Due to questions about the future of village bus services, a public information evening will be held on 19 April, 7:30-9PM at the Elin Way Community Centre, Meldreth.

Some of our transport services – subsidised buses and community transport – depend entirely on County Council financial support. Subsidised buses tend to run where commercial operators don’t see a market. Other bus services are run by private companies like Stagecoach, independent of the council and based on profitable markets.

With dwindling government financial support to councils, it was expected that subsidised buses would cease from April 1st. But funding has now been secured from the Council to keep the 127, 128 and 15 buses running for the coming year. The council is currently asking people who need public transport from the villages served by these buses if they see ways of improving their effectiveness.

Due to the decision now announced by Stagecoach to stop running the 27 bus to Cambridge at the end of the summer term, due to very low ridership, I’ve asked the County Council if it would extend its subsidized bus services to accommodate those people caught out by the loss of the 27. A link service to the 26 at Royston or Melbourn, which Stagecoach has announced it will increase to hourly (off-peak journeys terminating at Trumpington Park and Ride), or to Meldreth Station for trains, could fill the gap.

I’ve also put the question of a link service to Royston and District Community Transport, who plan to attend the April 19 information meeting and want to understand passenger demand, in order to scope out options.

The idea of station shuttle links is also something that the Meldreth, Shepreth and Foxton Community Rail Partnership has been examining.

Anecdotally, from talking to parents in Bassingbourn and Whaddon, it seems that many families lift-share their children to Meldreth Station. Some have said they gave up relying on the 27 bus because of congestion around Cambridge, causing late arrival into college. Stagecoach have been saying that congestion is one of their major challenges, precisely because it impedes reliable journey times.

I’ve been speaking to Cambridge sixth form colleges and Cambridge Regional College about student transport. The collapse of the County Council’s financial assistance for sixth form transport – something it is not legally required to provide, and for which government no longer provides sufficient financial assistance to enable – has brought about a sixth form transport crisis in many parts of Cambridgeshire, especially for families on lower incomes. The colleges have seen dramatic cuts to their own budgets and no longer have the scope to consider running their own transport services to rural villages.

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with any questions or concerns – there is a great deal of information to absorb in changing times, but there are solutions to be worked out, too.

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