SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENTS TO THE BUS SERVICE IN SOUTH CAMBRIDGESHIRE

Councillor making the Ward or Area Bus Service Suggestion/Comments suggestion/comments Cllr Mrs CAED Murfitt Abington Pigotts No Service Primary and secondary children are taken to school on a school bus. Students trying to get to the Sixth Form Colleges have to rely on parents getting them to the station in Royston. People wishing to get to Addenbrooke's have to rely on neighbours.

Cllr AG Orgee Abingtons General The service to and from the Abingtons and Babraham is pretty good, and I understand that the frequency of buses may well be increased in the near future. A number of local people would like some public transport between the Abingtons and Sawston. This was the case some years ago when the evening buses on the old 113 (now 13) route ran via Sawston, Pampisford then along the A505 to the Abingtons and then on to Linton. However, this route avoided Babraham. My impression is that some people would like public transport between the Abingtons and Sawston throughout the day as well as in the evenings.

Cllr SGM Kindersley and Mrs A Arrington 75 Only the three services a day, so I think the bus service can be described as Elsby poor.

Cllr Mrs VG Ford Balsham General Balsham ward is the largest ward in SCDC with the largest number of isolated villages, in 05/06 it was considered to have one of the worst bus networks in the county, since when there have been some changes – not all for the better.

There is demand from young people in the villages for a better Saturday service.

There are also many questions about the length route taken by the bus on its way into Cambridge. Does this bus really need to travel through Teversham and Cherry Hinton on its way?

Cllr Mrs VG Ford Balsham 16/16a Balsham and neighbouring villages has had a considerable problem with its bus services since summer 06. The direct bus from Balsham to Cambridge is the number 16/ 16a. Councillor making the Ward or Area Bus Service Suggestion/Comments suggestion/comments

Due to the changes in the timetable last year there is now no direct bus from Cambridge to Balsham to serve commuters in the evenings. The last bus leaving Cambridge at 16.15. In addition the early morning bus was cancelled (which is understandable as it was rarely used) but the first bus, due to arrive in Balsham at 7.50 am is invariably late arriving in Balsham and therefore can not be reliably used to serve commuters needing to be in Cambridge by 9am. As a result, although the bus is used by many students at Cambridge colleges, there is now virtually no usage by people trying to get to work.

In July representatives of CCC met with Balsham Parish Council. It was requested that the timetables for the number 16/16a be reviewed. The PC requested that the number 16 should start its journey earlier, arrive at Balsham on time and preferably be shifted to arrive at Balsham at 7.40 not 7.50. We would also like to re-instate a direct bus back from Cambridge in the evenings.

Cllr Mrs VG Ford Balsham 19 On a more positive note the “new” number 19 bus that takes people from Balsham and surrounding villages into Linton has been positively received and is of great benefit especially to students. However this bus does not run on Saturdays. Leaving some villages without any weekend cover. In theory this number 19 bus connects to the number 13 direct Cambridge – Haverhill service at Linton, but in practice there are sometimes complaints and waiting for a long time at the bus shelter in Linton is possibly not the most perfect location.

Cllr Mrs VG Ford Balsham 13 There are issues with the bus number 13 that travels Haverhill to Cambridge serving the village of Horseheath on the way. The bus stop at Cardinals Green is particularly dangerous and the death of Imogen Barker earlier this year when alighting from the bus is one that must never be repeated. There have been complaints that sometimes the bus does not stop at this location if the driver considers the weight of traffic unsafe. There have been requests from CCC for some improvements to safety at this bus stop, and for some bike racks so young people can more safely leave bicycles both at Cardinals Green and in Horseheath village. Again this is a brief summary of a series of complex Councillor making the Ward or Area Bus Service Suggestion/Comments suggestion/comments discussions.

Cllr JD Batchelor Balsham and - The problem area is Balsham and the villages, accepted as one of the worst surrounding villages served areas in the county, where we are currently reviewing all the services. As the County Councillor covering the whole area I am heavily involved in this process as they are services subsidised by the County.

Cllr R Hall Bar Hill 15? As far as I can see, the timetables are accurate. The big deficiency, of course, is that the 23-15 from Cambridge no longer stops in Bar Hill but goes direct across the airfield between Oakington and Longstanton.

Twice the 23-15 service calling at Bar Hill has been terminated because of alleged vandalism. On the first occasion, there was 'trouble on the bus' caused by youths getting on the bus at Bar Hill and travelling to their homes in villages on the way to St Ives. After protests from the village - and from John Reynolds in particular as the County Council was subsidising the service - the service was restored, only to be terminated again soon afterwards when allegedly a stone was thrown at the bus as it went around the Perimeter Road.

