-
Our new ticketing site is now live! Using either this or the original site (both powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!
Stagecoach East (Bedford, Cambridge, Huntingdon and Peterborough)
- Thread starter camflyer
- Start date
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R
RailUK Forums
I've never known the Newmarket to Bury bus to be busy. There isn't as much commuting or student travel as there is between Newmarket and Cambridge
At least there is still the rail link between Newmarket and Bury but Newmarket and Ely won't have any direct public transport at all. Maybe it will help justify reopening the West Curve
gingerheid
Established Member
- Joined
- 2 Apr 2006
- Messages
- 1,563
Suffolk on Board have a few more teasers:
www.suffolkonboard.com
Stagecoach bus services in West Suffolk - Suffolkonboard
On Saturday 29 October 2022, Stagecoach will be withdrawing its bus services which connect Newmarket to Cambridge/Bury St Edmunds and within the Haverhill area. Suffolk County Council recognises the importance of these vital transport connections and is pleased to be working with Stephensons to...
www.suffolkonboard.com
So would Stephensons open up a garage or outstation in Bury St Edmunds, for the new services?Suffolk on Board have a few more teasers:
Stagecoach bus services in West Suffolk - Suffolkonboard
On Saturday 29 October 2022, Stagecoach will be withdrawing its bus services which connect Newmarket to Cambridge/Bury St Edmunds and within the Haverhill area. Suffolk County Council recognises the importance of these vital transport connections and is pleased to be working with Stephensons to...
Last edited:
markymark2000
Established Member
Least there is no journey time penalty really if Stephensons are going to do things that way. Stagecoach 2 hours including 15 min break, Stephensons could be looking at 1h 40 (25 mins to Newmarket, 5 mins 'connection', 1h 15 min to Bury). Shame though as if it was fast straight through, I do think there could be some patronage. The lack of demand currently could easily be put down to the fact the bus takes 2 hours but could be done in almost half that time using the 12 routing to Newmarket then 11 to Bury. Why would anyone take a journey which is double the time it needs to be (and even longer by bus compared to a car).
Using Haverhill depot I believe
Cesarcollie
Member
- Joined
- 5 Jun 2016
- Messages
- 665
Fast straight through isn’t really fast enough to compete with the train. Bury rail station isn’t right in the town centre, but not too far. Cambridge station is not good for the city centre. But for Bury-Cambridge through traffic the train has a huge time advantage, even allowing for getting to the town/city centres. It takes about 45 mins. And now has new trains with air con etc.
Last edited:
markymark2000
Established Member
Train takes 41/42 minutes from Bury to Cambridge so add in the journey to/from the centres, it's the same. Google Maps using the transit planning part says 1h 10 journey time so a direct fast bus would be competitive with the train and offer a through service, not changing between transport modes or walking into city centres.
Attachments
Going down memory lane to around 2001, I remember a Mercedes 911D on the Cambridge to Burwell / Newmarket route, whereas now it is double deck so I do wonder if a smaller vehicle or a lower frequency could work rather than full withdrawal.
Populations according to the ONS;
So the major populations are around Ely, Cambridge, Newmarket, Mildenhall and Bury St Edmunds who will all have a service of some sort.
However summing the populations in the above table (excluding Ely, Cambridge, Newmarket, Mildenhall, Bury St Edmunds) gives a population of approx 26000 who will be without a bus service.
I don't know the demographics of the area but if we assumed that 1% of the population used the bus 5 times a week then that's 260 return journeys a day and I would like to think that this would sustain some sort of bus service.
Populations according to the ONS;
Nomis - Nomis - Official Census and Labour Market Statistics
nomis - official labour market statistics
www.nomisweb.co.uk
| Route(s) | Built up Area (BUA) | Population |
12 | Ely BUA | 20333 |
12 | Soham BUA | 11106 |
12 | Fordham (East Cambridgeshire) BUA | 2779 |
11 | Bury St Edmunds BUA | 43444 |
16 | Mildenhall BUA | 16657 |
| 11 12 16 | Newmarket BUA | 20221 |
11 | Burwell BUA | 6420 |
11 | Swaffham Prior BUA | 981 |
11 | Reach BUA | 340 |
11 | Swaffham Bulbeck BUA | 767 |
11 | Lode BUA | 662 |
| 11 12 | Bottisham BUA | 2351 |
11 | Stow cum Quy BUA | 510 |
| 11 12 | Cambridge BUA | 162412 |
So the major populations are around Ely, Cambridge, Newmarket, Mildenhall and Bury St Edmunds who will all have a service of some sort.
