Today was the last day of the unrevised Stagecoach service B, so I decided to take a trip to Peterborough. I caught the 1321 B from St Ives. This was in the interest of 'research' but I did visit Peterborough Cathedral.
The13.21 bus left St Ives 5 minutes late, and reached Peterborough 9 minutes late. So we dropped 4 minutes against the schedule. 2 minutes were lost between St Ives and Hartford, which it is not possible to cover in the 10 minutes allowed by the timetable. So Stagecoach are right to ease the time on this section of the route.
I had imagined that the B ran as an express between Huntingdon and Peterborough, but this is not the case. The bus stops on request at all bus stops en route, so on this trip we picked up of set down passengers at Stukeley Meadows, RAF Alconbury, two different stops in Sawtry, Norman Cross ( possibly someone heading for Stilton which has been bypassed by the new timetable) and Serpentine Green. At no point were there more than 11 passengers on board, and only 8 alighted at the end of the journey.
The return journey was at 1615 from Peterborough with 21 passengers on board. Passengers boarded or alighted at Serpentine Green, 4 different stops in Sawtry, and Great Stukeley. We were 6 minutes late reaching Huntingdon, but made up the time between Huntingdon and St Ives, arriving at St Ives on time.
The extra 10 minutes allowed in the new timetable due to start from Monday 6 August should give enough flexibility to allow for passenger stops and traffic conditions.
It is a puzzle why Stagecoach have cut the large village of Stilton out of the route. And I do not see how they imagine that tacking what is really a 'stopping' service onto the end of the busway route is going to attract people to use the bus for Peterborough-Cambridge journeys.
Has anyone else travelled the Huntingdon-Peterborough section?
I am not convinced that the changes have anything to do with trying to provide through Peterborough - Cambridge journeys and suspect that it has more to do with 'efficient' utilisation of buses and drivers.
ReplyDeleteIf Stagecoach was interested in Peterborough - Cambridge, wouldn't they have been better to reinstate the x6 or x55 (which did not use the A14) routes?
they haven't advertised this route to the people of peterborough at all.
ReplyDeleteI work in cambridge business park and live in peterborough, i had no idea unitl i drove to the st.ives park and ride and got the bus the other day.
I also relasied it stop at the end of my village Yaxley, but that is not on the time table or map.
Most people who live in this village at the end of peterborough city commute and have no idea about the guided bus.