Cambridge soon to benefit from improved Park & Ride services

Transport chiefs at Cambridgeshire County Council and Stagecoach are launching improvements to the Cambridge Park & Ride service, which will come into effect from 20 November 2016.

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Three main changes are set to simplify and update the service for commuters, shoppers and visitors:

  1. Each bus will journey into the city centre as usual, then travel back to the same Park & Ride site from which it began.
    Instead of making a north-south or east-west journey across the entire city, buses will now use a simple in-out route.  This will improve journey times and make services more reliable by ensuring that traffic conditions in one part of the city can no longer have a knock-on impact.

  2. Bus stops in the city centre will be simplified, so that passengers can easily find their return stop.
    Each Park & Ride route will be given a single central stop for both incoming and return journeys.  This will particularly benefit passengers new to Cambridge, or occasional users, who will no longer have to hunt for their return bus stop.

  3. A brand new fleet of Park & Ride buses will offer top spec comfort for passengers.
    Arriving in December 2016, a new fleet of Park & Ride buses will provide on-board wifi, USB sockets and improved comfort for passengers, while improved engine efficiency and a higher standard of emissions will contribute to better air quality in the city.   The new buses will be colour-coded so that passengers can easily identify their service as it approaches.

Passengers travelling from Milton will still be able to access both the railway station and Addenbrooke’s hospital, by switching to the Babraham Road service in the city centre.  Adjacent stops will help to make this a straight-forward transfer.

Both Milton and Newmarket Road services will continue to use the bus interchange at The Grafton, and the Madingley Road service will drop shoppers on Jesus Lane, approximately two minutes’ walk from the shopping centre.

“We’re confident that these changes will improve our service for existing and new passengers, making bus journeys in and out of the city more comfortable, more user-friendly, and more reliable,” comments Andy Campbell, Managing Director of Stagecoach East. 

“Meeting the transport needs of shoppers, commuters, tourists and leisure passengers, while operating in a historic city centre with congestion issues, is certainly challenging.  However, we’re committed to investing in our services as we aim to deliver the highest standards of public transport in our city - both now and in the future.”

“Park & Ride continues to be a cost-effective way to travel in and out of Cambridge,” adds Campbell Ross-Bain, Cambridge Park & Ride Manager at Cambridgeshire County Council.

"And Park & Ride passengers - unlike car drivers - are free to enjoy a good book, surf the net or simply watch the world go by, as we drive them to their destination."

The Park & Ride Day Return ticket costs just £3, and allows up to three children to travel for free.  A £13 weekly ticket allows unlimited travel for one individual across all Park & Ride services.  A group ticket, costing £8.50, allows a group of five people to travel together. Parking charges can now be paid in advance via VIVOPARK.

Detailed information about all of the improvements, including small changes to four intermediary stops, is available at each Park & Ride site or at www.cambridgeparkandride.info



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