However summing the populations in the above table (excluding Ely, Cambridge, Newmarket, Mildenhall, Bury St Edmunds) gives a population of approx 26000 who will be without a bus service.
I don't know the demographics of the area but if we assumed that 1% of the population used the bus 5 times a week then that's 260 return journeys a day and I would like to think that this would sustain some sort of bus service.
Its difficult to tell from this what is happening.Suffolk on Board have a few more teasers:
Stagecoach bus services in West Suffolk - Suffolkonboard
On Saturday 29 October 2022, Stagecoach will be withdrawing its bus services which connect Newmarket to Cambridge/Bury St Edmunds and within the Haverhill area. Suffolk County Council recognises the importance of these vital transport connections and is pleased to be working with Stephensons to...
The existing 16/16A is a roundabout route from Bury to Newmarket via Mildenhall and takes roughly 1hr 15 mins.
The 12 direct Newmarket to Cambridge takes about 35 minutes. So they could stick the two together and run with 4 buses on an hourly frequency, but not sure how reliable that would be with unpredictable Cambridge traffic. And Cambridge to Bury that way would not be particularly attractive - I don't think it is going to be a serious competitor to the train!
Alternatively Stephensons might want to add some Newmarket estates to the route which might need a fifth vehicle.
The X16 Newmarket to Bury might just be positioning journeys.
We'll see!
In Cambridge the City Centre is only important for retail and tourism. For retail most public transport is done by Park and Ride. It is a bit inconvenient for tourists but that's all.
Apart from retail, tourism and hospitality, there's not much employment in the City Centre, most is around the main railway station, on the Biomedical Campus and the Science Park.
And the geography of education in Cambridgeshire is very unusual, with lots of 11-16 education in what started out as the Village Colleges. Taking the Newmarket route as an example, this makes Bottisham and Burwell important nodes for school traffic.
16-18 education is at the 6th form colleges and the Regional College, none of that is in the City Centre.
One of the difficulties with Cambridge is that the key public transport destinations are widely dispersed, making the traditional hub and spoke routes increasingly irrelevant. Cambridge is much more like a mini-London than a traditional city or town with nearly everything concentrated in the centre.
I've always thought that Bury is an odd place. A bit too far from London and no direct rail service puts it outside of the commuter zone and there is no big industry in the town itself but it is a prosperous town. Just not quite sure where the money comes from.
CBlue
Member
The Bury-Newmarket leg always seemed like a bit of a struggle. Apart from Kennet the service didn't go anywhere else and spent the majority of the journey on the A14. Bury St Edmunds market days used to get a fair load of pensioners but that was about it outside of the peaks.
Bury St Edmunds is home to one of British Sugar's four big sugar beet refining factories. It also has the Greene King brewery. By 21stcentury UK standards both are big industry.
gingerheid
Established Member
- Joined
- 2 Apr 2006
- Messages
- 1,563
I have to say though that a fast bus from Cambridge to Newmarket that turns into what is also effectively a fast bus to Red Lodge and a not horrifically slow bus to Mildenhall does open up some opportunities! And as really Red Lodge should always have had a bus to Cambridge it's something that might just see some use!
I always felt the Cambridge - Bury St Edmunds service suffered a beautiful example of the random ill luck of privatisation. It seems illogical to run a bus fast from Cambridge to Bury and then offer no more than to drop you off in what is effectively almost the same place as would the faster train that does something *potentially* not quite as convenient at the Cambridge end, but does it faster, is perceived to be more reliable, and has longer operating hours (and days). It seemed like the sort of service that should have been integrated into some local service serving a part of Bury St Edmunds away from the Railway Station. It could then at least have been very likely to be more convenient at both ends.
Unfortunately, with the county boundary getting in the way, it's also an example of why franchising might fail too! Stephensons may of course find it easier to join things up than Stagecoach would have...
I always felt the Cambridge - Bury St Edmunds service suffered a beautiful example of the random ill luck of privatisation. It seems illogical to run a bus fast from Cambridge to Bury and then offer no more than to drop you off in what is effectively almost the same place as would the faster train that does something *potentially* not quite as convenient at the Cambridge end, but does it faster, is perceived to be more reliable, and has longer operating hours (and days). It seemed like the sort of service that should have been integrated into some local service serving a part of Bury St Edmunds away from the Railway Station. It could then at least have been very likely to be more convenient at both ends.
Unfortunately, with the county boundary getting in the way, it's also an example of why franchising might fail too! Stephensons may of course find it easier to join things up than Stagecoach would have...
