The C7 bus route

This is the response that I have sent to the county council consultation on the C7 bus route - where they appear to want to drop the service to once an hour. I intend to ensure it is discussed at the parish council meetings this week.

"You have invited comments on the proposed running of the C7 bus route - although you have also at the same time invited tenders for a service every hour as well as every half hour, which is the current service.

The problem with this bus service, and the reason why it is under used, is because of the "loop" which means that while a journey into Sawston is relatively quick, the journey back is frustratingly long, sometimes 40 minutes, via the Duxford Airfield, and a rest point for the driver. This is a point that people whom I represent on the District Council living in Heathfield and Whittlesfield have complained about many times. My two sons both used to try to catch the C7 into school, but the long journey via Duxford at the end of the school day proved too long, and unpredictable, so they both moved to the train.

Clearly the bus service is currently under-used, even with the schoolchildren from Whittlesford and Heathfield going into Sawston Village College. If the service is cut back from three an hour, as it used to be, to one an hour, then this is a downward spiral which will not be improved in terms of passenger numbers unless the route is properly looked at.

I strongly oppose any reduction of the service below every half hour, and I recommend that you look at making the route more attractive. If this is not taken up, then we can only assume that the intention is to keep cutting services to villages, so that eventually the car is the only choice in terms of transport for villagers in south Cambridge. Whittlesford is lucky in that it has the train service, and one can see the numbers of young people using the service, both during the school day and at the weekends. The reason is I think very simple: it takes as long to come back as it does to get there.