Better Buses For Ely and East Cambs

Labour candidate Elizabeth McWilliams pledges to back plan for better bus services across Ely and East Cambridgeshire

Elizabeth McWilliams, Labour candidate for Ely and East Cambridgeshire, has today pledged to back Labour’s transformative new plans to deliver better bus services.

Labour’s plan could mean up to 139 vital bus routes created and saved and 22 million more passenger journeys per year across the East of England compared to today’s failed system.

 The plan will also see better buses delivered faster, with the franchising process done in as little as 2 years, compared to the 6-year slog endured by Greater Manchester due to the unnecessary barriers imposed by central government. Since buses were deregulated in 1985, bus services in England’s regions outside London have collapsed, with:

• 1.5 billion fewer annual bus journeys in 2019 than in 1985

• Almost 300 million fewer miles driven by buses per year since 2010

• Thousands of bus services cut since 2010

Labour's plans will ensure better value for money for the taxpayer, deliver a better service for passengers and give local authorities a choice over the bus system that works best for them. It will require no additional central government spending.Where bus franchising is in place, in London and Manchester, buses have thrived. Greater Manchester has improved reliability and significantly grown passenger numbers less than a year after bus franchising went live.  

Labour Candidate for Ely and East Cambridgeshire Elizabeth McWilliams said:

“After fourteen years of Conservative failure our local bus services have been driven into the ground.

 “I led a local campaign and petition to get the no 9 service between Waterbeach and Ely reinstated with stops where residents need it in village locations. I also support the good work our Cambridgeshire Mayor Dr Nik Johnson is already doing to save and improve buses in our County.

“But despite the efforts of our Mayor and others, they are still dealing with a deeply flawed national system. This is why a Labour government will call time on the broken bus system that is holding far too many people in our community back from opportunities.

 “Labour’s plan for better buses will help support the delivery of the Mayor’s established plans for a local, affordable, reliable and accessible bus network for all.

“And our plan means vital bus services being created and saved across our region.”