Last edited:
gray1404
Established Member
Does anyone know if there are any changes to service X5?
plebb11
On Moderation
| Oxford-Bedford | X5 | Frequency change | 30 mins then hourly off peak | 30 mins then hourly off peak | Hourly |
Taken from:
East Bus Network
www.stagecoachbus.com
Silver Cobra
Member
Looks like routes 72/73 from Biggleswade/Potton/Sandy to Bedford have been saved following Central Bedfordshire Council coming to an agreement with Grant Palmer to take over the service from 31st October, though at a reduced frequency of hourly against the current half-hourly service.
www.grantpalmer.com
I had a feeling that Grant Palmer would step in in place of Stagecoach to retain at least part of the 72/73.
New 72 and 73 services | Grant Palmer
I had a feeling that Grant Palmer would step in in place of Stagecoach to retain at least part of the 72/73.
Last edited by a moderator:
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
Good to see Grant Palmer involved. They are a great example of a lower-cost small operation that manages to retain a feeling of quality despite being that - old fashioned family business pride I guess. Universitybus are I guess the other localish one, and it wouldn't surprise me to see them involved somewhere.
Last edited by a moderator:
Looks like routes 72/73 from Biggleswade/Potton/Sandy to Bedford have been saved following Central Bedfordshire Council coming to an agreement with Grant Palmer to take over the service from 31st October, though at a reduced frequency of hourly against the current half-hourly service.
New 72 and 73 services | Grant Palmer
I had a feeling that GP would step in in place of Stagecoach to retain at least part of the 72/73.
Looking at the timetable an hourly frequency can be covered by 2 buses - compared to presumably 4 when Stagecoach were running it ? Add in that Grant Palmer are probably receiving some subsidy from Central Beds Council where Stagecoach's was commercial.
It might *just about* be viable like this, but if the subsidy starts creeping up that might cause a problem.
Last edited by a moderator:
Uno's proposition is based around providing services to the colleges / Universities they work with which can also provide a commercial local network.
So their current work is Herts - with University of Hertfordshire, University of Northampton and Cranfield University. I can't see them picking up other bits of Stagecoach East's work - it's not their normal thing and they've been relinquishing Herts County Council contracts which they had been operating. The only thing I think they might look at is Northampton - Bedford where Stagecoach are reducing the 41 to 2 through journeys a day and terminating the rest at Turvey. I wouldn't be surprised to see Uno take on a Northampton - Olney route which would cover the parts of Northants which are losing their service due to this change, but I'd expect it to be a 2 hourly service at best. I doubt it would run beyond Olney simply because Lavendon and Turvey aren't destinations to / from Northampton.
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
It is, but they also do tenders not serving the universities if it's profitable for them to do so, as profit from them can cross-subsidise their core purpose.
They generally won't go head to head with others (locally this mostly means Stagecoach - few would want to compete on Milton Keynes local services as they're not very profitable, though the C1 does carry some internal Milton Keynes traffic on the side just like the Stagecoach X5 and 99 do), but they will do other things if they further their aims.
They do, but they've handed back a bunch of Herts County Council contracts recently so I think are (or soon will be) back to commercial only operation in Herts. I don't think any of their Beds / Bucks (Cranfield) operation is contract. And the Northampton one it's only the 59/60 which is a contract service and that's 1 bus, weekdays only. Uno only stepped in when Centrebus closed their Corby depot and relinquished the contract back in 2019.
They've not been chasing contracts in the same way as Grant Palmer, Vale, Z&S or Red Eagle have. Even Arriva have been chasing more - they've taken a couple of the Herts ones which Uno have handed back and they took the Northampton - MK one (via the villages) when Vale handed it back. Even Centrebus have bern picking up Herts contracts - the 200 series routes which Chiltern Automotive handed back, yet you'd have thought with virtually all of those working around Welwyn / Hatfield that Uno would have taken them, but Centrebus have, presumably to be run from Luton.
I travelled on a couple of the services Stagecoach is to withdraw on Tuesday - the 73/72 Bedford-Biggleswade which were busy and the 915 Cambridge to Royston which was not - and my report is on the "Trips" thread.
There is news on their fate:
First from the Cambridge Independent:
www.cambridgeindependent.co.uk
The list of axed bus routes to have received new bids from bus operators has been released - but there is no guarantee that buses will stick to the original timetables.
Of the 18 services that Stagecoach announced would be cut by the end of October, 14 have received tenders from operators, along with all of the five reduced services.
The Board of the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority has been recommended by its officers to agree to new contracts with bus operators to continue services which Stagecoach East announced would be withdrawn from October 30.
