New bio bus service for Cambridge
3 April 2019, 19:36 | Updated: 3 April 2019, 19:44
A new bus service has begun in Cambridge designed to help workers at the hospital and bio-medical campus at Addenbrooke's.
NHS staff also get a 15% discount on the new H service. that runs early morning and evening return trips.
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The new H service, runs from Papworth Everard to the Addenbrooke's site via Cambourne and Madingley Park & Ride.
It will offer three early-morning journeys each week day, complemented by evening returns.
The service will be delivered by Stagecoach East and funded initially by a collaboration of biomedical businesses, including AstraZeneca and Abcam, as well as the Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. NHS staff will enjoy a 15% discount on ticket prices.
Michelle Hargreaves, Managing Director of Stagecoach East says:
"Partnership working and a flexible approach are essential for the future of public transport in Cambridgeshire, and this new service is an example of what can be achieved by listening closely to the needs of both businesses and the local community".
Biomedical companies will fund the first year of the service, to allow for passenger numbers to build, with the aim that it will become commercially viable over time.
Parking options on campus are limited and environmental benefits can be achieved by encouraging staff to commute using public transport.
Residents of Papworth Everard were alarmed last year when their local service, the X3, provided by a different bus operator, faced cancellation because it was no longer commercially viable.
It was temporarily saved by an injection of Council funds, following a student petition that attracted more than 2,000 signatures.
"By extending the route and consulting biomedical companies about timetabling decisions, we hope to provide a lifeline for local people who need to get to Cambridge for work and school, as well as making the service attractive to shift workers on the Addenbrooke's campus," Michelle explains.
Stagecoach East will also be running additional Busway buses from St Ives, to help facilitate campus growth following Abcam's recent move to the site and Papworth Hospital's planned relocation in April/May.
