V2 feeder service extended (and off-peak services added) to/from March, starting 1 March

Stagecoach, in collaboration with the Combined Authority, is extended the V2 Busway feeder service to/from March from Monday 1 March. Off-peak (daytime) services will also be added to the service.

The new timetable will see four March-St Ives services, plus the early morning Chatteris-St Ives run. In the opposite direction there will be five services to March, plus a 1910 departure from St Ives, terminating at Chatteris.

For more information, see the Stagecoach Busway web page. And the new timetable can be found here.

More changes to busway timetables from 24 January

Stagecoach are reducing their service frequency on the Busway. This is in response to a downturn in passenger numbers as a result of the COVID lockdown. Peak hour service C will cease to run from 24 January.

Full details at https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/east/east-covid19-services?utm_campaign=526370_SCCM%20S%20Covid%20lockdown%20update%20Jan%202021&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Dotdigital&dm_i=50SA,BA5E,JTDOH,1AD04,1#tab4

Stagecoach changes from 3rd January

Stagecoach are making further changes to Busway services from 3rd January. Some (but be careful - NOT ALL) journeys on route C will begin from/terminate at Huntingdon, rather than running only to/from St Ives. This will provide additional capacity during peak travel times whilst route B is being operated by single-deck vehicles.

Full details, and revised timetables, are on the Stagecoach website.

Christmas and New Year services

Both Busway operators have published details of service changes during the Christmas and New Year period. This table covers both Stagecoach and Whippet operations.

• Mon 21-Wed 23: Saturday service
• Thu 24: Saturday service, but with an early shutdown (see below)
• Fri 25-Sat 26: No service
• Sun 27-Mon 28: Sunday service
• Tue 29-Wed 30: Saturday service
• Thu 31: Saturday service, but with an early shutdown (see below)
• Fri 1 Jan: No service

Normal services resume on 2 Jan.

Last buses on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve:

• A: 1833 ex-Marley Rd; 1857 ex-Trumpington P&R
• B: 1830 ex-Hinchingbrooke; 1907 ex-Trumpington P&R
• U: 1833 ex-Eddington; 1907 ex-Addenbrooke's

For more information (including Stagecoach's "V" series feeder services), consult the Stagecoach and Whippet announcements.

Jesus Lane closure, Sun 29th Nov

The outbound A service will be unable to serve the Jesus Lane stop on Sunday 29th November, due to road works in Bridge St. The inbound service is already diverted, so is unaffected.

Although there's no information about this on the Stagecoach website, the usual diversion in this situation is via Victoria Avenue and Chesterton Lane, so that the Shire Hall stop can still be served.

Vandalism - arrests made

The Combined Authority is reporting that police were able to make arrests following recent vandalism on the southern section of the Busway. Stagecoach volunteered to run what's being described as a "Trojan bus" - a vehicle whose only passengers were plainclothes police officers - and this was instrumental in leading to arrests of "people participating in anti-social behaviour and breaching nationally set Covid-19 restrictions".

More information can be found in the Combined Authority's news item.

Double decker hits Hills Road bridge

One of the new Busway double deckers hit the Hills Road bridge earlier today. There were no injuries reported.

Here's an announcement from Stagecoach.

And Cambridgeshire Live has some photos with its report.

The vehicle was not operating a Busway service at the time - journeys on the C are routed via Hills Road, precisely because double deckers are used and are out of gauge for the southern Busway.

Vandalism at Trumpington

Stagecoach have reported two attacks in recent days on Busway vehicles in the Trumpington area.

The first incident took place at Foster Road in the late afternoon of 17 October. Stagecoach report that children smashed a window. And just yesterday, at around the same time, a vehicle suffered two broken windows when it was the subject of criminal damage by what Stagecoach describe as "youths".

Fortunately, there were no injuries on either occasion, although the vehicles concerned had to be removed from service.

Busway timetable changes from 1st November

 Stagecoach have announced a revised timetable to commence from 1st November.

Core busway routes A, B and C will connect. with feeder services to/from various smaller towns and villages near St Ives and Huntingdon.

