Guided bus - it’s smooth but is it safe?

Published: 9:34 AM September 7, 2011

Updated: 4:21 PM November 1, 2020

I AM yet another victim of the faulty ticket machines on the guided busway.

On August 23, I began putting coins in for a ticket but after inserting a �1 coin, it closed down. A notice appeared advising me to pay the driver.

I asked him for a refund but he was unable to provide this. So I wrote to Andy Campbell, managing director of Stagecoach Cambridgeshire, asking for my money back.

The bus ride from St Ives to Oakington and back was speedy and comfortable, but was smoother on the single decker bus than upstairs on the double decker. There were various interesting points I noted, as this was my first and possibly last time of using the guided busway.

I was concerned at the safety hazards that became apparent during this ride. On the return journey to St Ives the driver sounded his horn at three of the pathways that cross the busway route. I asked him why he didn’t do this at all the crossings between Oakington and St Ives. He told me that drivers are recommended, but not required, to sound their horn at these crossings. However he said he chose those three particular places as he said “last week there was an ‘incident’.”

I can’t recall seeing gates to any of these pathways and I think that one had a concealed entrance between hedges. This is obviously an ever-present safety hazard and it should not be left to individual drivers to decide whether to sound warnings each time they come up to these crossings.

Also with darker evenings on their way, this is a serious hazard which does not appear to have been taken into consideration when designing the guided busway.