Tag: Stagecoach

  • More Sunday buses – but fewer to Cambridge North

    More Sunday buses – but fewer to Cambridge North

    Changes to the Sunday Busway timetable will see buses run every 15 minutes from Impington to Cambridge City Centre, but there will be cuts to services to Cambridge North station.

    Currently, three buses an hour leave St Ives Park & Ride after 9am on Sundays, routed via Histon to Cambridge City. Two of these are on ‘B’ routes past Cambridge North station.

    From Sunday 20 April, the frequency and capacity from St Ives will be increased, with four buses per hour into the city. Three of these will be on ‘A’ routes via Orchard Park, but the number of buses on the ‘B’ route will be reduced to one per hour.

    The new timetable will apply to Sunday buses during the day, but not early mornings or evenings. A Stagecoach East spokesperson told HI HUB: “…when coming out of Cambridge New Square the extra services will start at 10.36am and finish at 6.31pm.”

    As the changes will take place over the Easter weekend, when Sunday services apply on the public holidays, the current timetable will run on Good Friday, but the new timetable will be in place on both Easter Sunday and Monday.

    Congestion changes

    Other Busway changes coming into service from 20 April are being made to give more time to allow for traffic congestion in Cambridge.

    Service B will see minor timetable updates at peak times and Service A will travel to St Ives via Park Terrace instead of Gonville Place.

    Ross Barton, Operations Director at Stagecoach East, is calling for more action to tackle congestion. He said: “We only ever make changes to our timetables after considering every option, but the fact is that congestion in and out of Cambridge means that our buses just cannot meet the times set on existing timetables.

    “We know what an important artery the Busway is for people needing to travel into Cambridge, so I would call on everyone concerned with our local roads to continue to work together to avoid delays.

    “We live and operate in a dynamic, forward-looking city, and the Busway is an essential part of that, so we need to make sure that buses are able to get through.”

    To check the Busway timetable see the Stagecoach website

  • Bus fares to Cambridge increase as Stagecoach reacts to rising costs

    Bus fares to Cambridge increase as Stagecoach reacts to rising costs

    Passengers across Cambridgeshire are facing fare increases for 2023. A ticket from Histon and Impington to central Cambridge (Town Zone) will now cost £4.50 per day with the DayRider option, or £2.25 per day with the best value option, a MegaRider Xtra.

    From Cottenham to Cambridge (Plus Zone), a DayRider ticket will increase to £7 per day, while the 28-day value ticket rises to £3.50 per day.

    Across the region, the hikes add an average of 39p onto the cost of daily adult bus travel.

    Network price rises take effect from January. Photo: David Berry

    Each of the region’s zones has the same ticket options available as before, but pricing structures may vary to reflect the distance travelled in each zone.

    There is better news for passengers travelling via Park & Ride from sites around Cambridge, with prices there remaining frozen for the seventh year in a row. Return tickets at all sites, including Milton, start at £3.50 and children under 16 can still travel for free with a fare-paying passenger.

    Also, despite the hikes, all single bus fares are capped at £2 across the network between January and March 2023 as part of a Government scheme to help combat the rising cost of living.

    Stagecoach commented: “Fares contribute to the day-to-day running of our services as well as investment in improvements for our communities. While part of this is down to rising costs, we’ve also been making important investments to give you an even better experience”.

    For more information visit Guide to East England Bus Tickets & Prices │Stagecoach (stagecoachbus.com)  and www.cambridgeparkandride.info

  • Double trouble for motorists heading to Cambridge

    Double trouble for motorists heading to Cambridge

    Although work on Histon Road improvements continues to divert southbound traffic, Stagecoach has deemed buses from the Milton Park & Ride site into Cambridge to be non-essential and is suspending the service and diverting buses to other routes.

    Histon & Impington residents who depend on the Milton Park & Ride bus into Cambridge are being left high and dry by the decision by Stagecoach to prioritise other routes while pandemic restrictions apply.

    Buses from the site are being suspended from 10 May to allow for extra services elsewhere, initially on Route 13 from Cambridge to Haverhill, and then on other routes with greater demand.

    Covid restrictions mean the number of people who can travel on each bus is currently limited and Stagecoach, which runs the Park & Ride service, is facing a shortage of buses as lockdown restrictions are eased and more people use them to get to work and education.

    Passengers who use the Milton Park & Ride service are being advised to use Newmarket Road or Madingley Road Park & Ride services until the limit on passenger numbers is increased.

    Buses are being suspended from Milton Park & Ride from May 10. Photo: Bridget Davidson

    Stagecoach has apologised for the inconvenience, saying the shortage of vehicles is “being experienced on a national scale and each local operation must do everything they can to ensure the resources they have are used to ensure essential local bus services are maintained.”

    Roadworks continue

    Meanwhile, efforts to make Histon Road into Cambridge safer for cyclists and quicker for buses continue to hamper attempts to reach Cambridge by car from the village.

    The next stage of the Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) Histon Road improvement scheme is about to begin. Roadworks to construct a new junction layout that will prioritise cyclist safety at the Gilbert Road junction are due to start mid-May. The work will include digging out the existing kerbs and footpaths, laying new services, including drainage and cables, and widening the road.

    Plans for the Gilbert Road junction improvement

    Improvements continue to the north of the Gilbert Road Junction through to Carisbrooke Road. The trees in this area are being preserved and works are planned around them.

    Floating bus stops are being prepared on the southbound side of Histon Road

    Footpaths have been laid from opposite Hazelwood Close alongside the new fencing up to Kings Hedges Road and both sides of the road are open for pedestrians use. Floating bus stops are being installed to provide a cycleway behind the passenger boarding area on the southbound side.

    At the Blackhall Road junction, a new ‘tabletop junction’ will allow pedestrians to cross the road on the flat, promoting access for wheelchair users and cyclists. It will also slow traffic entering and exiting Histon Road, making the junctions safe for all users.

    Outside the Esso garage the pedestrian pavement is being dug up to make room for the widened cycle lane in this area and the bus stop shelter has been relocated to its new permanent position outside the Co-op. Work is beginning on a new pedestrian crossing near Akeman Street, providing safer access to shops. When this and the work on the Gilbert Road junction is complete, the road from Murketts garage to the junction will be resurfaced.

    Full details of this project can be found at the GCP website here.