It’s not unusual for visitors to Cambridge – and residents too – to want to visit Ely. And, for various reasons, they might prefer to do this by bus. Perhaps because of where they’re starting from in Cambridge, or the distance from Ely railway station to the city centre. Let’s not worry about the “why”.

So it’s not unreasonable, when planning a day out, to go looking for a timetable. Handily, there’s only one such service between Cambridge City and Ely.

Now, if we were in Suffolk, or Essex, or Hertfordshire, we’d go to the transport websites set up by the respective councils and quickly locate a full set of bus timetables for routes operating within their counties. But in Cambridgeshire, the Combined Authority – which has overall responsibility for public transport – has decided that such basic information isn’t something they need to provide. It would be interesting to know how they came to that decision, In any case, the would-be passenger is therefore left to fend for themselves.

Where the prospective traveller goes next depends on how much advance knowledge they bring with them.

Perhaps they’re aware of Traveline, the national partnership of operators, local authorities and passenger groups that aims to be a one-stop resource for all public transport information throughout Great Britain. It’s easy enough to do a “Find Your Timetable” search for ELY and quickly identify service 9 as being the one for journeys to and from Cambridge. From there it’s possible to download the timetable, and you learn in the process that the service is operated by A2B Bus and Coach.

Or the results of a Google search (other search engines are available!) could lead our traveller directly to the A2B website which includes timetables for all of that operator’s services, handily set up for downloading as PDFs.

Alternatively, the free (albeit commercial) website bustimes.org offers a fast, clean interface that provides timetables for all registered bus and coach services in the UK and Ireland. Again, it’s a simple matter to locate buses serving ELY and from there to access the timetable for A2B’s service 9.

So, even though the Combined Authority doesn’t bother to provide them, the potential passenger can easily locate timetables for any bus service in the area. And, in this instance, for the Cambridge/Ely service 9.

Job done! QED! Or is it … ???

… Well, no! Because comparing the results of the above alternatives shows just how poorly the public is served. No two of the three timetables actually give the same information. They all differ from each other!

The timetable last changed at the beginning of January, though that shouldn’t really be relevant.

Traveline is still showing an old timetable. This is particularly unfortunate as Traveline not only provides timetables from its own website, but its data underpins apps such as the respected UK Bus Checker.

The operator’s own timetable is missing some journeys (although the ones that are included seem to be accurate). Now, in fairness to A2B, the timetable they offer appears to have been provided to them by none other than the Combined Authority, which provides financial support for the operation of service 9. Why the Combined Authority’s timetable is incomplete is an interesting question, but I can confirm from personal experience that the 10.15 service from Drummer Street definitely runs, even if it’s not in that version of the timetable!

Finally, it’s good to report that bustimes.org provides what seems to be a complete, accurate timetable for this service, using data from the government-funded Bus Open Data Service. But how is anyone supposed to know, on this occasion, that this is the most trustworthy of the three alternatives offered?.

Of course, anyone knowing all of this in advance would probably decide to take the train. Which is certainly better than turning up for a bus which doesn’t actually exist (based on the Traveline information) or not knowing about a more convenient one (because the A2B/Combined Authority timetable is lacking some journeys).

Alternatively, they might just go and lie down in a darkened room and weep…

Passengers – and prospective passengers – deserve better. Especially from publicly-funded bodies.

(All information was correct at time of writing: 10 February 2026)

A consultation is underway on the 20-year masterplan for our area. Make sure that you have your say, especially on the needs of bus users and the importance of easy bus travel!

The Greater Cambridge Draft Local Plan sets out where new homes and workplaces could be built in the region and how infrastructure, community facilities, and services would support them. The Plan aims to create places where people can live with less reliance on cars for everyday journeys. To succeed in this ambition, however, the Plan will need to bring about a whole series of improvements to public transport.

Cambridge Area Bus Users supports the Plan’s vision to minimise reliance on cars, however believes its policies around bus travel need to be much stronger for bus travel to become a genuine option for everyone in Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire.

We have submitted a formal response to the consultation (read it here) and encourage you to feed in your comments as well. You can either submit comments through the Local Plan consultation website (we have suggested which links to follow below), or send an email to localplan@greatercambridgeplanning.org. The consultation will close at 5pm on Friday 30 January.

Suggested points

Infrastructure

• The Plan must prioritise travel by public transport, walking/wheeling and cycling, rather than travel by electric car.
• Services are as important for bus travel as infrastructure; the Plan must recognise this.

Policy I/ST: Sustainable transport and connectivity

• New developments must be designed so buses can travel through them directly and efficiently
• Key bus routes must have frequent services 7-days a week with long operating hours and a guaranteed last bus home
• Cambridge needs measures to reduce congestion (or enable buses to bypass congestion)
• Bus services should start the first day new developments are occupied, and remain supported for an extended period
• The whole bus network needs to be improved; good services from new developments alone are not sufficient. The Plan should establish methods to raise funds to invest in buses.
• Electric cars should not be included here

Policy WS/HD: Creating healthy new developments

• A good bus network is a lifeline, connecting people with social networks, personal development opportunities and essential services at a cost they can afford. It is particularly important for young people, who have limited transport options and are often short of money. Bus travel is therefore an important tool to boost health, wellbeing and social inclusion. The Local Plan should recognise it as such.

Policy WS/CF: Community, sports, and leisure facilities

• The Plan should establish policies to bring about easy bus access to key services, education providers and community, sports and leisure facilities, especially those delivered via the Plan.

Short-distance coach services are a relatively rare phenomenon, but Monday 26th January will see the launch of a new example in our area from Whippet. The service, branded Blue Arrow X1, will link Cambridge, Huntingdon and Peterborough, with no other stops en route. It will provide up to 4 journeys per day in each direction, operating Monday to Saturday. Journey time, end to end, is between 80 and 95 minutes, depending on the time of day.