Suggestions that the 23-15 from Cambridge should stop at the roundabout rather than entering the village have fallen on deaf ears. The real reason, I suspect, is that it is more convenient for the drivers to go directly from Oakington to Longstanton rather than cross the A14 to Bar Hill. Cessation of this service has the potential of being responsible for fatal accidents involving youths from Bar Hill: on the first occasion, a young man was hit by the mirror of a passing vehicle when walking along Hattons Road from Bar Hill after alighting at Longstanton and, on the other, two youths were given a lift by a kind taxi driver when walking home along the A14.

It is insulting for Bar Hill that small villages to the north of the A14 receive this late-night service yet Bar Hill, a village of nearly 5,000 people is denied it on account of two rather spurious incidents. That the service cannot be restored and stop only at the roundabout is indicative that these are not the true reasons. Councillor making the Ward or Area Bus Service Suggestion/Comments suggestion/comments

Cllr Mrs BE Waters Bar Hill 15? I would like to confirm that I agree with all Roger's comments, particularly regarding the 23.15 from Cambridge. This has caused an enormous amount of difficulty, comments from users of this bus and great concern of young people walking back to Bar Hill from the next drop off point.

We would be grateful if the Bus Scrutiny Sub Group could look at this lack of service, as a re-instatement of this bus would greatly benefit the residents of Bar Hill.

Cllr D Bird Barrington 139 At present Barrington has one bus (the 139) into Royston on a Wednesday. At the time of the last review, the Parish Council asked for additional services: one on a Saturday would be of great benefit. Royston is the focus for shopping and services by those without the benefit of private transport. We feel that an additional Barrington service on this route would be most helpful.

Cllr D Bird Barrington 15 The Number 15 which goes through Whaddon is too early, particularly for the elderly residents who form the majority of those without private transport. We understand there is a service which leaves Shepreth into Royston most days: access to this would greatly benefit Barrington residents. It may require SCDC funding we understand. We believe the person to contact is Alan Charter, 127 The Causeway, Bassingbourn, telephone 01763 245073.

Cllr D Bird Barrington General We recognise that times and routes are always difficult to plan however there has been much protest and unhappiness in Barrington. In particular, When the Royston to Cambridge bus service routes were changed, they stopped more frequently in Foxton than they had in Barrington. Barrington bus services are now linked with Orwell for example, whereas Royston is the traditional shopping centre for Barrington.

Cllr FWM Burkitt Barton General No comments.

Councillor making the Ward or Area Bus Service Suggestion/Comments suggestion/comments Cllr RB Martlew Caldecote General Toft and Kingston appear to be well provided for, including a late bus from Cambridge on a Saturday. Highfields has services in the village which seem adequate and on the old main road can access the City 4 to Cambourne which seems quite good. Old Caldecote is very poorly served but this applies only to about 10 houses which can't easily access either Kingston or Highfield buses. Childerley residents complain about the fact that they have another 3/4 mile to get to the bus shelter now and there is no path on their side of the road. They of course either have to be brought up by car, but usually bike or even walk. That applies to about 8 houses.

Cllr MJ Mason Cambourne Citi 4 On this service only the peak hour buses go to the business park so customers visiting SCDC can either have a long walk from Morrisons (after boarding at an unsheltered stop in Downing Street and doing the West Cambridge Site and Hardwick "detour circuits") or if they are really unlucky in late afternoon, watch the bus which should have diverted and stopped at the bus shelter, disappear down the dual carriageway to Cambridge. The point that I am making here is that there could be pick and set down facilities on the main road if it is not practical to route every service via the business park.

Cllr SA Harangozo Comberton General - Stagecoach's continued use of what are now becoming very old buses which also don't 'kneel' causing difficulty for elderly people - this despite the service being greatly funded by government through the Rural Bus Grant over at least the last 6 years! - Continued lack of service on Sundays - could the Citi 4 divert through Comberton & Toft on Sunday, even every 2 hours? - Lack of late evening service - the late night bus was withdrawn last year except Friday & Saturday but an earlier last bus from town at about 10 pm could have been quite successful. - Developing 'feeder' services to connect to the 20 minute frequency Citi via Hardwick - rerouting the current (subsidized) Whippet 1 service for Hardwick/Toft to take in Comberton to form a circular service connecting to Citi4 has great potential Councillor making the Ward or Area Bus Service Suggestion/Comments suggestion/comments - Eventually, development of a bus 'interchange' at Hardwick to serve all villages around here.

