Petition to reinstate Duxford school buses

Families in Duxford want their old school bus service brought back after journey times have doubled.

A petition, signed by over 220 people, asked Cambridgeshire County Council to bring back the SW05 and SW06 service that took their children to school in Sawston.

Since they were cut, some children have received a bus pass to use the public 7A, and others have been placed on a separate SW01 service.

The families said the journey to school on the old services had taken between 15 to 20 minutes, but that the journey for those on the SW01 was now taking 40 to 45 minutes.

Emma Merrells, who organised the petition:

"We desire an equitable solution for all children in the village to have the same journey.

"The wellbeing and safety impact this earlier start and longer journey is having on the SW01 children is clear, how tired they are in comparison to their peers, how often families are now having to drive to school to compensate – this is inconvenient, uneconomical, and bad for the environment.

"The 7A remains unfilled with multiple seats available, the public either think it is a school bus, because it currently says ‘not in service’ on the front, or are not using it.

"If the SW01 children board this it costs them a fare and the driver has the right to refuse them."

The change to bus services was made as part of an attempt to improve the viability of the public 7A bus service.

The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, which subsidises the service, worked with the county council to move pupils who had been taken to school by a private bus onto the underutilised 7A.

A report published by the Combined Authority in September 2024 said 61 students who primarily were travelling from Duxford to Sawston had been moved onto the 7A.

It also said the move had enabled the county council to remove a private transport contract and enable efficiencies, and that officers would be "working closely" with the bus operator to "learn lessons" and ensure safe travel for students.

A written response to the petition is expected in early December 2024.