Overcrowded buses

A Swavesey resident wrote to the Hunts Post a couple of weeks ago about overcrowding on commuter buses preventing Swavesey passengrs from boarding. He writes again (Hunts Post, 12 October, page 7) to commend Stagecoach for introducing a double decker service to Cambridge Railway Station at that key time.

This is the 07.30 from St Ives Hill Rise (Service A) and it is the service I often catch to work in the morning.

It tends to run more or less in convoy with the preceding 07.00 from Huntingdon (B) , and the following 07.43(A) from St Ives Park & Ride. All three services are heavily used, often with standing passengers for the last stretch of the journey.

With large numbers of passengers joining at intermediate stops, and because buses only have one entrance door, extended loading times are contributing to delays. Last Friday, for example, the 07.30 from Hill Rise left St Ives Bus Station left a minute late, but was 9 late by the time it reached New Square.

Unfortunately the low bridge under Hills Road means that any Service A bus going beyond Cambridge Railway Station has to be a single decker - with smaller passenger capacity.

We read some weeks ago that Stagecoach were hoping to purchase some new buses. that too should help them to provide extra capacity a peak times.