Cambridge is set to welcome a fleet of nine electric buses as part of an extended Universal bus route starting in October. This development comes as a result of an 8-year contract between the
University of Cambridge and Whippet buses, enhancing the popular Cambridge service.
The U bus service, though subsidized by the University, is open to all residents, including University staff and students, Eddington residents, sixth-form students, shoppers, tourists, and key workers. This unique privately operated and funded fully electric bus service in the UK has been serving the community for 20 years.
Professor Andy Neely, Senior Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Enterprise and Business Relations, emphasized the significance of this service in supporting local growth and the economy. He pointed out that it stands as the sole privately operated and funded fully electric bus service in the UK. Despite national challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Universal bus service has exceeded pre-pandemic ridership levels in the current year, with over 719,000 passengers.
Professor Ian Leslie, Chair of the University's Environmental Sustainability Strategy Committee and Transport Working Group, noted that the Universal bus aligns with the University's commitment to environmental sustainability and access for all students. With the start of the new academic year on October 2, 2023, the bus route will offer more convenient access to Girton, Homerton, Selwyn, Newnham, and Wolfson Colleges, including weekend service to the Cambridge Biomedical Campus (Addenbrooke's site).
Jonathan Ziebart, Managing Director at Ascendal UK, the parent company of Whippet, emphasized the University's investment in fully electric buses, highlighting their cutting-edge technology and innovative safety features. These buses include a state-of-the-art Camera Monitoring System, eliminating the need for traditional wing mirrors. As part of this initiative, Whippet will also deploy former Universal buses across its local bus network to enhance passenger experience while reducing emissions.
Nicoletta Gennaro, Group Head of Marketing and Customer Experience for Ascendal, emphasized the passenger-centric environment created on these new buses. Passengers can enjoy high-quality vegan leather seats, wireless charging, stop buttons on each seat, and high-quality WiFi.
The standard single journey fare on the U bus is £2, but University cardholders (students and staff) can travel for just £1 per single trip. The new contract will introduce a 'split service,' with half of the Universal buses serving Girton College at the northern end of the route and the other half traveling along Grange Road and Newnham Road to better serve Wolfson College, Homerton College, and the Faculty of Education.
These new buses bear sustainability-themed names, selected from imaginative suggestions made by students at the University of Cambridge Primary School in Eddington. The bus names include Bus Lightyear, Pollution Solution, Net-Zero Hero, Greenhopper, The Sustainable Hulk, The Peregreen Falcon, Eco Eddie, Lightning McGreen, and The Green Clean Machine. Photo by Andrew Dunn, Wikimedia commons.