HFF: Stagecoach East (Cambus) 15220 (YN15 KHT) in Newmarket - 19 Oct 2022 (P1130818)

Wednesday 19 October 2022 (1154) - Stagecoach East (Cambus) 15220 (YN15 KHT), an Alexander Dennis (ADL) Enviro400 bodied Scania N230UD new in August 2015, seen in Fred Archer Way, Newmarket just after leaving the Guineas Bus Station when working the 1051 service 12 from Ely to Cambridge.

The bus station and shopping precinct carry the old currency name which has horse racing prize and trading connections. A guinea was 21 shillings (One pound and one shilling, nowadays One pound five pence). Racehorses are still bought and sold using the guinea and, as the stock often commands big money, the price tag can be a lot of extra five pences! I remember as a boy looking in a furniture shop window at a fireside chair priced at '6 gns' thus £6/6/0 (six pounds six shillings) - a little more costly than a subconscious flat six pounds!

A two week long road closure at the bottom of Mill Hill in Newmarket (just 328 yards/300 metres from the bus station) resulted in quiet a lengthy diversion of 1.75 miles/2.8 km for service 12 to/from Ely. Service 11 to/from Burwell was also affected but less so because the service turns in to Valley Way and doesn’t travel all the way back to Mill Hill. The diversion caused quite serious delays to the buses particularly at traditionally busy times.

During mid-September 2022 Stagecoach East announced its intention to withdraw quite a number of bus services which it said were no longer commercially sustainable. Their services 11/X11 ceased after operation on Saturday 29 October 2022 along with the Cambridge-Newmarket-Ely service 12. Replacement services were introduced by Stephensons of Essex from Monday 31 October 2022.

Using the tracker on the Bus Times website this bus was shown as running the following trips today:

0625 Chatteris-Ely 0710 (39)
0710 Ely-Waterbeach-Cambridge 0808 (9)
0825 Cambridge-Newmarket-Ely 0956 (12)
1051 Ely-Newmarket-Cambridge 1227 (12)
1250 Cambridge-Newmarket 1407 (11)
1424 Newmarket-Bury St. Edmunds 1449 (11)
1505 Bury St. Edmunds-Cambridge 1659 (11)
1715 Cambridge-Newmarket 1832 (11)
Empty to Cambridge Depot