Bus routes saved in interim plan, says authority

The Stagecoach number 9 bus connects Littleport to Ely and Cambridge

Threatened bus routes will now continue with no gap in service when the operator pulls out at the end of August.

Stagecoach had announced it would not stop running several services in Cambridgeshire due to a lack of passengers, including the number 31 route between Ramsey and Whittlesey and the number 9 service between Littleport and Cambridge.

A short-term continuity plan will see the 31 run by Dews and the number 9 operated by A2B from 1 September, after funding was agreed by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.

A spokesman for the authority said it would begin the procurement to operate the routes beyond 2026 later this year.

The firms will run broadly the same timetables that passengers rely on today, the authority said.

Mayor Paul Bristow welcomed continuity of the number 9 and 31 bus services

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mayor, Paul Bristow, said: "These services are lifelines for the towns and villages they serve, and we've acted to protect them.

"I also said we'd work to avoid what would have been a very difficult gap in service for passengers that rely on them.

"I'm glad we can reassure passengers there won't be."

The Conservative mayor added that they would now "work on an affordable, deliverable plan for franchising" to keep bus services going in the area's towns and villages.

Dews will also operate two new services: the X32, running directly between March and Whittlesey via Coates and Eastrea, and the 32, which adds two return trips serving Turves and extending to Ramsey to supplement the 31.

Passengers will be able to use these routes to connect to travel for Peterborough, while work on ways to improve the 9 service would see new timetable tests to create a more joined-up service for passengers and communities, the authority said.