Dew's Coaches BL24 GYP and SN68 AGF in Ely - 19 Sep 2024 (P1190800)

Thursday 19 September 2024 (1048) – Market Street in Ely with two buses operated by Dew’s Coaches Limited on ‘Ely Zipper’ services which I sampled today.

There are now two services with this name. This original circular service (now known as Zipper 1) is a circular travelling to Witcham, Haddenham, (plus Aldreth on a couple of trips on Thursdays), Wilburton, Stretham and Little Thetford returning to Market Street – a journey of 55 minutes. There are five full anti-clockwise journeys in the morning plus the first journey of the day which starts from Witcham. In the afternoon there are four full clockwise journeys plus the last journey of the day terminating at Witcham.

The ’Ely Zipper 2’ runs from Ely to Chatteris (six trips Monday to Friday and four on Saturday). The journey time each way is 43 minutes during the daytime.

Showing ‘Zip1’ on the route indicator is SN68 AGF, a Wrightbus StreetLite DF that had been new to Passenger Plus, Tadworth, Surrey in February 2019. Acquired by Dew’s in May 2023. I had travelled on the 0930 trip and found it to be a rather bumpy and noisy bus! (This was the late running 1030 departure).

In front showing ‘Zip2’ on the route indicator is BL24 GYP, an MCV eVoRa bodied Volvo B8RLE new in June 2024. The driver was on a break before working the 1115 service to Chatteris/1200 return. This was one of the vehicles that Dew’s had on display at two recent bus rallies I attended a few weeks earlier. (The ‘Big Bus Day’ at Stonham Barns and the BUSES Festival at Sywell Aerodrome).

Update: During October 2024 new timetables and a new Zipper 3 service were introduced. Between Ely and Chatteris buses run hourly alternating as Zipper 2 extended to March (the town that is!) every two hours with Zipper 3 becoming service 303 running through to Ramsey and Huntingdon every two hours.