I would highlight the widening gulf between bus service provision for villages on the main bus corridors, e.g. Cambourne-Cambridge, and those that aren't which is also reflected in the quality of the buses. Also, imaginative policies will be needed to get a large shift from car to bus use and to really improve accessibility, even in places like Comberton that appear to be well-served.

Cllr NCF Bolitho Cottenham Citi 7 For the Citi 7, would it be possible to have a bus stop, or at least for the bus to halt, towards the top/Rampton end of Lambs Lane as some elderly residents in and around that area cannot walk to the bus stop at Lambs Lane School.

A number of elderly residents live near the church in Cottenham but the regular Citi 7 only covers Lambs Lane and Denmark road. Could it be extended to turn at the church as elderly people find it impossible to lug shopping for about half a mile? I believe that buses used to turn there but it may be that today’s buses cannot. If they cannot, could we please know if this is so and, in technical terms, why not? There is a range of different size buses, so perhaps during the middle of the day smaller buses could be used to meet this particular shopping need.

Cllr NCF Bolitho Cottenham General There appears to be more demand than catered for in terms of buses on Bank Holidays- and particularly on Citi 6 in Oakington;

There is a general plea for buses to keep to speed limits. As one Oakington resident says, when buses exceed the speed limit it “can make for a quite unpleasant journey when going over speed humps”.

What work is being done regarding the implementation of the National Bus Pass Scheme in April 2008?

Cllr SGM Kindersley and Mrs A Croydon 75 Only the three services a day as well, so I think the bus service can be described Elsby as poor. Councillor making the Ward or Area Bus Service Suggestion/Comments suggestion/comments

Cllr JF Williams Duxford Citi 7 The time from Sawston to Duxford is 8 minutes, but from Duxford to Sawston takes 36 minutes, as the bus visits Heathfield and Whittlesford en route. Moreover, during this it seems to stop for the best part of 15 minutes at the Imperial War Museum, and additional 5 minutes or so at either Woburn Place (Heathfield) or Whittlesford.

Cllr JF Williams Duxford General There is no direct service from Duxford to Saffron Walden. Duxford residents wishing to go to Saffron Walden by bus have no alternative but to take the bus to Sawston (36 minutes) and wait for a connection to Sawston which goes via Hinxton and Ickleton. This is very tedious and puts off all but the most desperate.

For many people Saffron Walden as a destination is as important as Sawston or Cambridge. In contrast Hinxton, with one sixth of the population of Duxford, has half-hourly direct services to Sawston, and hourly to Saffron Walden.

Proposal: That the weekday service between Sawston and Saffron Walden is routed via Duxford and Ickleton, rather than via Hinxton and Ickleton - i.e. the same routing as the 132 on Sundays. (I believe this used to be the case several years ago). Saffron Walden is a popular destination, being the nearest main town for shopping etc.

It would also provide a direct connection between Duxford and Ickleton - two neighbouring villages with strong links but no bus connection at the moment except on Sundays (excluding the 101 - which is only at one time on one day). The primary school for Ickleton is in Duxford.

Hinxton would continue to be served by hourly services to Sawston. I imagine that the Wellcome Trust has clearly had an influence on the emphasis of Hinxton in these schedules, and I have not factored in the level of demand from the Wellcome site in the above commentary.

Councillor making the Ward or Area Bus Service Suggestion/Comments suggestion/comments I would be happy to take part in any discussion with the bus operators on these suggestions.

Cllr Mrs EM Heazell Eversden 75 Some complaints about lack of reliability, but most residents have given up!

Feel it is essential for all the 75 services to go up into the village as it is nigh impossible for elderly people to carry shopping from Cambridge to Great / Little Eversden from the A603 bus stop. It is over 2 miles to the furthest homes in Little Eversden from the Wheatsheaf, and probably 3 miles to the furthest ones in Great Eversden. To do this with shopping or in bad weather is ridiculous. The 4 o’clock should definitely go up to the village.

I feel some talks are necessary between Whippet, CCC and SCDC re routeing and reliability. As this is a subsidised service, route should be constant, not variable.

Cllr Mrs EM Heazell Eversden 18b This is OK for 6th formers, but no good for workers as it comes back at 5.15 from Drummer St.

Cllr Mrs DP Roberts Fowlmere General Fowlmere though bus arrivals are few and far between other than a couple of people who contacted me when changes were made to the bus times in the morning no one complains either to myself or the Parish Council. Our County Councillor has been active in trying to get improvements recently

Cllr Mrs DP Roberts Foxton General Foxton is lucky as it has an hourly train service available as well as a bus route.

