Mayor warns of ‘short wait’ to find new operator for axed bus routes in Cambridgeshire

Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Dr Nik Johnson claims he has begun an “urgent process” to try to save rural bus services being axed by operator Stagecoach but says there will be a “short wait” while they look for new operators.

This process is expected to take three weeks and then will then be put before the Combined Authroity for approval. However, it is not clear whether any new services will be in place at the end of October to replace the cancelled routes.

Meanwhile, Stagecoach East managing director Darren Roe has called for a rural connectivity summit to identify new transport solutions across Cambridgeshire after his company announced it would axe 18 services across the county.

Dr Johnson said: “Last night, I instructed Combined Authority officers to start an urgent process with bus operators with the aim of continuing as many of the bus routes as possible that are set to be cut by Stagecoach from October 30.

“The process will take about three weeks to finish and the aim is to keep as many of these services running as possible through to March 2023.

“Any decision to keep bus routes going will be put to the Combined Authority Board for approval when it meets on October 19, and after the three-week process has worked out all the options.

“It does therefore unfortunately mean a short wait while the Combined Authority looks for bus operators for the routes, but we will be keeping the public updated as soon as we have information to share.”

Stagecoach has announced it will be cancelling the following bus routes from the end of October:

• Cambridge-Newmarket-Bury St Edmunds 11 & X11
• Cambridge-Newmarket-Ely 12
• Longstowe-Cambridge 18
• Royston-Cambridge 915
• Addenbrookes-Trumpington 25
• Ely-March 39
• Peterborough-Lynch Wood 23 & 24
• Hampton-Peterborough 29
• St Ives-Ramsey V1
• St Ives-Chatteris V2
• St Ives-Somersham V3
• St Ives-Boxworth V4
• Hinchingbrooke-Godmanchester V5
• St Ives Town 22
• Huntingdon-Ramsey 30
• Huntingdon-March 35
• Huntingdon-St Neots 66

Sections of route are also being withdrawn on Citi5 beyond Northstowe and Citi8 beyond Cottenham, as well as a service for March town.

You can download the new Cambridgeshire network map here, or the new Bedfordshire network map here.

The Combined Authority needs at least £4.7m in funding to replace these bus routes but is currently only pledging £1.7m. This money is coming from savings arising due to reduced amount of Combined Authority payments to bus operators caused by Covid-19. A smaller amount is from the Bus Recovery Grant offered by Government to help keep some services going.

The mayor admitted that feelings have been running high about the loss of vital bus services to villages.

He said: “In my time so far as mayor, no issue has evoked as strong a response as this announcement by Stagecoach. My mailbox is full of emails from residents concerned about the loss of their service, from teachers who won’t be able to get to school to teach and students who won’t be able to get to college, to older members of our society who will lose their only means of transportation out of their village to get to the shops or attend essential hospital appointments.

“It will also lead to more cars on our already overburdened roads, which goes against our need to cut carbon emissions across our districts. I maintain that this decision by Stagecoach, whilst they continue to receive government funding, is absolutely unacceptable, and the timing during a cost-of-living crisis could not be worse.

“We will continue to update the public on developments at every step of the way. In the meantime I will be writing to Government to reiterate the major challenges facing our bus network and the need for more funding to keep services going.

“While stepping in to support bus services is necessary in the short term, it is clearly not sustainable in the long term. There has already been a severe lack of national investment and vision for buses going back decades. Covid-19 has brought many of the issues around passenger numbers, especially in rural areas and in our market towns, to a head.

“Change and a new future for our whole bus system is needed. The Combined Authority has been working on that new future through a dedicated Bus Strategy with the aim of providing high quality services for passengers, wherever they live and whatever their income.”

He is now reconsidering bus franchising for the region, which would bring the bus network under local control but is a lengthy process.

Mayor Dr Johnson said: “Franchised buses operate in London, and will soon start in Greater Manchester. The Combined Authority is looking at whether we can deliver a franchised system here, what the challenges are in a mainly rural area, and how it could be affordable and sustainable. The case for franchising is something the Combined Authority is continuing to review as part of work to improve bus services.

“Our Bus Strategy also includes developing a new Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) to make the case to Government for more funding. Like 60% of other local authorities nationwide, we were disappointed that our previous BSIP submitted last autumn was not supported by Government with funding, but we will be going back to make a renewed case.”

Meanwhile Stagecoach is calling for a summit with local councillors, bus operators, transport users and business groups to discuss the bus network.

In a statement, Stagecoach said: “The pandemic has accelerated a multi-million-pound gap between the costs of operating traditional bus links in many rural parts of the region and the low and declining income from fares. In addition to the impact of existing inflationary pressures, Stagecoach fuel costs are set to rise by 20% and utility costs by more than 80 per cent in the months ahead.

“Journeys in some areas are now losing an average of £12 per passenger, with some routes costing as much as £85 per passenger journey – significantly more than taking the same trips by private taxi due to the higher operational costs and regulatory requirements of running a bus service.”

Darren Roe, managing irector of Stagecoach East, said: “We care about our local communities, and we know how important public transport is to local people. That is why we have pumped millions of pounds of company money into services in Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire trying to keep these bus links alive, as well as increasing services in areas where people are travelling more.

“But the harsh reality is that in many rural areas the gap between costs and fare income is accelerating. These routes have been on life support for many years, and we need a radical review of how the transport authority and operators work together to keep these communities alive and connected.”

A statement from Stagecoach East added that the company had held meetings with the Combined Authority to discuss the reality of the financial situation over several months. Since May, it has urged for a more fundamental review involving all local bus operators and user groups.

Mr Roe said: “We need an urgent rural connectivity summit, bringing together all key stakeholders, to have an open and honest debate about the financial realities and what innovative solutions may be possible.

“It is clear the traditional fixed route bus service is no longer a financially viable solution in these rural areas in parts of Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire. Not only is it becoming unviable for these areas, but it also threatens the long-term

sustainability of the wider bus network and the investment we are making in new electric buses to deliver the region’s net zero ambitions and improve people’s health.

“We cannot turn back the clock. Instead, we need to focus our collective energy on developing alternative solutions to meet the new reality and it is inevitable that these will need to be underpinned by public funding support.”

As well as discussions with councils, Mr Roe also met with the Cambridge and Bedford Area Bus User groups this week to discuss the situation and listen to people’s views.

He said: “There needs to be an open and honest conversation around what is the most appropriate way to ensure that communities in more rural areas remain connected. We are fully committed to playing our part in those discussions.”

The new Stagecoach network comes into effect on October 30. Visit www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and offers/east/east-bus-network for more on it.