It was a shock to read on Tuesday that Stagecoach will withdraw No.18 bus service with effect from 30th October 2022. That initial shock deepened early evening on discovering that Stagecoach has effectively taken away bus service to Caldecote too by re-routing Citi4.
As I wrote in my previous post, withdrawal of No.18 service means that Longstowe, Kingston and Bourn villages in Caldecote Ward will no longer have a bus service. This route was just one of many being withdrawn in full by Stagecoach. I spent that day fielding questions and concerns from residents in these 3 villages.
Stagecoach Citi4 Bus Route
In the late afternoon to early evening I discovered that the Stagecoach new Route 4 was not the same as the current Citi4. The new route effectively bypasses the Old St Neots Road to Bourn turn, Caldecote and Hardwick. When I had skimmed the new timetable, this is what I saw
As you see it did not correctly state what villages were no longer being served. I even dismissed the reference to Madingley as I knew the bus currently did not go into the village, so it seemed a mistake. The Citi4 Cambourne to Cambridge bus currently serves Bourn turn, Caldecote and Hardwick as it goes along the Old St Neots Road, and down Madingley Rise past the American Cemetery and onwards into Cambridge.
It was only after I looked into the detail of the new Route 4 that I saw the change.
Route 4 is still listed as Cambourne to Cambridge, but no longer goes round Cambourne. The new route limits itself to Gt Cambourne High Street and Morrisons, then goes out onto the A428 dual carriageway directly to the Regional College and Science Park and into town.
This is effectively a new route direct from Cambourne to Cambridge that duplicates the current Bus 905. So Stagecoach effectively removed a bus route without admitting it on the new timetable. That was in my view very sly and disingenuous of Stagecoach, and out of order.
A difficult day immediately turned into a horrendous one as it sunk in that the entire Caldecote Ward is having its bus services withdrawn. The neighbouring village of Hardwick, though not in my ward, is also affected.
Many people thought Stagecoach was deliberately lying to communities trying to make the re-routing not look as bad as it really was. Stagecoach was found out very quickly and many residents rang them to complain once it became clear. By Thursday, Stagecoach changed the listing on its website to tell the truth on the Citi4 route as this image shows.
Implication of Citi4 re-routing
It is clear from the current Citi4 service route that it serves Bourn, Caldecote and Hardwick villages. A wide range of people use the Citi4 bus service. It include young people attending sixth form colleges at Hills Road and Long Road (I have one of those) and know many others who do. There are adults who do not drive and those that do not own cars who use the bus to get to and from work, and other places they need to go. There are older people who use it to go shopping and to get together with friends. Some use it to get to their health and dental appointments, and for leisure. There are certain times of the day like morning and evening peak when the buses are full – and I’ve seen that.
Bourn Quarter, the new business park being built on the old TKA Tallent site, will be a big employment zone. It is anticipated that businesses will be moving in over the next few months. Some of those employees and even visitors will need bus transport to get to work. Citi4 service is one of the advantages of locating on that site.
To make matters worse, Stagecoach has removed the Cambourne stop from the 905 that goes to St Neots and Bedford. So those who use it in conjunction with Citi4 to go westwards to catch the train or get to work or college in Bedford are now left high and dry. Effectively the A428 corridor which is growing in housing and employment space is having a much reduced bus service. Go figure.
How to get Citi4 service back?
The fact is that Stagecoach registered its new network with the Transport Commissioner on 17th August 2022. The rules means that by 17th September, the new network became effective, so it is definite those routes are now fixed.
As I clarified in my previous post, the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) is the local government body with the Transport Authority for our District. Therefore it is the Mayor that is responsible for resolving this problem.
South Cambridgeshire District Council at its Full Council meeting on Thursday 22nd September discussed the Stagecoach bus routes withdrawals. This came under the Item 12 of the Agenda – Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority reports. You can find the meeting record to watch on the SCDC Youtube channel. This was the point where I raised the issue of Citi4 and asked that the Council raises this directly with the CPCA to check that this route, and others like it that have been severely rerouted be put into the list of routes that the CPCA is putting out to tender to replace. Up to that point it was only the full withdrawn routes that the CPCA was considering. This request was accepted by the Council Chair and the Chief Exec.
This request I made was captured by local historian Antony Carpen on twitter, the only media source interested!
The Chief Exec immediately contacted the Interim Head of Transport at the CPCA to raise this issue. The following day on Friday, all Councillors were asked to provide information on which of their bus routes was affected. I was out on the road that day on a personal trip to the West Country, but was able to respond to re-iterate that Citi4 route should be included in the CPCA list so that Caldecote and Hardwick villages could get their service back.
I was able to confirm to my Ward residents in a post on my Facebook page that the request to the CPCA was being actioned that day. I also asked residents to write to me with their comments and experiences using Citi4 service, so I could use the information to continue to make the case for the service to be replaced and not left out.
At this stage, I wish to thank all those that sent their comments to me. Those comments reinforced the need to ensure that the villages of Caldecote and Hardwick must not be left without a bus service. We now await confirmation from the CPCA that it will take the Citi4 route on board to replace. I will respond to you and let you know as soon as I get confirmation back from the CPCA that our Citi4 service will be included in the bus routes list to be replaced.