Only bus between March and Eye to be cut next month as locals warn of 'devastating effect'

Fresh bus cuts mean that a Fenland town and a Peterborough village will no longer be connected.

The 36 bus, which runs between March and Eye via Thorney, will be taken out of service on 30th July.

Stagecoach East says that it was “was not an easy decision to make” but that the route is “not sustainable”.

Local residents and politicians have raised concerns over the loss of the service.

Thorney parish councillor John Shearman said that the 36 bus is a “lifeline” for many residents and that its withdrawal will have a “devastating effect on the village”.

Cllr Nick Thulbourn (Labour, Fletton and Woodston) and Labour parliamentary candidate Andrew Pakes met with concerned residents last week.

Business owners told them that their staff may struggle to get to work without the hourly bus service, they said.

Both have called on Stagecoach East to rethink the cut.

The company says that it will redeploy 36 buses onto the 37 bus’s route which travels between Spalding and Peterborough through Eye.

The service will not go on to March, though, but only around two people were travelling between it and Eye per trip on average, Stagecoach East says.

They also say that a “group of service changes” will come into effect at the end of next month which will also include network enhancements.

Stagecoach East's statement in full

David Boden, Business Development Director for Stagecoach East said: “We consistently monitor our services to ensure we provide sustainable, long-term travel solutions for our customers. We currently provide an hourly service from Peterborough to Eye, with services 36 and 37, with service 36 continuing from Eye through Thorney to March.

"Customer numbers on service 36 beyond Eye are very low, and so we have therefore made the difficult decision to withdraw service 36, from 30th July 2023, and redeploy the vehicle resource into service 37. This was not an easy decision to make, however, it is crucial that we invest in the services most needed and utilised by our customers.

"Eye will continue to have an hourly link to Peterborough, now provided on service 37, and in addition we can reintroduce an afternoon school journey, on service 37, which will benefit students travelling to schools in Spalding. Residents in Thorney can use the Excel A and B services, operated by First Bus, which run every 30 minutes to Peterborough City centre.

“We understand that there is no longer a direct link between Eye and March, but our passenger data shows that there is an average of 1.9 people, per trip, travelling beyond Eye to March and this is not sustainable. This is not a decision we have taken lightly, and we sympathise with those passengers who will be impacted by the service withdrawal.

“These changes are a part of a group of service changes, coming into effect on 30th July, which also sees some routes in the Peterborough network enhanced. Further information will be issued to our customers this week and we will include access to the new timetables, in advance of any changes, to minimise disruption.”