Changes include - increase frequency between St Ives and Cambridge, and later journeys on Sunday evenings. On the other hand, it seems that Huntingdon Rail Station is no longer served directly —passengers wishing to transfer to rail services there would have to use a Hinchingbrooke bus and alight at the nearest stop in George Street, Huntingdon.

Details at https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/east/busway-and-connecting-services#

Partial closure on southern section, 25-28 September

 A stretch of the Busway, between Trumpington Park & Ride and the Foster Road stop, will be closed completely from 19.00 on Friday 25 September until Monday 28 September. This is a "complete" closure, so impacts not just on buses and their passengers, but also on pedestrians and cyclists.

There's nothing at present about this closure on the County Council's Busway website (why not???), so this information comes courtesy of a Cambridgeshire Live report - which doesn't specify exactly when the reopening is due to take place.

The closure is to allow upgrade work on the traffic lights controlling the single-track section to be carried out.

Bank Holiday Monday, 31 August

Stagecoach will be running a Sunday service on the forthcoming August Bank Holiday Monday. Nothing unusual in that, of course. But do remember that new timetables will be in operation. For the most part the changes to the Sunday timetable are only minor. But that's not the case if you use Cambridge North, live in Orchard Park, or are accustomed to using the Godmanchester services (you'd be better to consider the Whippet X3 in future for this last if you want to travel into Cambridge).

Whippet will also be running a Sunday service, with the U continuing to extend to/from the Biomedical Campus (but note that the Outpatients stop remains suspended).

Major changes to routes and timetables from 30 August

Stagecoach have announced some major changes to Busway services from 30 August. Full details, all new/revised timetables, and a route map, are on the Stagecoach website. What follows is a summary.

There are two main changes:

Busway-fitted vehicles will, in future, operate only on the Busway, also between St Ives Park & Ride and either Marley Road or Hinchingbrooke Hospital, and - within Cambridge - between the two sections of the Busway. This means that Busway vehicles will no longer provide feeder services to the rural areas beyond St Ives or to Peterborough and Royston. Rural connections will be provided by new services V1-V4 (serving, respectively, Ramsey, Chatteris, Somersham and Boxworth), operating a similar service to the existing "through" workings, but requiring passengers to change at St Ives. Would-be passengers should note that Stagecoach do NOT guarantee these connections, which could be an issue for commuters heading home in the afternoon, as these are the last services of the day to these destinations. There's also a new service V5 providing a an early-morning service from Godmanchester and late-evening return journeys - but these will operate through from Cambridge (as a "B" as far as Hinchingbrooke Hospital), so no change of vehicle will be required. Peterborough will be served by service 904 from St Ives - this will operate via Houghton village, but otherwise follow the main road between St Ives and Huntingdon and not divert via the estates (which will continue to be served by route B). In a reversion to earlier practice, Royston will be served by a separate Royston/Cambridge service, the newly-established 915.

The A and B routes are being switched. In line with the revision originally planned for March (but not implemented at the time), the A will in future operate via Shire Hall (although, because of the Histon Road closure, Cambridge-bound journeys will travel via the Science Park for the next year or so). The B will serve Cambridge North station. The A (single-decker buses) will continue to serve the main Railway Station and the Biomedical Campus, whilst the B (double-deckers) terminates in Cambridge City Centre.

And, just to note, services D and R will cease completely from 30 August (the R has been suspended since the early days of the pandemic).

Finally, a reminder that maps and timetables, and more detailed explanations of the changes, are on the Stagecoach website

Another long-term Busway B diversion - yes, seriously!

Busway B passengers have had to put up with more than their fair share of diversions, stop changes and the like over the past year or more. Well, guess what - there's another long-term diversion due to come into operation on Monday 29 June.

This one is in connection with Phases B & D of the Greater Cambridge Partnership's Histon Road project, which covers the whole road between Kings Hedges Road and Victoria Road.

So... from Monday 29 June, Histon Road will be completely closed inbound. The B service will effectively follow the A route between Histon and Cambridge New Square, omitting Orchard Park,Shire Hall and Round Church St (currently closed anyway, but due to reopen in early July). Passengers who would normally alight at Shire Hall will find themselves with a significant problem, as there's no diversionary route available - you simply have to carry on into the City Centre and then catch an outbound service.

