Anger over bus stop change for route 56 service to Manea

Outraged village councillors are calling for a bus service to have its original final stop reinstated to make it accessible to all.

Villagers in Manea have been left angry this week after operator Stagecoach took the decision to no longer run Route 56 through the village and down Westfield Road.

Instead, the much-used service which takes passengers to March and on to Wisbech will terminate and turn around outside the Rose and Crown pub in the centre of the village.

Concerned users raised the issue of the change in service when the bus failed to show up on Westfield Road earlier this week.

Local parish and district councillor Charlie Marks, who has been trying to discover what is happening with the service, said: “No consultation has taken place with villagers who are the ultimate losers again, especially those who rely on this service and is their lifeline to and from the village.”

Cllr Marks said the decision means a large number of users are now unable to get on the bus as they are unable to get to the Rose and Crown to catch it, because of the distance involved in walking from Fallow Corner up Westfield Road.

Stagecoach have blamed the decision on time constraints and ensuring the service stays on time, they have also said the ultimate decision lies with the Combined Authority, which is responsible for bus services in our area.

Cllr Marks said: “I have now spoken at length to a director at Stagecoach (Midlands) who has given the reasoning for this suspension due to time restraints on the route.

“According to the director Stagecoach have been in consultation with the Combined Authority for at least the last 12 months regarding dropping this end part of the service so buses could be more punctual and run to time.

“On requesting that Stagecoach reinstate this service urgently I was told this decision was taken by the Combined Authority to make the service better and save money too.

“Also and more worryingly the route 56 is now out for tender which will be ending in the next few days and part of this is again to miss out Westfield Road and terminate at the Rose and Crown stop.”

Cllr Marks pointed out there is a lot of development currently underway in Westfield Road including retirement bungalows and therefore the demand for a bus service is likely to increase.

He added: “This decision is a disgrace to those who are so reliant on this service.

“Both Cllr Janet Coupland and myself are now urgently trying to resolve this situation and in the short term the chair of FACT Community Transport, Gary Christy, has agreed that that anyone needing transport can contact them and become a member immediately (fast tracking) their application.”

The Combined Authority funded Tiger on Demand bus service also operates in Manea, but villagers have found it to be unreliable due to booking issues.

Cllr Marks continued: “Longer term, Cllr Coupland and I will be pushing for this part of the service to be reinstated and hopefully the new incoming Combined Authority mayor will take a different view to the out going one who seems to have no regard for villagers who are reliant on this service.”

FACT contact details are: 01354 661234 web site www.fact-cambs.co.uk for those wanting to book a ride.

A Combined Authority spokesperson: “We understand the concerns raised by residents in Manea about the recent change to the Route 56 bus service.

“Public transport is vital to communities, and we appreciate that this decision has had an impact on some passengers

“The Combined Authority has been working with Stagecoach to improve the reliability of Route 56. Punctuality had declined to the point where fewer than half (44%) of services were setting off from their first stop on time. This was impacting on passengers along the whole route. Reliability is enforced by the national government’s Traffic Commissioners and action can be taken in its role as regulator if services regularly fall outside punctuality targets.

“To tackle this, Stagecoach proposed to shorten the route in Manea to help the service set off on time regularly, giving wider benefits to customers served along the route. Stagecoach also advised, based on their driver feedback and monitoring, that passenger numbers were lower in the part of the village which is now not covered. However, we recognise that this change is unwelcome for residents who do rely on the service.

“We will be reviewing the impact of this decision on punctuality and gathering further feedback from passengers to assess next steps.

“Details of the route change in Manea were posted on the Stagecoach website. We are now following up with Stagecoach to understand what other steps were taken to inform passengers and to ensure that lessons are learned for any future service changes.

“Additionally, Manea residents now have access to the new Combined Authority-funded Tiger on Demand bus service serving Fenland. This flexible service allows people to book journeys within a designated area, rather than relying on fixed bus routes and times. This service also helps restore connectivity to the area of Manea no longer served by the 56.

“A new Combined Authority-funded bus service, the Tiger 7, is scheduled to launch in Spring 2025, linking Manea with Chatteris, Wisbech, and Manea rail station. This route will include Westfield Road in Manea, potentially restoring service to areas affected by the service 56 change.”