Crowdfunding buses: Transport company in talks about novel solution for villages cut off from services

A transport company has suggested a novel solution to the lack of buses in four Peterborough villages.

The company, Vectare, is in talks about “crowdfunding” a bus service connecting Castor, Ailsworth, Wansford and Wittering with Peterborough and Stamford.

Commercial and operations director Peter Nathanail explained that the plan would involve asking residents to buy a bus pass in advance of the service being set up to get it off the ground; something that’s “never been done before, to my knowledge”.

Residents of the four villages have been petitioning local authorities including the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) to reinstate their bus service since it was cut in December 2019.

The previous provider, Delaine Buses, said that the company was suffering “heavy operating losses” due to a lack of use at the time.

Since then, the villages have been provided with a Call Connect minibus – which usually has to be booked in advance – by Peterborough City Council (PCC), but residents say this is unsuitable for time-critical journeys and some have resorted to walking to Peterborough and Stamford for essential appointments along the A1 path.

Buses could be running within a matter of months

Vectare has had “a number of meetings with local residents” about the plans, Mr Nathanail says, and while they’re not “at a particularly advanced stage”, the service could be up and running within a matter of months.

“I would probably say you’re looking at three to six months,” he said. “Even if we got the money approved tomorrow, the earliest start date would be in three months’ time because we have to give 10 weeks’ notice to the traffic commission and our regulators to get permission to put a new bus service on.

“Then we probably need a month or so of planning an engagement campaign, then another two months or so running it. Then, if we got a positive result from the crowdfunding, that three-month registration period”.

The next step, though, is to take the plans to the villages’ parish councils to gauge their level of support for pushing them ahead.

Buses would be 16-seaters with an 'upmarket interior'

But what would a crowdfunded bus service look like?

The vehicles themselves would be “quite car-like”, Mr Nathanail said, and the fleet could be given a name by local residents (his suggestions: the Castor Connector or the Wansford Wanderer).

The vehicles, called “executive mini-buses”, are Mercedes-Benz Sprinters and have 16 (leather) seats, USB chargers and air conditioning.

They have “quite an upmarket interior”, Mr Nathanail said, and are wheelchair accessible.

Buses would run to Peterborough and Stamford at 2-hour intervals

They’d also run to Peterborough and Stamford regularly (at around 2-hour intervals), including to and from The King’s School.

Of course, even if the service was to start running, questions would remain over its long-term viability and Mr Nathanail is upfront that he’s not completely certain his new idea will work.

Peterborough City Council (PCC) leader Cllr Wayne Fitzgerald (Conservatives, West) has said he’ll “do whatever I can to support the residents of Castor, Ailsworth, Wittering and Wansford to re-establish a bus service, if we can possibly do so”, although the responsibility for transport in the region ultimately rests with the CPCA.

CPCA leader, mayor Dr Nik Johnson, has previously said that the authority is “striving to find sustainable solutions” for the residents of the villages and is due to meet them again in August.

“We aim to create an environment where operators can deliver these services sustainably and that includes exploring funding options with Government,” he added at the most recent CPCA meeting.

Currently, the authority is undertaking a review of the region’s bus network and Dr Johnson has said he will ask officers to report back with options for Castor, Ailsworth, Wittering and Wansford specifically.

The CPCA has also been contacted for comment on Vectare’s proposals.