volvobuses.com

For the benefit of those who measure decker height in old money that is 14' 1". Low-height is nominally 13' 9" with full-height being 14' 6" , so they are sort of inbetween.

 

[Man of Kent]

For the benefit of those who measure decker height in old money that is 14' 1". Low-height is nominally 13' 9" with full-height being 14' 6" , so they are sort of inbetween.

For comparison a standard Stagecoach E400MMC is 13'10" or 4216mm.

 

[Soundwave]

Anyone know what height the new Volvo/MCV electrics are?
- I know Stagecoach normally go for 'low-height' but I note that the only low bridge in the Cambridge area appears to be in Newmarket.

Coldhams Lane is 13' 9". It think only the 19 goes that way

 

[Silver Cobra]

Looks like a lot of changes, both major and minor, are taking effect from 4th June on the Stagecoach East network. For Bedford in particular route 9B from Bedford to Hitchin is being rerouted back to running via Ampthill Road in Shefford and Stockbridge Road in Clifton / High Street in Henlow (it currently runs the same route as the 9A through Shefford/Clifton/Henlow). Along with this, route 41 will be seeing the return of more journeys through to Northampton, with this going to one every 2 hours compared to only 2 per day currently (still not as good as it used to be, but a welcome improvement nonetheless).

A complete list of the changes can be found here:

ServiceUpdatesArticle

www.stagecoachbus.com

 

[Richardr]

One minor oddity I noticed travelling on the 9A / 9B today to and from Bedford - the signage on the front of the bus rotates between the standard route number / destination, and advertising the £2 fares.

On the one hand, advertising the cheaper fares is certainly a good thing, but it does make it more difficult to see exactly which bus is approaching a stop.

 

[DaventryRabbit]

The Return of the 41 to Northampton is certainly welcome. When I used the sole evening journey to Bedford recently is was quite well used both inward and outward from Northampton.

 

[al_557]

They may need a couple more E200's transferred in for the increased Bedford services.
The upcoming fleet merry go round at Stagecoach East as a result of Cambridge's new Volvo BZL's should cover any requirement for extra buses though

 

[EnviroExplorer]

An interesting development reported by Steven Knight Media. Fenstanton based Volvo B7RLEs 21225/6 are to go on loan to Dews Coaches, to operate route 904 from May 30th. Presumably a way of Stagecoach releasing a few extra drivers for the Busway services.

Source can be found below.

https://twitter.com/skmpub/status/1662480747742076928?s=20

 

[Edvid]

The latest set of fare revisions will be implemented on 17 September (more details available in this PDF guide booklet).

We're making changes to our fares on Sunday 17th September 2023.​

Sorry, we’ve done our best to hold back fare increases but the time has come to adjust them. The first objective of fares is to cover the costs of service provision and while the majority of this fare increase is down to rising cost, we’ve also been making important investments to give you an even better experience when travelling on our network. The new ticket prices will add on average just 43p onto the cost of daily adult bus travel in the Town zone. From Sunday 17th September 2023, we will continue to offer the same ticket types, but at slightly different prices.

Don't forget that all single fares are £2 or less across our Eastern network until 31st October 2023 (excluding the X12 and Cambridge Sightseeing Tour) - this means that the majority of customers will not be impacted by the fare changes whilst this £2 fare cap scheme is in operation.

Despite what that last sentence may imply, Stagecoach will stick with the cap when it rises to £2.50 on 1 November. Furthermore, St Ives and Huntingdon Town Zones will merge into a Fenland Town Zone, so day passes for travel between those two places will be cheaper (vs. Cambridgeshire Plus Zone tickets). And then there's this...

Please note that East Zone tickets are only required when travelling between Plus Zone boundaries. This is most likely needed for inter-urban journeys on the X5 and MK1 routes.

This may imply that Bedfordshire Plus Zone tickets will no longer be valid on the MK1 (the X5 has been excluded for years, perhaps always). Time will soon tell if that is indeed the case.

 

[paulmch]

For routes like the PR5 that serve all stops between the city and the park and ride there's a really silly situation that gets worse with each fare increase. From the P&R it's £3.50 return, but if you get on at the Science Park, say, a Cambridge dayrider will now be £5. That's some way to reward those who aren't using a car for any part of their journey!

 

[Silver Cobra]

The latest set of fare revisions will be implemented on 17 September (more details available in this PDF guide booklet).



Despite what that last sentence may imply, Stagecoach will stick with the cap when it rises to £2.50 on 1 November. Furthermore, St Ives and Huntingdon Town Zones will merge into a Fenland Town Zone, so day passes for travel between those two places will be cheaper (vs. Cambridgeshire Plus Zone tickets). And then there's this...



This may imply that Bedfordshire Plus Zone tickets will no longer be valid on the MK1 (the X5 has been excluded for years, perhaps always). Time will soon tell if that is indeed the case.

When it was originally a through-route from Oxford to Cambridge, Bedfordshire Plus tickets were valid on the X5 between Ashburnham Road and Norse Road in Bedford but not anywhere else beyond those two locations. I'm not sure if this still applies today with the 905 between the bus station and Norse Road. Speaking of the 905, I wonder if referencing the MK1 is a mistake as they have omitted the 905 from that.

The funny thing with regards to the price increase for the Bedfordshire Plus Dayrider is that the ticket is simply returning to the price it was before the pandemic. I remember for years it cost £8, which felt like quite a rip-off compared to the other zones' Dayrider tickets. That led to a price reduction to £6.20 back in 2021 when Stagecoach reviewed all of their fares to help promote travel following the lockdowns (which increased twice between then and the start of this year, and now will be back to it's pre-pandemic price).

**EDIT: Checking the map provided on the Stagecoach website for the fare zones, it seems that Bedfordshire Plus tickets should remain valid on the MK1 between Bedford and Luton, but not necessarily between Luton and Milton Keynes. The Plus zone still reaches down to Luton, and as the only service Stagecoach provides to Luton is the MK1, it would make no sense for the zone to still cover Luton otherwise. Hopefully Stagecoach will clarify this in the near future.