Cllr Mrs A Elsby Gamlingay General  Bus coming back from Biggleswade at 1pm is too long after the 9.30 going out from Gamlingay so people are using the afternoon buses instead.  Going to Bedford is a problem.  Biggest bugbear is the 9:30am rule. The bus goes just before 9.30 and bus passes can’t be used.  Bus stops are too far apart. Councillor making the Ward or Area Bus Service Suggestion/Comments suggestion/comments  If you can’t come back you don’t go.  People are not aware of the change of number of the bus from Gamlingay to St Neots.  Buses not being used but a more frequent service may be used. More publicity might encourage more use.  Bus drivers not always issuing correct tickets so correct numbers of bus users from Cambridgeshire cannot be gauged.

Cllr Mrs CAED Murfitt Guilden Morden and 27 This does come through the village but there is nothing to indicate this on the Steeple Morden timetable. Cold Harbour is way out of the village and the timetable suggests the bus goes from there to Steeple Morden, which would be the quickest route to Steeple Morden. It is possible to get to Long Road Sixth Form College by this bus but parents of new students seem to be confused and are planning to get their children to either Ashwell and Morden station or Royston Station. Not very sustainable and quite a burden for parents. Again it's rather early for shoppers and you don't get back until 16.20pm.

Cllr Mrs CAED Murfitt Guilden Morden and 90/91/92 This stops at Guilden Morden church with the next scheduled stop being Ashwell Steeple Morden post office. At the moment drivers stop in the High Street on request but if drivers are instructed to stop only at scheduled stops this service will lose some of its regulars, most of whom are pensioners. The church is a mile away from the top end of the High Street.

The 10.00/10.03am service is the most popular for both villages. It arrives in Hitchin at 11.00am and you can return on 4 afternoon buses. OK for shopping but not for an evening out.

The bus companies complain most of the buses are practically empty. That is true but that's because the buses are nor realistically timed. For example, there are surely not many people who wish to leave Hitchin at 6.00am in order to get to GM at 6.48am and that one doesn't even appear to stop at Baldock Tesco.

Councillor making the Ward or Area Bus Service Suggestion/Comments suggestion/comments Cllr Mrs CAED Murfitt Guilden Morden and 127 This route allows you to reach Royston Tesco on 5 buses per day and return on Steeple Morden 5 buses but only from Fox Corner. It's no use to pensioners (who are the main users), who live up on the High Street, unless drivers stop on request. Again, if drivers are not allowed to stop on request then this service becomes irrelevant to them.

Cllr JH Stewart Hardwick General Hardwick gets the Cambourne service to the top road and the other routes go around the village and estates. No further issues.

Cllr Mrs EM Heazell Harlton 75 Residents report:

A poor, unreliable service. Harlton is often missed out if drivers have no-one on board for Harlton. They forget someone may be waiting for the bus in Harlton to go to another village.

Buses tend to be late or cancelled for the return journey.

Residents reluctant to use it because of unreliability.

Cllr Mrs J Lockwood Harston General Asking around in Harston, requests are that if the bus arrives in Harston early, please would it wait till the appointed time before it leaves. Also, a Sunday bus would be welcome.

Cllr AG Orgee Harston and Hauxton General I also have some comments to make in my role as the County Councillor for the Sawston division. The service from Cambridge to and from Harston and Hauxton on the A10 needs to be improved, particularly in relation to evening services, and Little Shelford, Hauxton village and Newton need much better public transport.

Cllr Mrs EM Heazell Haslingfield 75 Residents without their own transport report the following:

 Correct route often not observed.

 Buses are not reliable enough – late or found to be not running when Councillor making the Ward or Area Bus Service Suggestion/Comments suggestion/comments passengers arrive to catch the bus at Drummer St, particularly.

 Would-be passengers tend to phone a friend to get home, or share a taxi.

 Newest driver seems more efficient re route and reliability.

 The Addenbrooke’s call is confusing as not all services go there. Why not? Some of the drivers are said not to like the Addenbrooke’s bus station so leave it out, or go out through Newnham.

 Passengers have mostly given up complaining because ‘they’ (CCC) do nothing!

 Some passengers have complained direct to Whippet, with some redress obtained.

 Some drivers are rude if passengers point out that they have left the correct route.

 People only use the bus to go to Cambridge when they absolutely have to/

 There is little incentive to use this unreliable service.

Cllr Mrs EM Heazell Haslingfield 27 Fine – resent this route no longer available for shopping etc. in Royston, or to get to train stations at Shepreth / Meldreth, or for bus pass holders to access a pub for lunch etc.

Cllr Mrs EM Heazell Haslingfield 15 OK but only once a week and you have little time in Royston, but you can get to Tescos.

