Cambridgeshire and Suffolk bus routes given new operators

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority has secured operators for most routes cancelled by Stagecoach

New operators have been found to take over bus routes in Cambridgeshire and parts of Suffolk after Stagecoach East pulled out of running them.

The company said it could no longer run the loss-making routes, leading to the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) to step in.

Contracts with the new bus companies will come into effect from 30 October and run until the end of March.

The CPCA put out an urgent tender last month to find new operators.

Some 17 of the 18 services cut by Stagecoach East, along with five reduced services, will all be covered following the tender process, the authority said.

The remaining route, service 39, has been covered apart from the section between Chatteris and March, it added, with negotiations continuing.

Whippet will be operating several services from 30 October

The cost of subsidising the routes, which also cover western parts of Suffolk, is expected to be about £1.25m, the CPCA explained on its website.

Bus passengers have been advised to check new timetables.

The new companies taking over the routes include Stephensons of Essex, Whippet Coaches, Dews Coaches, Vectare and A2B Travel.

The Combined Authority, which looks after local transport, said it was working to put in place a "sustainable and affordable bus network" from April onwards, starting with "a refreshed Bus Strategy for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough".

The BBC understands Nik Johnson has discussed a bus precept being included in council tax bills

The Labour mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Nik Johnson, said: "With 18 bus routes cut at short notice by Stagecoach and five more scaled back significantly, the Combined Authority has been faced with a major challenge to get services back running again.

"We have been working continuously with operators to try to get a level of service which will meet as much of the need and journey connectivity as possible."

On Monday, the BBC was told the mayor was considering charging households a new bus tax to support public transport, by way of a precept in council tax bills.

A draft bus strategy is due to be presented to the authority's transport and infrastructure committee in November, which calls for more government investment.