The Royston to Cambridge bus route is set to be withdrawn in October, prompting "concern" from politicians.

Stagecoach has said the 915 bus route is "unsustainable" and has decided to stop running the service from Sunday, October 30.

The current 915 service runs roughly hourly and links the North Herts town with Melbourn, Foxton, Harston and Cambridge city centre.

Sir Oliver Heald, Conservative MP for North East Herts, and Dr Nik Johnson, Labour mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, have raised concerns about the move.

But a Stagecoach spokesperson said the changes will be economically "sustainable" and will accommodate travel patterns which have emerged after the Covid-19 pandemic.

The spokesperson said: "Bus use in the UK has only partially recovered since the pandemic.

"Local bus operators, including Stagecoach, have been working to re-base local bus networks to take account of changes in people’s travel habits, lower passenger numbers, rising costs and labour challenges.

"This will ensure we can provide a sustainable network that we hope can grow over the longer-term."

A full list of changes in the Stagecoach Cambridgeshire region is online: https://bit.ly/3xBOUYv

%image(15680311, type="article-full", alt="Stagecoach: "Bus use in the UK has only partially recovered since the pandemic" (File picture)")

%image(15680320, type="article-full", alt="The 915 links Royston with Cambridge (pictured, File picture)")

Sir Oliver fears Royston residents may struggle to make hospital appointments at Addenbrooke's Hospital if the 915 is cut.

He said: "There is clearly concern that this bus service is to be axed with only one month’s notice and I understand the needs of current bus passengers.

"That is why I have immediately contacted Stagecoach asking for an explanation and the health authority to clarify how patients are to get to Addenbrooke's from Royston."

%image(15680324, type="article-full", alt="Sir Oliver Heald MP: "I have immediately contacted Stagecoach asking for an explanation and the health authority to clarify how patients are to get to Addenbrooke's from Royston" (File picture)")

%image(15680327, type="article-full", alt="Sir Oliver Heald MP has raised concerns about access between Royston and Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge")

Bus firms throughout England have received a range of UK government funding to ensure their services could continue throughout and after the pandemic.

According to the Department for Transport, the total pandemic funding for buses in England stands at around the £2 billion, which includes a £130 million package to keep bus services running between October 2022 and March 2023.

The then-Boris Johnson government launched a Bus Back Better policy in 2021.

%image(15680333, type="article-full", alt="The government of former prime minister Boris Johnson launched a "Bus Back Better" strategy in 2021 (File picture)")

As part of the scheme, 31 local authorities in England were awarded funding to improve bus networks in their regions. Cambridgeshire was unsuccessful in securing funds, but Hertfordshire received £29.7m for its plan, which noted the A10 corridor was a "gap" in the network.

Dr Nik Johnson, of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, said Stagecoach's plans for Cambridgeshire are "unacceptable".

He said: "The timing of this news couldn’t come at a worse time.

"It is of utmost importance to the combined authority that our rural bus routes are protected.

"They are vital for so many of our residents across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, in addressing isolation, enabling inclusion and supporting access to key services."

%image(15680341, type="article-full", alt="Dr Nik Johnson: "We are appalled that Stagecoach are pressing ahead with such severe changes to the network whilst continuing to accept the funding from the government that is designed to protect it" (File picture)")

Dr Johnson added: "We are appalled that Stagecoach are pressing ahead with such severe changes to the network whilst continuing to accept the funding from the government that is designed to protect it."

Cambridgeshire residents have raised concerns about the service cuts.

A Change.org petition (https://bit.ly/3R2YN8u) has been launched in a bid to save routes 11, X11 and 12 (Cambridge, Newmarket and Ely or Bury St Edmunds).

It reads: "People will become even more isolated, people will struggle to get to work, the elderly may lose their only form of transport to get from A to B, and the government wants us to use buses to reduce pollution and traffic in cities."

The 25 route between Trumpington and Addenbrooke's Hospital will also be withdrawn on the grounds it is "unsustainable".

Elsewhere in North Herts, the timetable for Hitchin routes 9a and 9b will be slimmed-down.

Both routes currently run hourly between Hitchin, Shefford and Bedford, but a two-hourly timetable for the 9a and 9b is set to be launched on October 30.

Although cuts are taking place on some routes, the Cambridge Citi 7 will benefit from an "enhanced frequency" between Sawston and Cambridge, with buses every 20 minutes on weekdays and Saturdays.

The Citi 7 will continue to call at Duxford, Ickleton and Saffron Walden on an hourly basis.

%image(15680346, type="article-full", alt="Babraham Road Park and Ride will benefit from an "enhanced frequency", Stagecoach said")

Madingley Road and Babraham Road park and rides will also benefit from "enhanced frequency", Stagecoach said.