Cllr Mrs J Lockwood Hauxton 31 Hauxton was dismayed when the 31 changed direction through the village. Councillor making the Ward or Area Bus Service Suggestion/Comments suggestion/comments Originally it travelled from East to West, then along the A10 to Cambridge. It now goes from West to East and takes a long and circuitous route to Cambridge.

Cllr Mrs J Lockwood Hauxton 26 Residents would prefer a bus route taking them from Hauxton to Trumpington, where they could take the Park and Ride. Younger residents walk to the A10 to catch the more frequent 26. Everyone would like a later bus from Cambridge. The last bus (26) arrives in Harston at around 7pm.

Cllr JD Batchelor Hildersham 13 Hildersham does have a bus stop and has access to the 13 bus route.

Cllr JF Williams Hinxton General Hinxton is additionally served by an hourly direct Hinxton – Sawston which alternates with the above. This is fine for Hinxton.

Cllr AG Orgee Hinxton General There are problems in Hinxton when two buses meet in the High Street or in North End Road; in the latter road, the verge has been churned up quite badly. Residents and the Parish council would be pleased if the timetable could be adjusted slightly to address this problem.

Cllr JP Chatfield Histon/Impington Citi 7 We are fairly happy with the Citi 7 now that it is every 10 minutes and runs through to the rail station and Addenbrooke's. The only comments I have had recently concern the need for the high frequency to continue slightly later into the evening and start up slightly earlier in the morning. We move from a 10 minute frequency to an hourly frequency fairly quickly and this is clearly a big difference.

Cllr MJ Mason Histon/Impington Citi 7 Early evening service from Cottenham tends to be spasmodic with bunching occurring regularly, the record currently standing at 7 buses in Lambs Lane in line astern! It is always difficult when waiting for the 6/18pm to know which one, appearing before or after booked departure time, is the service bus! Sometimes the driver who ends his turn of duty at Denmark Street will switch the display to "Sorry not in Service". Others leave the display showing "Citi 7 Cottenham" but then refuse to allow passengers to board (bearing in mind that this part of the route is one way round) inevitably asserting that there is another bus following. Sometimes this is true but on one occasion I had to wait an hour for the next Councillor making the Ward or Area Bus Service Suggestion/Comments suggestion/comments booked service.

Cllr MJ Mason Histon/Impington General I personally could live with a more reliable 15-minute daytime service, particularly if this frequency could be extended in the evenings to provide connection at Cambridge Station. After all more passengers enter or leave the City by rail on a daily basis than use the Park Ride Services. Why have we still not got adequate bus/rail interchanges services?

Cllr JF Williams Ickleton General Ickleton is served by a direct hourly service between Saffron Walden and Sawston via Hinxton. This is partly OK, BUT there is no connection with Duxford (except on Sundays = 132 Sawston to Saffron Walden).

Cllr JD Batchelor Linton 19 Linton is fairly well served, although better use might be made of the 19 Shuttle Service.

Cllr Mrs A Elsby Little Gransden General Other buses than school buses required – little room once the children are on also their behaviour is a problem. Buses need to be more direct to Cambridge as 1 ¼ hours to 1 ½ hours to get there is too long a journey. If one doesn’t come back at 1pm we have to wait until the school bus. Some buses stop at Longstowe & they can’t get back to Gransden.

Cllr A Riley (passing on a Longstanton General We live in Longstanton as do the poor elderly couple without their own transport comment by a resident of you may have seen well dressed and walking dangerously on the B1050 road – Longstanton) no footpath of course - from the level crossing to the bus stop of the “real” Longstanton and back. I say “real” only because although we have a Longstanton address we are on the wrong side of the tracks from a sense of the benefits enjoyed by the rest of Longstanton. Ironically, the couple I mention live opposite a very well appointed bus stop and shelter at which no bus ever stops. The timetable in your PDF file indicates that a bus routes itself through Longstanton-Willingham-Over but in fact, to the best of my knowledge, although it used to go past us it has for some time taken the route: Longstanton-Over- Willingham bypassing us (and the afore-mentioned elderly people) completely. Therefore the timetable you show either needs to be amended to show the truth Councillor making the Ward or Area Bus Service Suggestion/Comments suggestion/comments or the bus needs to stop at the bus stops north of the level crossing to match the route shown in the timetable. When the Guided Bus is up and running of course, we will not only enjoy being on the doorstep of the service but will be entertained by the B1050 traffic being held up by the new traffic lights which will need to control the CGB/B1050 crossing, not least because we will be able to leave our properties without joining a race track.

