The Combined Authority’s statutory bus franchising consultation – a key step towards reforming the bus system in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough – saw more than 1,600 responses.
Residents, businesses, statutory consultees and stakeholders took part in the consultation, which ran between Wednesday 14 August and Monday 25 November 2024, to have their say on the future of local bus services.
Now that the consultation has closed the Combined Authority will compile and publish a report setting out its response to the feedback. It will inform a decision by Dr Nik Johnson, Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, on how to reform buses across the area.
The Mayor’s decision is currently planned for early February 2025, however this date may be subject to change.
Everyone was invited to participate in a consultation which set out to be both comprehensive and inclusive in its approach. As well as running online, the consultation was held via face-to-face drop-in events in busy locations across the region, such as town centres and bus stops in Huntingdon, Ely, Peterborough, Northstowe, Wisbech, Cambridge and St Neots.
More than 30 face-to-face events were held, including a series of events specifically for statutory consultees, so that people could talk to members of the consultation team in person and ask any questions.
The bus franchising consultation was promoted in several ways including: social media, media, online, advertising and radio, as well as posters and leaflets displayed in a range of busy community and transport locations such as libraries and bus stations. Online versions of the consultation questionnaires were available on the dedicated website as well as print versions to download and post back via a FREEPOST envelope. Translated versions were produced in Polish, Lithuanian, Portuguese and Urdu. Paper copies and large print versions were also available.
Chief Executive of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, Rob Bridge, said: “We would like to thank everyone who got involved in the consultation over the past few months to help improve bus services for all. We’re delighted that so many of you across the region took the opportunity to share your views as part of this important milestone on our Road to Better Buses.”
The consultation compared two ways to reform buses – a franchising solution and an Enhanced Partnership approach. Under a franchised network, the Combined Authority would contract bus operators to run services on its behalf but have control over the routes, frequency, fares and overall standards of the region’s buses. An alternative Enhanced Partnership solution, while producing benefits over the current bus service, provides less control over the routes, frequency and overall delivery of the services.
