It's been saved thanks to a plea for a £10,000 grant from South Cambridgeshire District Council and the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.

South Cambridgeshire Councillors and the Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, James Palmer, have said they agreed to step in and pay a subsidy of £5,000 each to keep the Whippet Coaches X3 Papworth service running until the end of March 2019.

They said it will ‘bridge the gap’ until some proposed changes to bus services, which are due to be put in place from April, can be finalised and announced.

Nearly too late
Whippet Coaches had given notice of ceasing the bus service with the Traffic Commissioner, but following the offer of funding, will now be informing them that it will continue with the same timetable.

The District Council will be using money allocated for local transport initiatives for its contribution towards subsidising the service, while Mayor Palmer has also confirmed the Combined Authority will contribute.

2,000 sign petition
When it was announced the X3 bus service was due to be cancelled, Heidi Allen contacted District Council leaders and the Mayor’s office to see if a solution could be found.

Since then over, over 2,000 people signed a petition calling on Cambridgeshire County Council to save the Papworth bus service after it was initiated by 17-year-old Grace Fisher from the village.

Heidi said: “This bus service is a lifeline for Papworth. I am delighted that South Cambridgeshire District Council, Mayor James Palmer and Whippet have been able to provide support to keep this vital community asset running.

“Residents made their voices heard in their thousands and I was pleased to instigate discussions between all parties to ensure the stability of Whippet’s X3 service.

"Papworth constituents reached out for help and I’m proud to be part of the cross-authority solution.”

Short term subsidy
Mayor James Palmer said: “There was a great deal of concern locally about the future of the X3 route, particularly for those living in Papworth Everard, as well as students, commuters, those with hospital appointments and so on, so it is good news a solution has been found to retain the service.

“In this instance there was a clear case for stepping in, alongside South Cambridgeshire District Council, to subsidise the route in the short term.

“But I have long said the bus system we have in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough is not working for people and this is yet more evidence the current status quo is not sustainable.

“The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority has commissioned a review into buses which will report in November.  There are a number of options open to me on buses, including things like franchising, and all will be considered.

“We need a service which is reliable, affordable and convenient – and one that is going to be sustainable into the future.

“I’m very much looking forward to working on a solution which will work for people in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough in the long term.”

To serve better – and be commercially viable
Charlie Hamilton, Managing Director of Whippet Coaches, said: “As Whippet approaches its 100th anniversary, we are keen to serve better local communities than ever before, but with bus ridership continuing to fall across the region, certain routes inevitably stop being commercially viable.

“Whippet was no longer able to sustain the X3 as the cost of operating the service continued to remain higher than the income from passenger fares.

“We are thrilled the elected officials have agreed to financially support the X3, without which the loss-making services would have stopped.

“This is a clear demonstration of the need for franchising in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough region – and we are pleased Mayor Palmer’s bus review will consider all options to serve best the local communities which rely so heavily on public transport.”

Use it or lose it
South Cambridgeshire District Council’s local member for Caxton and Papworth ward, Cllr Mark Howell, said: “Huge thanks to the Council executive and Combined Authority for agreeing to fund the service.

“A lot of credit must also go to Grace Fisher in Papworth for raising awareness and organising the petition.  It is now down to people in the village to use local buses to make sure we continue to have a good service.”

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