Cambridge Biomedical Campus bus launched

A bus partnership between Stagecoach East and companies on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus is set to benefit residents as well as workers.

The new H service, which launched this week, will run from Papworth Everard to Addenbrooke’s hospital via Cambourne and Madingley Park & Ride.

It will offer three early-morning journeys each weekday, complemented by three evening returns.

The service will be funded for the first year by businesses on the campus, including AstraZeneca and Abcam, as well as the Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. NHS staff get a 15 per cent discount on ticket prices.

Michelle Hargreaves, Stagecoach East managing director, said: “Partnership working and a flexible approach are essential for the future of public transport in Cambridgeshire, and this new service is an example of what can be achieved by listening closely to the needs of both businesses and the local community.”

Residents of Papworth Everard were alarmed last year when the X3 service, provided by a different bus operator, faced cancellation.

It was temporarily saved with funding from South Cambridgeshire District Council after a 2,000-signature petition was collected.

Read mayor James Palmer’s take on buses – page 18