Cllr A Riley (passing on a Longstanton General I find the bus service between Longstanton & Cambridge APPALLING! I would comment by a resident of like to make the following points:- Longstanton) 1) It is actually quite difficult to find out bus times - some timetables don't give the evening services! Are the latter run by a different company? All timetables at bus stops and on-line need to give all services. 2) The bus is often up to 20 mins late, even in the middle of the day! How do they manage this - it's not that long a journey. Of course, there's never any apology or explanation from the surly drivers. 3) Is there a service on a Sunday? - I've never managed to find this out. 4) I genuinely want to use the bus more but am restricted by the above problems. So, of course, I take the car into Cambridge! But, presumably there'll be congestion charging before long. Roll on the Guided Bus!!

Cllr A Riley (passing on a Longstanton General A bus at 9.30 am from Longstanton to Cambridge would be useful particularly for comment by a resident of those entitled to free transport from 9.30 Longstanton) A bus service on Sundays would be welcome. Villagers without other means of transport are ‘trapped’ and miss out on events in Cambridge and beyond.

Cllr A Riley (passing on a Longstanton General Living in Longstanton and working on Madingley Road it would be very useful if comment by a resident of there was a service that stopped at the park and ride on that road. Not everybody Longstanton) works in the town centre and going to Drummer Street and coming back through the traffic is a waste of time for me. I quite often cycle but when the weather is bad I drive as it is my only logical alternative.

Cllr A Riley (passing on a Longstanton General I don't currently use the bus, but I would love to! The problem I have is getting my comment by a resident of baby and pushchair onto the bus. It is incredibly frustrating to know that I could Councillor making the Ward or Area Bus Service Suggestion/Comments suggestion/comments Longstanton) get on a bus easily from Bar Hill/Oakington (with easy access and the possibility of leaving the baby in the pushchair), but this is not possible from Longstanton. More easily accessible buses would make bus use much more possible for me and lots of other mums!

Cllr Mrs A Elsby Longstowe General How about a small bus connecting up with the buses at Cambourne as they have a frequent service? Coming back from Cambridge is a problem (see comment on Little Gransden).

Cllr Mrs JM Guest Melbourn General I have spoken to a few people regarding the route and time, but really I don't have any comments, only that the bus should be on time. I have spoken to a number of people at the bus stop and it would appear that they are reasonably satisfied. Nevertheless, those I spoke to are only a small number.

Cllr Mrs HM Smith Milton Citi 2 The Citi2 service has greatly improved our access to Cambridge. The routes along the High Street are accessible to villagers on foot in a reasonable time. No problems, really, apart from the cost of bus fares.

Cllr NIC Wright Papworth and General We are desperate to keep what we’ve got. An evening bus back from Cambridge surrounding villages would improve the service, as there is nothing to allow the youth to get back later in the evening. The smaller villages have a service to the surrounding market towns and villagers rely on these for service and so we want this to remain.

Cllr Dr DR Bard Sawston Citi 7 Restoration of the Sunday Service between Sawston and Saffron Walden. Diversion of some, possibly alternate, CITI7 services, along New Road Sawston to join the bypass. Diversion of alternate CITI7 services via Bury Road, Mingle Lane and Hinton Way Stapleford to join Babraham Road at the Caius Farm Roundabout (i.e. avoiding Trumpington High Street and Long Road). This would cut about 10 minutes off the journey time between Sawston, Addenbrooke's Hospital and central Cambridge. During rush hours the benefit would be greater as the congestion in Long Road and Trumpington High Street would be avoided. Whilst the CITI7 provides excellent frequency, the journey time (scheduled 37 minutes, Councillor making the Ward or Area Bus Service Suggestion/Comments suggestion/comments but can be over 50 minutes in rush hours) for the 7 mile journey to and from central Cambridge is excessive and in my view a deterrent to potential users. This service runs in direct competition to the Babraham Road P&R service which, because of the delays to the CITI7 during rush hours provides a speedier alternative, but increases car use.

Cllr AN Berent Shelfords 31/Citi 7 The change in route that would make most difference would be to restore bus services to Hinton Way in Great Shelford. Before last year's changes there was a bus service on Hinton Way. Now some parts of Hinton Way are a mile from the nearest bus route. This could be done either routing either the 31 or alternate Citi7s this way between Stapleford and Addenbrooke's. The 31 is currently, temporarily, following this route to get round the closure of Long Road.

Cllr CR Nightingale Shelfords 31/Citi 7 We could restore the former Saffron Walden hourly service via Sawston and Stapleford via Bury Road, Mingle Lane, Hinton Way, Shelford Bottom, to Addenbrooke’s Hospital and Cambridge City. This could be restored on the hour, keeping the existing 31 service on its present route via Little Shelford, Stapleford, Mingle Lane, Trumpington to City Centre.