But commuters will not yet be able to find out whether those services will continue to stop in their villages and some stops may be dropped.
According to the Combined Authority, the bus routes and timetables cannot be published for legal reasons because timetables may change as a result of the tendering process. It is also not yet able to confirm which bus operators are the preferred bidder for each route.
Operators and new timetables will be confirmed at the end of what is called a "standstill period" lasting 10 days. This is a legal requirement attached to this tendering process which allows suppliers an opportunity to challenge any decision. That means the names of the bus operators and timetables can only be made public from October 24.
Mayor Dr Nik Johnson said: “This tendering process was entered into with the intention of saving as many services as possible and, so far, operators have been found for most of the routes, which is very encouraging.
“A small number of routes so far have no operator willing to take them on, despite us having funds available. We will continue to work with bus operators to see if we can plug these remaining gaps.
“The Combined Authority Board will make a decision on these services, but I am certainly very supportive of the outcomes of this tendering process. I know from all correspondence I’ve received just how much of an impact this decision by Stagecoach has had on people. There has been a widespread concern across the region to get something done to keep these bus routes going and that’s what the Combined Authority is working hard to achieve.
“People will understandably want to know timetables and names of bus operators, and I also understand people want to make plans for journeys after October 30. We are obliged to follow a sound legal process and that does unfortunately mean more detail won’t be available until Monday (October 24), but we will be sharing that information as soon as we have it.”
“The bigger picture is that we are working on a longer term Bus Strategy which will seek to deliver a sustainable bus network, that is high quality, affordable, reliable and accessible to people right across the region. The status quo is not meeting people’s needs, and that’s why change is needed.”
On September 20, Stagecoach East announced they were pulling out of 18 services completely and reducing a further 5 significantly. Combined Authority Mayor Dr Nik Johnson admitted he had been warned of plans to slash bus routes as far back as June this year and was given the final list in August. The routes went out to tender with potential operators on September 21, the day after Stagecoach's public announcement of the cuts.
The report to the Board, which also focuses on a wider Bus Strategy for the region, states the current position which is that 14 of the 18 services cut by Stagecoach, along with all of the five reduced services, have all received tenders from new operators.
The priority now is for the Combined Authority to understand how best to provide services for the communities on the four routes where bids have not been received, or only partially covered.
Currently, routes where no bids have come in are the 23 and 24 from Queensgate to Lynch Wood, Peterborough, the 915 from Royston to Cambridge and part of service 39 running from Chatteris to March. A verbal update on the latest situation will be provided to the Combined Authority Board on Wednesday (October 19). Discussions with operators about what they may be able to provide, even if this meets only part of the withdrawn route initially, are ongoing.
The routes, therefore, which have received tenders from bus operators are:
Citi4 along St Neots Road and within Cambourne
5A (Citi5 beyond Northstowe),
8A (Citi8 beyond Cottenham)
9A Ely City Service
11
12A
18
22A
25
29
30
33 March Town Service
35
66
V1
V2
V3
V4
V5
The Wednesday (October 19) Board meeting, chaired by Mayor Johnson, will make the final decision on whether to approve the new contracts which would keep services running until the end of March 2023.
The routes will require some of the £1.7m set aside by the Combined Authority for subsidies to operators to keep them running. The current position is that the total cost is expected to be about £1,076,658 to keep the services which have tenders running.
A statement from the Combined Authority said the funding is "very likely to be enough to cover all the routes, where there are operators with the capacity to run them".
The report to the board includes a wider update on the Combined Authority’s Bus Strategy work, which is the plan to invest in better buses across the region, which connect more people and places, and serve as an attractive alternative to the car.
Part of the Bus Strategy work involves the Combined Authority exploring more options for funding this new network, including further approaches to Government to make the case for additional resources. This also includes options for funding to keep any services going beyond the end of March 2023.
The Bus Strategy is due to be presented in draft form to the Transport and Infrastructure Committee in November. Alongside the bus strategy will be a new Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) to be submitted to Government before the end of November. The objective of both is to set out a clear vision and direction, and a powerful case for investment in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough bus system.
Work to develop further the business case for bus franchising also forms part of this wider strategy.
This appears to be funded by £1.7m from the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority. We'll have to wait a week to find out who has won what - but it is difficult to know where the resources are coming from! Note that this does not include a couple of Peterborough local services, the 39 from Chatteris to March and the 915 from Cambridge to Royston.
But - from the Royston Crow (!):
www.royston-crow.co.uk
The 915 bus service between Royston and Cambridge, which was due to be cut later this month, will be taken over by a new operator following a public outcry.
