Cambridgeshire mayor says Combined Authority cannot ‘replace every bus route when a commercial operator pulls out’
Five bus services remain at risk despite the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) stepping in to save a sixth one from being withdrawn.
Stagecoach East said the services impacted by the changes were already struggling to cover their costs and the National Insurance rise increased its annual costs by £1m.
Cllr Anna Bailey, the deputy mayor, said: “I’m certainly not here to defend Stagecoach or any other operators.
“But actually, I don’t think we should be surprised that private operators making huge losses decide to stop bus routes, and the basic problem there is that not enough people are getting on the bus.”
The impacted services, which will cease operating from 31 August, include:
▶ 9/X9 (Cambridge–Ely– Littleport);
▶ 31 (Ramsey–Whittlesey– Peterborough);
▶ 604 (Milton–Impington Village College);
▶ 606 (Cambridge City Centre –Impington Village College); and
▶ 607 (Trumpington–Sawston Village College).
Conservative mayor Paul Bristow asked the CPCA board to approve funding for the March to Whittlesey section of service 33 (March to Peterborough).
Board members voted unanimously at a meeting on 4 June to approve the procurement of the service, which will cost the authority an additional £115,000.
Mr Bristow told the board meeting that it would be “unthinkable” to not have a town as big as March connected to Peterborough by bus.
Cllr Bailey, theTory leader of East Cambridgeshire District Council, told the board how the authority “failed” the number 9 service in the past, noting it had been running on a “hopeless timetable” for a year, which led to a large reduction in users.
“It’s one of the most deserving routes for investment[…]yet it’s not on the table today because the money isn’t there currently,” she said.
Cllr Anna Smith, of Cambridge City Council, said she was also “concerned” about the other routes facing service withdrawals, including the 607 Trumpington to Sawston route.
She said: “This could result in students who use that as a lifeline to go from Trumpington to Sawston Village College having to walk an additional 1.6 kilometres longer to get to a bus stop from where the stops currently are.”
Cllr Smith also supported the idea of stepping in to save the number 31 Ramsey to Peterborough service. “I very much hope the 33 is not the last proposal we will see on this,” she said.
Mr Bristow previously said the CPCA “can’t replace every commercial route when an operator pulls out”.
He told the meeting: “It’s difficult to be unemotional about something as important as bus routes, but we have to make a policy that we’re prepared to subsidise when it comes to connecting towns to cities like March to Peterborough.”