Bus cuts: 'I will have no way to get to college'

Colleges in Cambridge say some students will be unable to attend when the bus routes are cut

Students and teachers are warning plans to axe 18 bus routes in Cambridgeshire could severely disrupt education, with one college saying up to 400 of its students could be affected by the changes.

The bus company says the routes are not "financially viable", but what is the impact of the changes which are due to come in later this month?

'It's not fair'

A-level student Lucy Worledge says she does not know how she will get to college without the bus

Lucy Worledge says: "I take the 12 bus from Newmarket into college and after October if they cut it I won't have any way of getting in."

The 18-year-old studies at Long Road Sixth Form College in Cambridge and says she was "shocked" at the decision to cut the route.

She says: "It's quite frequently used and it's always almost full most of the time when I get it.

"It was quite stressful, I have no way of getting in and if I could get in, I've got no way of getting home.

"It's already enough of a stressful time with sorting [university] and it's added on to that.

"It's not just students, it's affecting so many people, it's not fair, it's putting so many people in such bad situations, they can't get into college, can't get into work, can't get into hospital."

The student says she already has to get two buses to college and "sometimes have to leave two hours before my lessons".

She adds: "There is a train but it's going to be more expensive and I have to find a way to get to the train station.

"My mum doesn't drive, my dad does but he's got work and even if I got in I've got no way to get back."

'The community is going to fall apart'

Zoe worries people who use the same bus as her will become isolated

A-level student Zoe travels on the number 18 bus from the village of Kingston to Long Road Sixth Form College in Cambridge.

She says she "was so mad" when she found out her route would be cut.

The 16-year-old says: "I immediately started thinking about the people of my village, the elderly aren't going to be able to get out, it's stripping people of their rights to freedom."

She describes the bus on her journey into college as "packed".

"Some of those people are going to be stuck with no way of getting where they are going to," the student says.

She says she "can't bike or walk, my parents can't take me, I have no way of getting to college".

"I'm not going to be able to continue my studies, the community is going to fall apart because people aren't going to be able to get out and if they don't drive they are not going to be able to get around," she adds.

'Herculean efforts to access education'

College principal Jo Trump believes local authorities, the government and the bus company need to work together to keep the routes

Jo Trump, principal of Hills Road Sixth Form College in the centre of Cambridge, says the cuts will have "a really significant impact on both staff and students".

She says: "About 400 students are going to be affected, some of them aren't going to make it in at all.

"This is a public service and this is the way these young people access their education."

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She says she has heard of some students having a 50-minute cycle to get a bus or train to get to the college after the cuts come in.

Ms Trump says: "They are making Herculean efforts to access their education.

"I think we can do better than that as a community, I think we need to step up and make sure these services are there for them."

'No stone left unturned'

Managing director Darren Roe says passenger numbers have fallen since the pandemic

Darren Roe, managing director of Stagecoach East, says: "We care about our customers and sympathise with those people who will be impacted by the changes ahead.

"Unfortunately, running a traditional fixed-route bus service is no longer a financially viable solution for some rural areas."

He says along with the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) the company has "continued to explore different options to ensure connectivity in these communities".

But Mr Roe adds: "The reality is that Stagecoach alone cannot deliver solutions to the challenges involved or save the bus routes at risk.

"We have left no stone unturned in trying to find a way forward in maintaining connectivity for communities."