Last month Stagecoach announced that the route was "unsustainable", and said it would stop running at the end of October.
Stagecoach explained that the changes would accommodate travel patterns which have emerged after the Covid pandemic, which has led to reduced passenger numbers, rising costs and labour challenges.
However the hourly service is the only route which links Royston with Melbourn, Foxton, Harston and Cambridge city centre, and its closure was met with backlash from North East Herts MP Sir Oliver Heald and Dr Nik Johnson, Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
Sir Oliver expressed concern that the closure might make it difficult for patients travelling to Addenbrooke's Hospital for appointments, while residents launched a petition campaigning to save the route.
Another operator - Centrebus - has now come forward to take over the 915 service, with an altered timetable, enabling residents to continue to travel between Royston and Cambridgeshire towns.
Fiona Hill, Herts county councillor for Royston East and Ermine ward, described the plans to cut the service as "unacceptable and appalling", and said the closure "would have had a severe impact on residents travelling to Cambridge for health and education purposes and so many other activities".
Along with Sir Oliver Heald, Cllr Mike Harrison and others, Cllr Hill made representations to Mayor Johnson and the managing director of Stagecoach East, with Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire councillors working together to find a solution.
A public meeting was also held in Royston, where attendees were encouraged to send in their submissions arguing to retain the service. Around 40 residents attended, voicing concerns about increased isolation and the environmental benefits of using public transport.
Following the news that the service would continue, Cllr Hill said: "I am delighted with the announcement, following considerable efforts by our officer from Hertfordshire County Council, that Centrebus has come forward to take over the 915 service.
"The timetable will be altered, but residents will not be isolated and will still be able to travel, by bus, between Royston and Cambridge."
Again we will see what timetable this is to. I hope this isn't commercial by Centrebus because my experience on Tuesday showed very few passengers. It also seems quite a long way from their base, nothing else comes as far as Royston.
Finally a recent BBC article which includes a bit more about Stephenson's replacement service 12. Worth clicking on the link as this gives links to some other BBC articles, including one about Chatteris, threatened by the withdrawal of all its bus services.
www.bbc.co.uk
Several bus routes which faced being axed at the end of the month have now been saved.
In September Stagecoach East said it could no longer run 18 routes in Cambridgeshire and parts of Suffolk.
But the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) said other companies have now come forward to run all but four of the routes.
CPCA's board, external has agreed new contracts which will keep services running until the end of March 2023.
Mayor Dr Nik Johnson said: "I know from all correspondence I’ve received just how much of an impact this decision by Stagecoach has had on people.
"There has been a widespread concern across the region to get something done to keep these bus routes going and that’s what the Combined Authority is working hard to achieve."
He said for legal reasons around the tendering process, it was not yet able to confirm which bus operators were the preferred bidder for each route nor was it able to confirm the route timetables.
More detail would be available from Monday, he said.
Stephensons Buses, however, has said it would run the 12 from Newmarket to Cambridge.
The authority has agreed new contracts which will keep services running until the end of March 2023.
Meanwhile, the CPCA said it would continue to work with bus operators to see if it could plug the remaining gaps.
The four services without an operator were the 23 and 24 services from Queensgate to Lynch Wood, Peterborough, the 915 from Royston to Cambridge and part of service 39 running from Chatteris to March.
Bids for the 23 and 24 routes have now been submitted, and discussions are ongoing with an operator for 915, the CPCA said.
The 18 routes came under threat after Stagecoach East said they were not "financially viable" to run and made up only 6% of its network in the area.
Bill Hiron, the managing director of Essex-based Stephensons Buses, said the company decided it could run the number 12 route on a "commercial basis" after analysing passenger data, but with a "few tweaks".
He said it would continue to run "broadly hourly" but would take in Bottisham, currently served by the number 11.
"Hopefully we can turn a crust where Stagecoach can't," he said.
Suffolk County Council said it was able to part-fund the route using money from the Department for Transport "for supporting local bus routes during Covid".
CPCA said saved routes would require some of the £1.7m set aside by the combined authority for subsidies to operators to keep them running.
It said the total cost was expected to be about £1,076,658 to keep the services which had tenders running.
Second post combined with this-
Looking at the 905 today:
From Bedford to Cambridge
5.56 arrived Cambridge 11 late
6.24 arrived Cambridge 75 late
6.54 did not run
7.13 did not run
7.43 arrived Cambridge 82 late
8.13 did not run
8.43 arrived Cambridge 21 late
Buses departed from Cambridge to Bedford at 7.33, 9.11, 10.42, 10.43...
