Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Dr Nik Johnson, has said that changing the way buses operate is ‘vital’ for the area. 

Just last week, Dr Nik himself took part in a six district challenge tour using public transport to get around, and he’s said it has “strengthened” his determination to bring radical change to buses. 

He has also shared news on the work the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority is doing with partners to reform the network. 

Mayor Dr Nik said: “Changing how buses operate in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough is vital to our transport future. Doing nothing is not an option. 

“My Six District Challenge tour last week, using just public transport, has only strengthened my determination to bring radical change to our buses. 

“You only need to look at how popular something as simple as the recent £2 cap on fares has been to understand that making buses better has to be the priority.” 

READ MORE: Mayor Dr Nik Johnson to take on district transport challenge 

Dr Nik added how it is “clear how valued” our bus service are, and to many, how they are essential public services. 

He stressed how the loss of the services would mean access to work, education, health services, social contact and other important things would be made “significantly harder, or worse still, impossible for some.” 

“More services would therefore help communities, rural and urban, come closer together,” he said. 

“Better buses would ultimately support the wider Combined Authority goal to have a healthier, wealthier, greener, higher skilled, happier and more connected society.” 

Dr Nik acknowledged that the Combined Authority’s ambitions are “not modest”. 

“We want to double the amount bus usage across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough by 2030. We want using buses to become second nature for our residents as a result of improvements,” he said. 

“This means they are more affordable, more reliable, more frequent and more convenient.” 

He added: “I want to work towards a franchised bus system, giving us vastly more control over services. We are working right now on whether and how that could be delivered.