Stagecoach East invests £6m in new Guided Busway buses 

Stagecoach East passengers using the Guided Busway in Cambridge are being promised they will wait for no longer than five minutes at peak times when a new service schedule is launched later this month.

The company has invested £6m in 18 new vehicles, including six triple-axle 100-seaters, which will also mean that towns and villages that previously had a limited service in the evenings and none at all on a Sunday will see an improvement.

Operations Director Ross Barton said the changes had been introduced after Stagecoach consulted extensively with passengers.

He added: “The message was loud and clear. People wanted more buses and more seats. That’s the reason we have introduced the 100-seaters as opposed to the standard 72-seat vehicles.

“There will hardly be a need for a timetable on the main corridor between St Ives Park & Ride and and Trumpington Park & Ride as the new schedules mean there will be a bus every five minutes at peak times and eight minutes off peak.”

Meanwhile, buses to Cambridge Railway Station will also be every five minutes.

On the X service there will be a fast and direct route to Cambridge Biomedical Campus that will benefit early morning commuters and late finishers.

The earliest bus leaves at 5.30am from St Ives and the last service will leave the campus at 7.52pm.

Service R will no longer stop at the Biomedical Campus but there will be lots more A services from Trumpington Park & Ride that will stop there.

Guided Busway supervisor Mick Capper said: “This is an investment for the future and will make a massive difference to the Busway and the people who use it.”

The new services will start on March 29, which is the date which has been agreed with the Traffic Commissioner. A number of drivers have also been waiting to be trained on the section of track that has been closed due to the A14 upgrade.

Stagecoach Managing Director, Michelle Hargreaves, said: “I would like to thank passengers for their patience during what has been a very frustrating period.

“Unfortunately, the situation has been out of our control and the Busway had to remain closed while Highways England carried out their upgrade work.”

A Cambridgeshire County Council spokesperson said: “It is great news the Guided Busway work at Histon by Highways England, as part of the A14 upgrade, is now complete and we’re pleased to say the maintenance track will be re-opened for pedestrians and cyclists on Monday 9 March.”

New timetables are being produced and will be available soon.

A Q and A about the new services is available here.