Caveat - this is what BusTimes says, but its usually pretty accurate
Lateness arriving at Cambridge is at the last point shown (not always the terminus)
What a way to run a bus service!
But see my trips post about road works in Cambridge - this level of disruption should not be allowed. And I gather it has rained in Bedford!
There is news on their fate:
First from the Cambridge Independent:
List of axed Cambridgeshire bus routes to receive new bids is released
Four of the axed bus services have received no bids at all and timetables have not yet been released for the others - so some stops may be dropped.
The list of axed bus routes to have received new bids from bus operators has been released - but there is no guarantee that buses will stick to the original timetables.
Of the 18 services that Stagecoach announced would be cut by the end of October, 14 have received tenders from operators, along with all of the five reduced services.
The Board of the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority has been recommended by its officers to agree to new contracts with bus operators to continue services which Stagecoach East announced would be withdrawn from October 30.
But commuters will not yet be able to find out whether those services will continue to stop in their villages and some stops may be dropped.
According to the Combined Authority, the bus routes and timetables cannot be published for legal reasons because timetables may change as a result of the tendering process. It is also not yet able to confirm which bus operators are the preferred bidder for each route.
Operators and new timetables will be confirmed at the end of what is called a "standstill period" lasting 10 days. This is a legal requirement attached to this tendering process which allows suppliers an opportunity to challenge any decision. That means the names of the bus operators and timetables can only be made public from October 24.
Mayor Dr Nik Johnson said: “This tendering process was entered into with the intention of saving as many services as possible and, so far, operators have been found for most of the routes, which is very encouraging.
“A small number of routes so far have no operator willing to take them on, despite us having funds available. We will continue to work with bus operators to see if we can plug these remaining gaps.
“The Combined Authority Board will make a decision on these services, but I am certainly very supportive of the outcomes of this tendering process. I know from all correspondence I’ve received just how much of an impact this decision by Stagecoach has had on people. There has been a widespread concern across the region to get something done to keep these bus routes going and that’s what the Combined Authority is working hard to achieve.
“People will understandably want to know timetables and names of bus operators, and I also understand people want to make plans for journeys after October 30. We are obliged to follow a sound legal process and that does unfortunately mean more detail won’t be available until Monday (October 24), but we will be sharing that information as soon as we have it.”
“The bigger picture is that we are working on a longer term Bus Strategy which will seek to deliver a sustainable bus network, that is high quality, affordable, reliable and accessible to people right across the region. The status quo is not meeting people’s needs, and that’s why change is needed.”
On September 20, Stagecoach East announced they were pulling out of 18 services completely and reducing a further 5 significantly. Combined Authority Mayor Dr Nik Johnson admitted he had been warned of plans to slash bus routes as far back as June this year and was given the final list in August. The routes went out to tender with potential operators on September 21, the day after Stagecoach's public announcement of the cuts.
The report to the Board, which also focuses on a wider Bus Strategy for the region, states the current position which is that 14 of the 18 services cut by Stagecoach, along with all of the five reduced services, have all received tenders from new operators.
The priority now is for the Combined Authority to understand how best to provide services for the communities on the four routes where bids have not been received, or only partially covered.
Currently, routes where no bids have come in are the 23 and 24 from Queensgate to Lynch Wood, Peterborough, the 915 from Royston to Cambridge and part of service 39 running from Chatteris to March. A verbal update on the latest situation will be provided to the Combined Authority Board on Wednesday (October 19). Discussions with operators about what they may be able to provide, even if this meets only part of the withdrawn route initially, are ongoing.
The routes, therefore, which have received tenders from bus operators are:
Citi4 along St Neots Road and within Cambourne
5A (Citi5 beyond Northstowe),
8A (Citi8 beyond Cottenham)
9A Ely City Service
11
12A
18
22A
25
29
30
33 March Town Service
35
66
V1
V2
V3
V4
V5
The Wednesday (October 19) Board meeting, chaired by Mayor Johnson, will make the final decision on whether to approve the new contracts which would keep services running until the end of March 2023.
The routes will require some of the £1.7m set aside by the Combined Authority for subsidies to operators to keep them running. The current position is that the total cost is expected to be about £1,076,658 to keep the services which have tenders running.
A statement from the Combined Authority said the funding is "very likely to be enough to cover all the routes, where there are operators with the capacity to run them".
The report to the board includes a wider update on the Combined Authority’s Bus Strategy work, which is the plan to invest in better buses across the region, which connect more people and places, and serve as an attractive alternative to the car.
