On board Stagecoach East 21303 (BF65 WKS) at Addenbrooke's, Cambridge - 22 Apr 2024 (P1180057)

Monday 22 April 2024 (1121) – A visit to Cambridge today where I travelled on six different buses all listed below. In this photograph I was on board Stagecoach East 21303 (BF65 WKS) (my bus 4) five minutes and only 220 yards/200 metres after departing the Addenbrooke’s Hospital Outpatients bus stop. We were following Whippet Coaches WG116 (MX73 GBZ) (my bus 3) as they attempted to continue on their respective journeys. Queues created by cars waiting to enter the multi-storey car park quite some distance ahead brought traffic to a standstill. It took quite some time to get properly moving.

The tracker on the Bus Times website showed that 21303 had departed more or less on time from St. Ives (Edison Road) working the 0945 Busway service A but was already 6 minutes late when it joined the Busway itself at St. Ives Park & Ride and 14 minutes late when leaving the Busway at Orchard Park, Kings Hedges. This had slid to 16 minutes late leaving the Addenbrooke’s Outpatients bus stop but such was the delay here that it would be 27 minutes late reaching the Trumpington Park & Ride site.

The six buses travelled on during my outing were:

Bus 1: Stagecoach East 86005 (BV23 NRK), an MCV bodied Volvo BZL electric double decker new in April 2023. (Journey: 0953 service PR4 from Babraham Road Park & Ride site to Addenbrooke’s Hospital Bus Station)

Bus 2: Whippet Coaches WG112 (UN14 BUS), a Mellor Sigma 12 electric single decker new in Sept 2023 (initially registered MX23 LCU). (Journey: 1008 service U1 from Addenbrooke’s Hospital to Cambridge Railway Station)

Bus 3: Whippet Coaches WG116 (MX73 GBZ), a Mellor Sigma 12 electric single decker new in Sept 2023 (initially registered MX23 LRU) (Journey: 1108 service U1 from Cambridge Railway Station to Addenbrooke’s Hospital)

Bus 4: Stagecoach East 21303 (BF65 WKS), a Wright Eclipse Urban bodied Volvo B8RLE new in December 2015 (Journey: Addenbrooke’s Hospital to Trumpington Park & Ride site departed 1115)

Bus 5: Stagecoach East 21311 (BV18 YCA), a Wright Eclipse Urban bodied Volvo B8RLE new in March 2018 (Journey: Trumpington Park & Ride site to Addenbrooke’s Hospital departed 1139)

Bus 6: Stagecoach East 86019 (BV23 NSU), an MCV bodied Volvo BZL electric double decker new in May 2023 (Journey: 1220 Addenbrooke’s Hospital Bus Station to Babraham Road Park & Ride site)