Cllr SEK van de Van Shepreth 26 I should point out that in the 26 Stagecoach timetable, the pickup at 'Shepreth Tylers' is actually on the other side of the A10 from most of the village, impossible for any elderly or disabled people to reach because the pedestrian crossing at the A10 is unsafe (and has been officially deemed unsafe by the County school transport department). In practice, it does not serve the majority of Shepreth residents.

Cllr AG Orgee Stapleford Citi 7 I also have some comments to make in my role as the county councillor for the Sawston division. In my view, and that of a number of local parish councils, one bus an hour on the Citi 7 service should travel via Stapleford and Mingle Lane to / from Addenbrooke's rather than via Trumpington. This would ease access to Addenbrooke's and avoid some services in the rush hours being seriously held up going through Trumpington.

Councillor making the Ward or Area Bus Service Suggestion/Comments suggestion/comments Cllr Mrs SM Ellington Swavesey General The Swavesey Bus services do not now pass the "fine" new bus stop in Boxworth End - all buses go down Ramper Road to Longstanton thus turning half way through the village and making all Boxworth End villagers walk to Ramper Road to catch them.

Bus services which travelled the whole length of the village would greatly improve the service to about one third of the villagers.

Cllr Mrs CAED Murfitt Tadlow General The 7.05am bus gets to Hills Road at 8.20am if (big if) there are no traffic hold- ups and Long Road at 8.30am and returns from LRSFC at 4.20pm and HRSFC at 4.35pm reaching Tadlow at 5.24pm making a very long day. It's a very tortuous route which needs to be simplified.

7.05am is hardly attractive for people wishing to shop in Cambridge and again involves getting back at 5.24pm.

Cllr Mrs CA Hunt Teversham General This is an issue which continues to concern part of my ward. Considering we are only 3 miles out of the city centre and adjacent to it's borders it would be reasonable to expect a frequent reliable service, however this is far from the case in the older part of the village where many feel isolated through lack of public transport. The newer part i.e. Foxgloves has a very good service into Cambridge. The older part of the village has an extremely limited and very unreliable bus service, which is very limiting for the many elderly and teenage residents without access to their own transport. I believe that living so close to the city it would be reasonable to expect to be able to travel for everyday work and leisure needs on public transport, but this is not so. It seems to me that an opportunity to encourage use of public transport is being lost. To access the bus service which the Foxgloves estate enjoys necessitates a ten-minute walk for those nearest but about a mile and a half walk from the Ferndale end of the village. I would also like the group to note that very often buses fail to arrive, terminate their journeys before they should and at peak times have been taken off the poorly served Teversham route to cover for breakdowns etc on the Fulbourn Councillor making the Ward or Area Bus Service Suggestion/Comments suggestion/comments route which has I believe 6 buses per hour! The unreliability of this limited service means that people going to work daren't use it. Previously this ward enjoyed a service linking up to the Newmarket Road Park and ride, one to CRC and one to Addenbrooke’s Hospital, all very useful, but alas a thing of the past.

Cllr Mrs CA Hunt Teversham C1 The parish has asked many times that the bus company consider, say once an hour, rerouting the C1 service into the older part of the village - the C1 is a very frequent service which serves the Foxgloves estate (as above) and nearby Fulbourn (about a mile from the Ferndale end of Teversham). We have also made numerous requests for a Sunday service and for an after 6pm service, also to no avail except that on 3 nights a week the last bus from Fulbourn will drop off passengers as it goes through the village on it's way back to the garage.

Cllr Mrs CAED Murfitt The Mordens General The statistics for Guilden Morden /Steeple Morden are impressive : 89 buses per week. However, a lot of those leave before 8.00 in the morning, or get you to the shops after they have closed or set off for the Mordens very early in the morning or late in the afternoon when it's hard to see who would use them.

What is needed is a bus service to Ashwell and Morden Station (situated in the Mordens Ward). A lot of the students for the sixth form colleges do not use the buses because of the very long, tiring journeys but get taken to the station to go by train to Cambridge. Long Road Sixth Form College students leave bikes at Cambridge station as it's quite a long way to walk to the college from there.

It strikes me that whoever makes the timetables really ought to travel the routes at the times given to see at first hand whether the times are appropriate or realistic.

Most people without cars rely on neighbours to get them to the surgery in Ashwell or to the Lister or Addenbrooke's.