Part of the Bus Strategy work involves the Combined Authority exploring more options for funding this new network, including further approaches to Government to make the case for additional resources. This also includes options for funding to keep any services going beyond the end of March 2023.
The Bus Strategy is due to be presented in draft form to the Transport and Infrastructure Committee in November. Alongside the bus strategy will be a new Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) to be submitted to Government before the end of November. The objective of both is to set out a clear vision and direction, and a powerful case for investment in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough bus system.
Work to develop further the business case for bus franchising also forms part of this wider strategy.
This appears to be funded by £1.7m from the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority. We'll have to wait a week to find out who has won what - but it is difficult to know where the resources are coming from! Note that this does not include a couple of Peterborough local services, the 39 from Chatteris to March and the 915 from Cambridge to Royston.
But - from the Royston Crow (!):
Jubilation as bus service between Royston and Cambridge saved
The 915 bus service between Royston and Cambridge, which was under threat of being cut, will be taken over by a new operator
www.royston-crow.co.uk
The 915 bus service between Royston and Cambridge, which was due to be cut later this month, will be taken over by a new operator following a public outcry.
Last month Stagecoach announced that the route was "unsustainable", and said it would stop running at the end of October.
Stagecoach explained that the changes would accommodate travel patterns which have emerged after the Covid pandemic, which has led to reduced passenger numbers, rising costs and labour challenges.
However the hourly service is the only route which links Royston with Melbourn, Foxton, Harston and Cambridge city centre, and its closure was met with backlash from North East Herts MP Sir Oliver Heald and Dr Nik Johnson, Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
Sir Oliver expressed concern that the closure might make it difficult for patients travelling to Addenbrooke's Hospital for appointments, while residents launched a petition campaigning to save the route.
Another operator - Centrebus - has now come forward to take over the 915 service, with an altered timetable, enabling residents to continue to travel between Royston and Cambridgeshire towns.
Fiona Hill, Herts county councillor for Royston East and Ermine ward, described the plans to cut the service as "unacceptable and appalling", and said the closure "would have had a severe impact on residents travelling to Cambridge for health and education purposes and so many other activities".
Along with Sir Oliver Heald, Cllr Mike Harrison and others, Cllr Hill made representations to Mayor Johnson and the managing director of Stagecoach East, with Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire councillors working together to find a solution.
A public meeting was also held in Royston, where attendees were encouraged to send in their submissions arguing to retain the service. Around 40 residents attended, voicing concerns about increased isolation and the environmental benefits of using public transport.
Following the news that the service would continue, Cllr Hill said: "I am delighted with the announcement, following considerable efforts by our officer from Hertfordshire County Council, that Centrebus has come forward to take over the 915 service.
"The timetable will be altered, but residents will not be isolated and will still be able to travel, by bus, between Royston and Cambridge."
Again we will see what timetable this is to. I hope this isn't commercial by Centrebus because my experience on Tuesday showed very few passengers. It also seems quite a long way from their base, nothing else comes as far as Royston.
Finally a recent BBC article which includes a bit more about Stephenson's replacement service 12. Worth clicking on the link as this gives links to some other BBC articles, including one about Chatteris, threatened by the withdrawal of all its bus services.
Cambridgeshire bus routes due to be axed saved by local councils
Several of the routes across Cambridgeshire and parts of Suffolk will funded by councils.
www.bbc.co.uk
Several bus routes which faced being axed at the end of the month have now been saved.
In September Stagecoach East said it could no longer run 18 routes in Cambridgeshire and parts of Suffolk.
But the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) said other companies have now come forward to run all but four of the routes.
CPCA's board, external has agreed new contracts which will keep services running until the end of March 2023.
Mayor Dr Nik Johnson said: "I know from all correspondence I’ve received just how much of an impact this decision by Stagecoach has had on people.
"There has been a widespread concern across the region to get something done to keep these bus routes going and that’s what the Combined Authority is working hard to achieve."
He said for legal reasons around the tendering process, it was not yet able to confirm which bus operators were the preferred bidder for each route nor was it able to confirm the route timetables.
More detail would be available from Monday, he said.
Stephensons Buses, however, has said it would run the 12 from Newmarket to Cambridge.
The authority has agreed new contracts which will keep services running until the end of March 2023.
Meanwhile, the CPCA said it would continue to work with bus operators to see if it could plug the remaining gaps.
The four services without an operator were the 23 and 24 services from Queensgate to Lynch Wood, Peterborough, the 915 from Royston to Cambridge and part of service 39 running from Chatteris to March.
Bids for the 23 and 24 routes have now been submitted, and discussions are ongoing with an operator for 915, the CPCA said.
