Stagecoach cuts will devastate vital bus services across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough say Lib Dems

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Liberal Democrats have condemned Stagecoach’s plan to axe 21 bus routes and called on government to intervene to preserve at least a minimum level of public transport for tens of thousands of residents.

Lib Dem Councillor Lorna Dupré said,

“Stagecoach is planning to devastate the bus network in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough which is a lifeline for many residents of our three cities and our market towns as well as our villages. 

“Every part of the county will be severely affected by these changes. Most of the routes between St Ives and surrounding villages will be cut. Large villages and towns like Burwell, Soham, Sutton, Melbourn, Bottisham and Godmanchester won’t have a bus service any more. There won’t be a bus route that goes to the major business park at Lynch Wood in Peterborough.

“Residents are worried about how to get their children to school, and fearful for their own jobs if they have no means to get to work. They will be cut off from health care, leisure, and retail.

“Stagecoach has received millions of pounds in government subsidies over the last two years so that they could maintain bus services through the pandemic. And they have continued to make a profit. They are now throwing that back in our faces in a show of contempt for our residents.

“The government failed to get a grip on the bus industry during the pandemic, just throwing money at the problem in the short term rather than introducing sustainable long-term reforms. We are now seeing the result, with capricious bus companies able to disregard the needs of bus users.”