Cambridgeshire: Plans to fund more bus routes in the area

The authority is also considering extending the contracts it already has for funding several bus routes in the county for another 12 months.  

In September last year, Stagecoach announced it would be cutting several of its services. Following this, the Combined Authority retendered and funded a number of these routes to keep them running. 

These contracts are due to finish in March if they are not extended. 

A report published ahead of a transport and infrastructure committee meeting next week (Wednesday, January 18) set out six more routes proposed for the authority to fund. 

These services are: 

• 16A – Cambridge – Long Road – Teversham – Fulbourn – Balsham – Great Thurlow 
• 17 – Royston – Bassingbourn – The Mordens 
• 68 – Wisbech town service 
• 101 – Whittlesford – Duxford – Saffron Walden 
• 199 – Cambridge – Newnham 
• Zipper 1 – Witcham – Haddenham – Wilburton – Ely 

The transport committee will be asked to recommend to the Combined Authority board to approve the procurement and retendering of these services. 

The committee is also due to consider whether to recommend to the board to approve a 12-month extension of the current 23 contracts. 

The report said that a “thorough, robust, and comprehensive” review of the bus service network had been expected to be completed by March this year. 

However, the report said that it was important for this work to be “informed by the public consultation” that is currently being run by the Combined Authority on its proposed bus strategy. 

This full review is now expected to be presented to the transport committee in the autumn of this year, which is why the report said it is recommending the current 23 contracts are extended for another 12 months. 

It added that the estimated cost for the extra 12 months would be £4.08million, and that the total costs associated with the bus contracts, estimated to be around £6.9million.