The 18 routes came under threat after Stagecoach East said they were not "financially viable" to run and made up only 6% of its network in the area.
Bill Hiron, the managing director of Essex-based Stephensons Buses, said the company decided it could run the number 12 route on a "commercial basis" after analysing passenger data, but with a "few tweaks".
He said it would continue to run "broadly hourly" but would take in Bottisham, currently served by the number 11.
"Hopefully we can turn a crust where Stagecoach can't," he said.
Suffolk County Council said it was able to part-fund the route using money from the Department for Transport "for supporting local bus routes during Covid".
CPCA said saved routes would require some of the £1.7m set aside by the combined authority for subsidies to operators to keep them running.
It said the total cost was expected to be about £1,076,658 to keep the services which had tenders running.
Second post combined with this-
Looking at the 905 today:
From Bedford to Cambridge
5.56 arrived Cambridge 11 late
6.24 arrived Cambridge 75 late
6.54 did not run
7.13 did not run
7.43 arrived Cambridge 82 late
8.13 did not run
8.43 arrived Cambridge 21 late
Buses departed from Cambridge to Bedford at 7.33, 9.11, 10.42, 10.43...
Caveat - this is what BusTimes says, but its usually pretty accurate
Lateness arriving at Cambridge is at the last point shown (not always the terminus)
What a way to run a bus service!
But see my trips post about road works in Cambridge - this level of disruption should not be allowed. And I gather it has rained in Bedford!
Last edited:
I've no idea what the '9A Ely City Service' is. There was a bus by that number a decade or so ago that tootled around Ely and linked to Lancaster Way Business Park, but I don't think there has been anything using that number since. The few years in more recent times that there was a supermarket-sponsored service providing a circular route around the outskirts of Ely it was called the 15 IIRC.
Equally for the '12A', again currently no such thing exists. One of those articles discusses running the '12' between Newmarket and Cambridge, but what about the Ely/Soham end of the route? It seemed fairly well-used when I passed a 12 about to leave Ely yesterday lunchtime.
I guess we'll find out soon, but it does seem rather poor that there is still the uncertainty barely a week away from the changes coming into force.
Equally for the '12A', again currently no such thing exists. One of those articles discusses running the '12' between Newmarket and Cambridge, but what about the Ely/Soham end of the route? It seemed fairly well-used when I passed a 12 about to leave Ely yesterday lunchtime.
I guess we'll find out soon, but it does seem rather poor that there is still the uncertainty barely a week away from the changes coming into force.
Stephensons' timetable page shows, from 30 October, a 12 hourly from Cambridge to Newmarket which, during the day, clearly runs on to and from the 16 to Mildenhall and Bury St Edmunds. It also shows a 12A Newmarket town service running only in peak hours and I reckon that goes to (am) or from (pm) the Cambridge service. But to replace everything there is a need for the Newmarket town service between the peaks and of course the service to Soham and Ely. Not sure what the 12A is. Note that the Stephensons 12 will go via Bottisham which the Stagecoach one doesn't (served by the 11) and there is one journey each way on an X16 fast between Bury and Newmarket - this appears to be getting an am bus after a Bury school run to Newmarket for the 12/16 and then back again for a pm school run from Bury.
I arrived back in Cambridge at about 1900 yesterday. Stagecoach was in utter chaos with very late running, cancellations, and incorrect information on public information systems.
I can't find your trip report.
It’s post 487 on the Trips by Bus and Coach thread in this Buses and Coaches section of the forum.
The Hertfordshire Intalink site has this update for the 915 replacement,running as route 26.
www.intalink.org.uk
October 2022
This is a summary of forthcoming changes to local bus services in Hertfordshire in October
www.intalink.org.uk
One bus running every 2 hours between Royston and Cambridge is worth a try. The 16 town service covers the town part of the 915. I don’t know if there are school or college flows on the route but presumably not at Royston if Cambridgeshire are picking up the bill.The Hertfordshire Intalink site has this update for the 915 replacement,running as route 26.
October 2022
This is a summary of forthcoming changes to local bus services in Hertfordshire in October
The Hertfordshire bus changes page is normally reliable and useful, but I note that this one says the frequency of the 9A/9B is increasing- actually it is reducing- and the 31 is being withdrawn- which it isn’t (just one journey cut).
Forgot to mention in my trip report that when I was in Royston I saw a bus on the A2B service 17, it was an ex-Uno Omnidekka in Uno colours with a UNO registration, looked very smart.
Cambridge-Royston was route 26 in the days before it was lined in with busway route A.