Proposals to save 31 and 9/X9 bus routes to be put to Combined Authority Board

Proposals to save 31 and 9/X9 bus routes to be put to Combined Authority Board

A proposal to step in to save two bus services being withdrawn by a bus operator will be considered by the Combined Authority Board next week.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.

Paul Bristow 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.