A proposal to step in to save two bus services being withdrawn by
a bus operator will be considered by the Cambridgeshire and
Peterborough Combined Authority Board next week.
Stagecoach East will stop operating the Ramsey to Whittlesey
section of the 31 route, and the full 9/X9 route between
Cambridge and Littleport, from 31 August. The services provided
by A2B on the 9/X9 route will remain.
At their July 22 meeting, the Board will be asked to approve
going out to tender for new services covering both routes. The
estimated annual cost is £500,000.
To help meet this cost within existing budgets, the Board will
also be asked to agree to end funding for three existing services
which have the highest cost per passenger journey in the current
supported network:
• South Cambridgeshire Tiger on Demand – the bookable service
which covers a set area of the district. Cost per passenger:
£180.11.
• Route 15, Haslingfield to Royston: 281 journeys in 2024/25 and
a cost per passenger of £180.32.
• Route 8A March to Cottenham: 1,989 journeys in 2024/25 and a
cost per passenger of £100.33.
The 9/X9 route has 12,443 passenger journeys per year and would
have an estimated cost to the Combined Authority of £2.39 per
passenger if the service was replaced like-for-like. Although
some of the route is covered by rail, this is more expensive and
the service frequency isn't as accessible to all passengers.
There are no viable public transport alternatives south of
Whittlesey, apart from the 31 service, for communities in the
Ramsey and Pondersbridge area. Stagecoach's withdrawal affects
only the Whittlesey to Ramsey part of the route. If the
Whittlesey to Ramsey branch is contracted by the Combined
Authority, the estimated net cost is £8.40 per passenger and the
route had 12,612 journeys in the 2024/25 financial year.
The Board is being recommended to approve two key actions:
- To cease funding for the three identified routes.
- To commence procurement for replacement 31 and 9/X9 services
If approved, work to procure the new services would begin later
this summer. Subject to that process, the earliest start date for
the new services would likely be late 2025; discussions are
ongoing to ensure services remain in place until that point.
said: “When
commercial bus operators withdraw from key routes, we are left
with difficult choices within finite budgets. So, as a Board, we
need to take a hard look at where we spend money. Some services
are costing us more than 70 times as much per passenger as the
9/X9 would cost. And the 31 is the only direct link to
Peterborough for communities in and around Ramsey, and is also at
much lower cost per passenger. In those circumstances, I think
it's time to act.
“I hope the Board agrees so we can move to the next step of
keeping these communities connected.”
The Combined Authority is also progressing separate plans to fund
the 33 bus between March and Whittlesey, following Board approval
in June.