Cllr PT Johnson Waterbeach/ General At present on Sundays there is only one bus into Cambridge from Waterbeach Landbeach and Landbeach, yet Milton, which is only 2 miles away, gets a far better service. Councillor making the Ward or Area Bus Service Suggestion/Comments suggestion/comments While it is understood that the bus company cannot run at a loss the residents of Landbeach and Waterbeach are left with a very inferior bus service. Not everyone has access to a car plus car parking in Cambridge is expensive. I feel that the public should have a choice of transport and with the present timetable that choice is taken away. It is unreasonable to expect people to catch a bus at approx 9am and not return until 6.30 pm and this is the reason behind my request for changes to the Sunday timetable initially.

The residents of Waterbeach would also like to see the re-instatement of the half-hourly bus service we used to get, it possibly was withdrawn as it wasn’t making enough money for the bus operator but there surely is a duty to provide a service for the customer which is equal to or better than was previously enjoyed. When these bus operators bid for the contract they knew what services were being provided then and what was expected, how about some consultation with village residents, open meetings in village halls so that all parties could discuss what was wanted, what was likely to be given and try to find some common ground. This is what I call a democratic way of solving problems.

We are seeing millions of £’s being spent on the “Guided Bus” and surely to educate people to use public transport then it should start now with our local bus services. Are Stagecoach big enough to take this on and try to get people on their buses, put people first and profits second, because I am sure that by doing this more people will use buses, which in turn will bring bigger profits.

Cllr PT Johnson Waterbeach/ Citi 2 The Citi 2 that leaves Addenbrooke’s at 10:21 should not terminate at Milton but Landbeach carry on to Landbeach and Waterbeach, likewise the 12:21 and also the 14:21. I have attached a spreadsheet showing the new times and I firmly believe that this would give the residents of Waterbeach & Landbeach a service they deserve. After all we are trying to encourage people to leave their cars at home but if there is no bus service then what option do they have?

Cllr PT Johnson Waterbeach/ X9 An alternative is for the X9 to deviate on it’s journey, the 11:43 from Ely could call Landbeach into Waterbeach and I still would expect it to arrive in Cambridge in time to make Councillor making the Ward or Area Bus Service Suggestion/Comments suggestion/comments it’s return journey at 12:40. The 14:43 from Ely could call into Landbeach and that also would arrive in Cambridge in time to make its return journey. The 10:40 from Cambridge could call into Landbeach still arriving into Ely for it’s next journey, then the 12:40 could call into Waterbeach again still arriving in Ely in time for it’s next journey.

Cllr PT Johnson Waterbeach/ 196 The 196 Service is non-existent on Sunday, is this a day of rest for Whippet Landbeach Coaches Ltd., or do they think that Waterbeach residents stay in on Sundays? The people of Waterbeach would like to travel on Sundays as would residents of Horningsea so how about Whippet Coaches Ltd. Putting a mini-bus on for a trial period and see what happens, but please publicise it because we have been used to a poor service for so long we would need to know about it so we could use it.

Cllr JA Quinlan Whittlesford Citi 7 Revisions to Citi7 have made it a little less circuitous.

Cllr JA Quinlan Whittlesford 31 Service 31 takes an age to reach Cambridge and should take a more direct route. 4 services per day are inadequate but probably all the ridership warrants.

Cllr RMA Manning Willingham and Over General Willingham still does not have a service going along Station Road so there is no link for the people on this long road. Willingham Parish Council and I have complained about this in the past.

General comments from member for Histon and Impington Cllr MJ Mason Real Time Information Real Time Information is of much more use to folks at an unsheltered stop out in the "country" since it can remove the uncertainty experienced with late or irregular running. I do have real problems with poor timetables. Any passengers not knowing the route and stops in detail is in deep trouble trying to plan journeys. I have not seen Myalls Sunday services displayed anywhere. Not all passengers have internet access although many Parish Web Sites do try to be helpful. (www.hisimp.net/transport/transprt.htm ) I think the development of RTI on all country routes needs to be addressed as a matter of priority.

Cllr MJ Mason Smoothness of ride The "ride quality" in some villages is frankly appalling even with modern Lowliner vehicles. Every pothole produces bone crunching vibrations and new vehicles soon begin to squeak and rattle.

Driving standards vary but it is inadvisable to stand up and move to the exit when approaching your stop as the exhaust/combined braking system is sometimes quite violent with the bus coming to "shuddering halt". This may be due to newly trained drivers being unfamiliar with the braking and transmission system.

Cllr MJ Mason Cleanliness of buses Stagecoach buses are usually clean internally but during the recent wet weather many bus units are so badly encrusted with road dirt that it is literally impossible to see through the windows at night to identify your stop.