Fed-up Fenland bus passengers facing fare hikes have been thrown a lifeline after a last-minute ticketing truce was struck between operators. Stagecoach’s shock withdrawal of the 31 and 33 beyond Whittlesey left travellers from March, Turves, Coates, Eastrea, Ramsey and Pondersbridge fearing they’d be forced to stump up double fares just to reach Peterborough. The new replacement services – run by DEWS from September 1 – only go as far as Whittlesey, forcing a change onto Stagecoach to complete the journey.
But thanks to a fierce campaign led by Cllr Chris Boden, Conservative county councillor for Whittlesey and leader of Fenland District Council, a special £5 day return “through ticket” has been hammered out.
The deal means passengers can hop from the new DEWS-run 31, 32 and X32 services straight onto the Stagecoach 33 at Whittlesey without paying again.
“This was never about politics – it was about fairness,” said Cllr Boden, who chairs the CPCA Transport Committee. “It was unthinkable that local people should pay twice simply because operators couldn’t join up their services. This through ticket is a vital win for Fenland passengers.”
The ticketing fix, however, is only guaranteed until October 31 – after which fares could go up again unless a permanent solution is secured. Cllr Boden insists negotiations are continuing behind the scenes to lock in a longer-term deal.
HAIL AND RIDE RETURNS – BUT TURVES LEFT STRANDED!
After more than 20 long years without a single public bus, villagers in Turves thought their transport prayers had finally been answered – but hopes of a full service have hit a pothole. Literally.
When the Combined Authority (CPCA) drew up plans this summer to replace the scrapped March–Whittlesey route, Cllr Boden pushed hard for Turves to be put back on the map. “Turves has had no public transport for over two decades – and it’s the biggest settlement in Cambridgeshire with no bus service,” he thundered.
Against the odds, transport bosses agreed. Thanks to a specialist planner, the new 32 route was supposed to stop twice a day in both directions, linking Ramsey, March, and Whittlesey – and even offering connections to Peterborough. With no formal bus stops, the section between the Three Horseshoes pub and the Peas Hill roundabout was to be a special ‘Hail & Ride’, letting passengers flag down the bus anywhere they liked.
But just days before the service was due to launch, the scheme hit the skids. A safety inspection revealed the road between Turves and March was in such shocking disrepair that buses simply couldn’t use it. Operators DEWS warned their vehicles would be damaged beyond repair by the crumbling carriageway. Low-floor buses, they said, would “ground out” and scrape along the battered tarmac.
The result? From September 1st, the much-trumpeted 32 will only pick up and drop off at the Three Horseshoes pub – and nowhere else in Turves.
Cllr Boden is furious. “Can you imagine county highways letting a road between Cambridge and a nearby village rot like this? Of course not!” he blasted. “It’s disgraceful. The road must be brought up to standard – people in Turves deserve better.”
The CPCA has now dispatched its hired transport specialist to survey every inch of the battered route, pinpointing the worst blackspots. Once the evidence is in, the authority will march straight to Cambridgeshire County Council Highways demanding urgent repairs.
