Vectare is continuing its growth with an expansion of its presence in Peterborough. From 31 October it took over two services under contract to the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) that were previously provided commercially by Stagecoach East.
Routes 23 and 23A run between Peterborough and the Lynch Wood business park on Mondays to Fridays. Vectare is operating them with Euro VI, air-conditioned buses and takes payments via cash, contactless and app.
Commercial and Operations Director Peter Nathanail has advised that the new work in Peterborough is run from Vectare’s Loughborough base, where it presently has surplus vehicle and driver resource.
Vectare will accept Stagecoach East monthly passes expiring in November so that no paid-for travel is lost. Until 4 November, any of the previous operator’s daily or weekly tickets will also be valid for travel on the new Vectare services.
As with other Vectare routes, those in Peterborough are covered by is Passenger Promise. That involves clean and comfortable buses, friendly drivers and access to customer support by phone during the entire operating day. It also includes a commitment to provide a taxi should service disruption cause passengers to be unable to make their planned journey.
Vectare is among various operators that have won contracts to operate services that Stagecoach East previously provided commercially.
The incumbent is continuing to run some of those routes after CPCA set aside an overall £1.7m for subsidy. Other operators to have won work include A2B Travel, Dews Coaches, Fenland Area Community Transport, Stephensons of Essex and Whippet. Part of one service did not immediately have an alternative operator. The contracts run until 31 March 2023.
CPCA says that it is now working to put in place a sustainable and affordable network from April 2023, from when Bus Recovery Grant funding is expected to end. That will include a refreshed Bus Service Improvement Plan and a revised Bus Strategy for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
“We will think closely about protecting and improving bus services in 2023 and 2024, not just holding the fort through the winter,” says Mayor Dr Nik Johnson.
Although Dr Johnson has been critical of Stagecoach East’s decision to withdraw some services, a report from a CPCA meeting on 19 October accepts that passenger numbers on commercial routes in the local authority’s area remain down by 24%, “reducing bus income.” Usage of concessionary passes is down by 48%.
Planned changes by Stagecoach East in Suffolk went ahead fron 30 October after Suffolk County Council (SCC) could not allocate money to fund what the operator describes as “any realistic alternative service in the long term” to fully replace routes 11 and 12.
Stephensons of Essex took over the section of route 12 between Newmarket and Cambridge from 31 October. It is part-funded by SCC.
