Stephensons 609 (CY12 EMS) in Newmarket - 23 Dec 2022 (P1140436) (Also see inset photo)

Friday 23 December 2022 (0911) – After the wholesale withdrawal of Newmarket area services by Stagecoach East after 29 October 2022, Stephensons of Essex has become more prominent having stepped in to provide replacement services.

Alexander Dennis Enviro400 bodied Scania N280UD 609 (CY12 EMS) was seen at The Guineas Bus Station, Newmarket prior to working the 0920 service 11 to Cambridge. It was new to Express Motors of Penygroes, North Wales in May 2012. (The insert photograph shows the same bus which I encountered in Porthmadog, North Wales in June 2015).

Stephensons operate two different services between Newmarket and Cambridge. Service 11 which travels via Burwell and a number of different villages (taking 74 minutes) and the faster service 12 which travels via Bottisham (taking 36 minutes).

The tracker on the Bus Times website showed this bus as working the following trips today:

0639 Burwell-Cambridge 0732 (11)
0750 Cambridge-Newmarket 0902 (11)
0920 Newmarket-Cambridge 1034 (11)
1050 Cambridge-Newmarket 1202 (11)
1220 Newmarket-Cambridge 1334 (11)
1350 Cambridge-Newmarket 1502 (11)
1520 Newmarket-Cambridge 1634 (11)
1715 Cambridge-Newmarket 1827 (11)