Newmarket to Cambridge number 12 bus service could be saved from the axe as Stephensons announces plan

A crucial bus service that is being axed on October 30 may be set for a reprieve after a bus operator announced plans to save the route.

Stephensons, an independent local bus operator which runs services between Haverhill and Bury St Edmunds, and from Bury St Edmunds to Mildenhall and Newmarket, has announced that it will be stepping in, with discussions scheduled to take place with Suffolk County Council and the Cambridge and Peterborough Combined Authority in the coming weeks.

"Following a review of usage, and discussions with the relevant local authorities, I am delighted to confirm that we will continue to operate the Newmarket to Cambridge service, broadly at the current route and frequency," said managing director Bill Hiron.

"We are still in discussions with both Suffolk County Council and the Cambridge and Peterborough Combined Authority over certain details, but will publish the full timetable as soon as possible.

"We recognise the importance of this link to the communities served, and are pleased to be able to step in”

Stephensons is the largest independent bus operator in East Anglia, with depots in both Essex and West Suffolk, employing around 150 members of staff.