Because this is a coach service, there is no free travel for seniors who hold ENCTS bus passes. But there are reduced fares for young people, concessions and Tiger Pass holders, whilst holders of Blue Arrow tickets are also able to travel between Cambridge and Huntingdon on Whippet services X2 and X3.

It’s perhaps worth noting that departure and termination points in Cambridge and Peterborough aren’t those cities’ bus stations, but Parkside in Cambridge and Westgate (departures) and the Broadway (arrivals) in Peterborough.

For more information, including a timetable and complete fare information, go to the Blue Arrow page on the Whippet website.

“A change is as good as a rest” – a phrase that has gained some traction since it was first printed in the mid-19th century. But bus passengers might wonder if the enthusiasm for new timetables and routes at the beginning of January (even if some of the proposed changes were then cancelled) is entirely a good thing. Are minds concentrated on, what for so many, is a return to work, school or college?

So here’s one that, whilst seemingly well-promoted in Bedfordshire, hasn’t received quite the same attention in Cambridge. It’s a new service X75 between Biggleswade and Cambridge (via Sandy and Potton), operating three or four journeys in each direction, Monday to Saturday. It’s an initiative of Central Bedfordshire Council, funded through its allocation of the government’s Bus Service Improvement Plan.

An earlier service along this route was most recently operated by Whippet before its demise several years ago. Even then the route didn’t succumb entirely, as the team at Ivel Sprinter have been operating two Wednesday shopper services from Biggleswade for a good while (and continue to do so).

The new service is operated by A2B, and perhaps for that reason it also includes an additional (potential commuter?) trip from Melbourn, Kneesworth and Bassingbourn (albeit with a very early start and late finish).

A timetable can be downloaded from the A2B website.

Although Stagecoach East withdrew those timetable changes due on 4th January that had been announced as part of a series of updates due over the first two months of the year, one change that hadn’t been very widely advertised was to the Busway services, and this went ahead as planned. So, from last Sunday a new timetable has been in operation on Busway A and B – although it needs to be remembered that services can also be subject to diversion and delays as work continues on installation of the safety fencing.

For the most part, it looks as though up to 10 minutes have been cut from the end-to-end journey time (ie Trumpington/St Ives or Drummer St/Hinchingbrooke), compared with the October 2025 timetable. Or, in other words, that some of the additional journey time added when that timetable was introduced (at quite short notice, you will recall) has turned out not to be needed. But it hasn’t been possible to check that this applies to every journey.

A copy of the new timetable can be downloaded here.

And for more detailed information about the impact of the works on Stagecoach services, see their website.

Apologies for the late arrival of this information. Like many of the services themselves it was subject, if not to diversion, then to delay!

The Stagecoach changes due to be introduced on 4th January 2026 have been WITHDRAWN. The existing timetables will continue for the time being.

Whippet are making changes to Saturday timings on routes 66 and X3 with effect from 10th January. They cite the need to allow additional time on most journeys due to the volume of traffic those services are encountering. This isn’t the first time such congestion has been the explanation for extended journey times, and it doubtless won’t be the last.

For more information, and to download the new timetables, visit the Whippet website.

THESE TIMETABLE CHANGES HAVE BEEN WITHDRAWN

Stagecoach are making a number of minor alterations to services from Sunday 4th January 2026.

The changes fall into three categories.

There are minor timetable adjustments on the 1 (only for journeys towards Fulbourn), 6 (0840 from Emmanuel Street operates 5 minutes later), 7, 13 and T4, together with Madingley (Saturday only) and Newmarket Park & Ride services.

Route changes are taking place on the 4 (two morning and afternoon journeys will serve Bourn Quarter) and Milton Park & Ride (no longer turning into the Science Park, but using the main road stop at the entrance).

Finally, there are new city centre departure stops for the 6 (moving to stop E4) and 8A (switching to stop E5).

So, quite a few services affected, but the changes themselves are relatively minor.

For more information, and to download new timetables, go to the Stagecoach website.

Changes are being introduced to some services in the Ely area from 2nd January 2026.

Service 9 (Cambridge-Ely-Littleport). On part of this route, the number of daily journeys is being reduced – from six to five in both directions between Cambridge and Ely, and with a similar reduction on journeys from Littleport to Cambridge. But between Ely and Littleport (in both directions) there’s close to a 100% increase in journeys.

Ely Circular 9A and Little Downham 125. These services are being combined into a new service 10, which will also operate a modified route within Ely itself. This will bring a significant increase in journeys serving Little Downham.

Integrated daytime connections are promised at Ely Market Street between services 9 and 10 – they’re all being operated by the same operator (A2B), which helps in this regard.

For links to new timetables and more information on these and other changes, go to the Upcoming Bus Route Changes page on the Combined Authority website (although, strangely, this doesn’t alert passengers to any reduction in journeys, mentioning only increases).

In the south-east corner of the county, and running into Suffolk, service 19 provides a direct link from a number of villages to Haverhill. And, by changing buses at Linton, into Cambridge.

The service has had a number of operators in recent years – currently it’s operated by Flagfinders. But from Monday 22nd December there’s another change – Stephensons will be taking over the service from that date. And with the change of operator there are revisions to the timetable, although these are relatively minor (and very positive!). All journeys that currently run will continue to run, and to the present timetable. But, in addition, the first southbound service of the day from West Wickham will carry on beyond Linton to Haverhill. And there will be an additional service to Haverhill in the afternoon, leaving Burrough Green at 1506.

The revised timetable can be downloaded from Suffolkonboard.

(Thanks to Suffolk County Council for this information. An enquiry about the change to the CPCA, who provide financial support for this service, went unanswered.)