INNOVATIVE plans to use the guided bus to offer a cut price link between Peterborough and Cambridge have been unveiled.

Stagecoach is hoping to buy eight extra buses to connect Peterborough with St Ives with an onward journey into Cambridge.

Andy Campbell, managing director of Stagecoach Cambridgeshire, said: “We think people will commute by bus between Peterborough and Cambridge.

“We believe there is a market there as the train goes round the houses. Our service will also be cheaper than the trains.”

The intercity train service between Peterborough and Cambridge has a number of stops including Ely and March.

Mr Campbell said if the Stagecoach board approves the additional buses, the new service between Cambridge and Peterborough could start by the summer.

There are currently no plans to lengthen the busway’s track – the world’s longest covering a total of 16 miles both north and south of Cambridge – although Mr Campbell said developments in the pipeline could result in The Busway’s infrastructure being extended.

Around half a million journeys have been made on The Busway to date and Cambridgeshire County Council hopes the number of travellers is still growing as more people try out the long-anticipated transport system.

The council initially planned for 3.5 million journeys to be made on The Busway each year.