Market town to city bus route will be saved

A bus route between a market town and a city in a county has been saved.

The 33 route between March, Cambridgeshire, and Peterborough was due to be shortened on 31 August due to "extremely low passenger numbers", Stagecoach East said.

Instead the route would start and finish in Whittlesey, putting the villages of Eastrea and Coates at risk of being cut off from Peterborough with no public transport.

The Combined Authority Board has since backed a proposal by the Conservative Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Paul Bristow, to save the service.

On Wednesday the authority board approved funding for the at-risk section of the 33 service.

Bristow said: "This is an essential service for communities that were at real risk of losing their only public transport link to Peterborough.

"I'm pleased that all of our constituent councils supported the proposals and there was widespread agreement among the Combined Authority Board.

"I hope this brings some relief to people in Eastrea and Coates that there will still be a bus service for them from September this year."

Stagecoach East will continue to run the Whittlesey to Peterborough section of the route commercially.

While the route has been saved, the bus company announced five others would be withdrawn from 31 August.

These included:

• 9/X9 (Cambridge – Ely – Littleport)
• 31 (Ramsey – Whittlesey – Peterborough)
• 604 (Milton – Impington Village College)
• 606 (Cambridge City Centre – Impington Village College)
• 607 (Trumpington – Sawston Village College)

Bristow said: "We can't replace every commercial route when an operator pulls out, but where the case is clear, like it is here, we must act.

"I am making tough choices to deliver value for taxpayers while protecting our rural communities."

Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.