The 31 bus services facing shake-ups as stops dropped and timetables changed

There will be a number of shake ups to services across the county

Changes to bus services across Cambridgeshire have been outlined with alterations to 31 services listed. A report outlined a number of changes to the public transport system, with some stops dropped off routes, timetables altered and other services added.

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority’s transport committee met on Wednesday (September 9) to note changes to bus services. The committee was given a report titled “Bus Services Reimagined” detailing the proposed final changes across the region. They did not have the final say on the plans, but were instead asked to vote on whether to recommend their approval to the combined authority’s board.

Cllr Lorna Dupré, representing Cambridgeshire County Council, said she was “grateful for the honesty in the title” as “for too many communities it means the replacement of bus services with imaginary ones”. The Liberal Democrat councillor said that cuts to services were made necessary by the mayor’s decision not to increase the mayoral precept and divert funds “to subsidise car parking”.

Paul Bristow was elected mayor of the combined authority in 2025 under the pledge not to increase the mayoral precept and avoid significant borrowing during his term. A report on bus franchising, which was approved under the previous mayor, warned earlier this year that Cambridgeshire bus services could be cut by more than a third in the next decade without additional funding.

The Conservative mayor also promised to introduce free parking at council-owned car parks, with £1.5m allocated in his budget over two years to bring the policy to Peterborough and Huntingdonshire. Cllr Dupré said if residents aren’t sure if the bus they want to take will still be running in six months, they will “stop even considering public transport as an option”.

She highlighted “losses for people” in the report – noting the 65 service will no longer stop in Buckden to bring residents to their GP. She said the Tiger On Demand service, which can be booked to stop at specific bus stops, is being used to “fill in gaps”.

Labour councillor Angus Ellis, representing Peterborough City Council, said: “This should be bus services reduced, rather than reimagined”. Cllr Tim Bick, representing Cambridge City Council, said the combined authority needs to work harder at encouraging bus usage before axing services for low use if they are “serious about reimagining bus services”.

The Liberal Democrat councillor noted the T2 and T3 buses, designed to link the peripheries of Cambridge without going through the centre, both of which will be replaced. He said: “We’re going to have to try harder to change behaviour in order to get the usage for a service like that.

“If we want to do bigger things – we need to stick with change and support it.”

If approved by the combined authority’s board, in February 2027 the first stage of changes would be made to bus services. In Fenland, services 56 and T7 will be redesigned to “keep important links” with the report stating links between March and Wisbech “would improve” with earlier and later journeys and better weekend provision.

Timetables for the services 46 and 50 could change, including connections through Chatteris and revised times for Wisbech villages. In Huntingdonshire, the T12 would be withdrawn with improvements made to the 301 service between St Ives, Earith and Somersham.

The 65 service would no longer stop at Buckden and would serve St Neots Rail Station, extending from the Offords to Godmanchester, the Hemingfords and St Ives. In Cambridge, the 8 to Hilton would extend to St Ives and combine with the 69 to “offer more links to communities”.

The T4 between Addenbrooke’s and Newmarket would see a timetable and route change in Cambridge and Little Wilbraham to “improve punctuality”.

The next stage would happen in August 2027, with several existing services in South and East Cambridgeshire serving Haverhill and the Newmarket area replaced with new services 119, 120 and 121 to make the network simpler. The 26 towards Royston would be increased to an hourly service, no longer serving Foxton, and extending to Guilden Morden every two hours.

In South Cambridgeshire, new 27, 27A and 27H services would be introduced to replace parts of the services 7A, 17, 114 and T3. The 75 would be improved to provide hourly links to Cambridge and the T5 would have reliability and coordination improvements, including new evening journeys.

The T2 service will be replaced by a new route from Cambridge North to Darwin Green, Eddington and the east of Cambridge city centre. In Peterborough, services 60 and 61 would be merged and there would be “minor changes” to the timetables of services 62 and 63.