No service gaps for saved 9 and 31 bus routes after Combined Authority action.

No service gaps for saved 9 and 31 bus routes after Combined Authority action.

Passengers of two threatened bus services which the Combined Authority stepped in to save can now look forward to no gap in service when the operator pulls out after August 31.

Earlier this year Stagecoach announced it would pull out of several services in Cambridgeshire after August 31 including the 31 route between Ramsey and Whittlesey and the 9 between Littleport and Cambridge. Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Paul Bristow called for them to be saved.

Last month the Combined Authority Board agreed funding to go out to tender with bus operators to keep the services, but there was a risk that new operators would only be running services from the start of 2026, meaning a gap in service. Paul Bristow said the Combined Authority would work hard to try to cover the gap.

A short-term continuity plan has now been agreed. From 1 September 2025, the 31 between Ramsey and Whittlesey will be operated by Dews, and the 9 between Cambridge and Littleport by A2B. Both will run broadly the same journeys passengers rely on today.

Alongside safeguarding current routes, work is also underway on ways to improve the 9 service, with timetable options being tested with councillors and parish representatives. The aim is for a more joined-up service which works better for passengers and communities.

In June the Combined Authority Board also agreed to step in to save another service – the section of route between March and Whittlesey – to prevent the villages of Eastrea and Coates being cut off from Peterborough. From 1 September, Dews will operate two new services: the X32, running direct between March and Whittlesey via Coates and Eastrea, and the 32, which adds two return trips serving Turves and extends to Ramsey to supplement the 31.

Passengers can use the 31 and 32/X32 to reach Whittlesey, then connect onto the 33 for onward travel to Peterborough.

Paul Bristow said: “My pledge to get Cambridgeshire and Peterborough moving wasn’t just a slogan, it’s happening.

“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.

“While we work on an affordable, deliverable plan for franchising, I’m determined we keep our bus services doing what they should – keeping people connected and supporting our towns and villages.”