Monday evening: Stagecoach statements on changes and Busway delay

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Further to previous announcements, the majority of service changes planned for November, which have generated substantial public uprorar, have been postponed. Now, the citi4 will still lose it's Sunday evening service (following loss of developer funding), there will be an extra 1739 18 Mon-Sat from Longstowe Fox to Cambridge, plus the previously announced changes to the 13/13A and 206 in Cambridge, and 29, 30, 35, 65/66 in Hunts, but everything else is on hold. With regards to the Cambridgeshire network as a whole, they have around 50 new low-floor double deck buses on order, of which 2 were spotted (but not locally) earlier in the Autumn. Interestingly, some of the bus stops in Sawston had already had their citi7 flags changed, from "every 10 mins" to "every 15 mins" in preperation for the changes - I spotted some of them yesterday.

Bus changes postponed as Stagecoach invests to beat the recession
16 November 2009

Bus operator Stagecoach has announced the imminent arrival of fifty brand new buses for the award winning Cambridge Citi network. With a recession busting price tag of over £6m, this will see total investment by the company top £10m over the last twelve months!

The fleet of brand new double deckers, expected to be operational by the spring, will add to the company’s green credentials, as they will run on 100% bio-fuel, made from food industry waste products.

The company is determined to maintain it’s impressive passenger growth in the historic city despite being hit by the recession. Managing Director Andy Campbell commented, “We have seen a drop in passenger numbers recently, but we are confident this will not last and that the situation will revert as the economy picks up.”
Indeed plans to change some routes at the end of November have been shelved until the new buses arrive in the new year.

Mr Campbell added, “ We are faced with challenging environmental targets, with politicians calling for fewer buses in the city centre. We carry twice as many customers as we did when the citi brand was launched in 2001, but suffer from ever worsening traffic congestion. Replacing the fleet with fifty new, low-emission, double deckers enables us to provide additional capacity in the most efficient way.”
Whilst planned changes to citi 1, 2 and 7 at the end of November 2009 are postponed for now, the company is reviewing its entire network to ensure that the routes offered are reliable, but sustainable in these difficult times. A series of meetings with councillors will outline the company’s plans ahead of a network relaunch in the spring.

Delay to Busway opening

16 November 2009

Stagecoach has confirmed today, 16th November, it has been informed by Cambridgeshire County Council that the Cambridgeshire Busway will not be available at the end of November as expected. It would appear that the scheme is again held up by delays in construction.

Services planned to start on Sunday 29th November will be put on hold, whilst finishing works take place. The package of improvements timed to coincide with the opening of The Busway included changes to routes 5, 15 and 21 and the introduction of Busway routes A and B along with a new link to the St Ives Park & Ride site numbered route 20. These have been advertised, but will now be shelved until the eventual opening.
Managing Director Andy Campbell commented, “We are as disappointed as everyone else with yet another delay. Our team of dedicated drivers have been looking forward to commencing operations before Christmas, but it now looks like we will have to wait until sometime in the new year.
Timetables on route 29, 30, 35 and 65/66 will change, as advertised...