The Council’s Economy and Environment Committee met last month to consider extending the funding for previously agreed subsidised contracted bus services until the end of March 2019, pending the results of a more far reaching review by James Palmer, the Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
The Committee agreed to extend funding for several bus services, including service 30, between Huntingdon and Ramsey, and service 35, between Huntingdon through Chatteris to March, along with the extension of funding for 13 other previously agreed subsidised contracted bus services.
Mayor James Palmer stepped in to say that the Combined Authority will provide the extra funding to see service 46, which is used by students attending Neale-Wade Academy, extended, plus three new services which Whippet Coaches have recently decided to pull out of the 196 Waterbeach to Cambridge service, the 31 Barley to Cambridge service and the 75 Wrestlingworth to Cambridge.
The County Council will continue to fund all the other previously agreed bus services until the end of the 2018/19 financial year, using reserves held for this purpose, when the Combined Authority’s review of these services is complete. The Council will then work with the Mayor to discuss future funding arrangements.