How long will this diversion last? Well, the GCP's announcement was noticeably vague on this - saying nothing more specific than that the closure would last "for the duration of the construction". Stagecoach say it will be for "several months". The GCP's project page, though, is more helpful - Phase B will last until spring 2021, and Phase D until summer 2021.

For more information go to:

• Stagecoach announcement and revised route map
• GCP's Histon Road Construction web page

Changes from 14/15 June

Important changes from 14/15 June.

1, Stagecoach timetable changes (from 14 June)
The R remains suspended. There are more frequent services on routes A, B & D. Click here for more information, and here for the new timetables.

2. Concessionary pass holders (from 15 June)
The County Council is removing the temporary exception that allowed concessionary pass holders to travel before 0930 Mon-Fri. If you need to use the bus to access one of the early morning supermarket slots reserved for the elderly you'll have to pay to use the bus to get there (and possibly back).

3. Face coverings (from 15 June)
Face coverings will be compulsory on all public transport from 15 June.

There is reduced capacity on buses as a result of physical distancing requirements.

Round Church Street closure, 8 June-6 July

The inbound Busway "B" service will be diverted between 8 June and 6 July because Round Church Street is closed during that period. The Round Church Street stop will not be served (obviously!). Outbound journeys are not affected.

Bank Holiday Monday, 25 May

Busway services are operating to a Sunday timetable (using the current temporary timetables, of course) on Bank Holiday Monday, 25 May. Services B, D & U will be running, therefore, with the U extending to/from the Biomedical Campus. Essential travel only.

Busway B - yet another diversion (Histon Road, May 10-22)

As if passengers on the Busway B service haven't had enough of diversions in the past year, here's another one coming along on Monday 10 May.

Between 10 and 22 May, Histon Road will be completely closed - i.e. in both directions - close to the Domino's Pizza outlet, meaning that the city end of Histon Road is cut off from the remainder. Buses will divert via Gilbert Road, Mitchams Corner and Victoria Avenue (and the reverse for outbound services). The Shire Hall, Round Church St and Jesus Lane stops will be out of use for the duration of the diversion.

Buses will call additionally at any of the stops in Gilbert Road and by the Westbrook Centre, Milton Road. (They already serve any "regular" stops along Histon Road.)

Why? Anglian Water have to deal with a collapsed sewer. Fingers crossed that the work is completed on time...

Stagecoach timetable changes from 10 May - southern section

Stagecoach are making further changes to the Busway timetable - this time affecting only the southern section of the Busway. I'm guessing that the continuing lack of traffic within Cambridge city means that schedules can be further accelerated (and long may that continue, if not the underlying reason...).

So, from Sunday 10 May, buses will operate 5 minutes earlier from Cambridge rail station through to Trumpington Park&Ride and Royston. In the opposite direction, buses will start 7 minutes later and run 7 minutes later throughout between Royston/Trumpington Park&Ride and Parkside.

The latest version of the temporary Busway timetable is available here

Bank Holiday Friday, 8 May

All Busway services are operating a Sunday timetable on the forthcoming Bank Holiday, Friday 8 May. Don't forget that temporary timetables are in operation as well. Services B, D & U will be running, therefore, with the U runnning to/from the Biomedical Campus. Essential travel only, of course.

Timetable links:

Stagecoach
Whippet

Orchard Park closure, 28-29 April - NOW CANCELLED

Ignore this post - the planned works are, well, no longer planned! CANCELLED, indeed.

It's hard to keep up!


The Busway B service is affected by roadworks in Orchard Park on 28 and 29 April. Buses will not serve Orchard Park on these dates. Would-be passengers can use the Cambridge Road stops instead (the regular "diversion" stops) - or, at the other end of Orchard Park catch a D from their nearest stop.

A reminder that, for the time being, route B is extended to the Biomedical Campus and Trumpington Park & Ride.

And, for those who live near to Histon Road, a further reminder that the B is currently serving all stops along Histon Road. Stick your hand out, or press the bell, as appropriate. You don't have to wait for a Citi 8.

The complete temporary Busway timetable can be found here.