Vectare to take over Stagecoach’s Ting service
Vectare is to take over the operation of Cambridgeshire’s Ting service from Stagecoach.
The new operator will begin running the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority’s Ting bus services from 28 November. The development follows a successful tender bid by the company.
Ting is an “Uber style” bus service that covers the West Huntingdonshire area, including key towns such as St Neots, Cambourne, Sawtry and surrounding villages, improving transport links for those living in rural areas, removing young people’s dependence on parents for lifts and allowing local residents to lessen their reliance on cars. Vectare is a transport solutions provider that uses technology to provide excellent passenger transport services.
The services will now run for an additional 14 hours a week, operating between the hours of 6am to 8pm Monday to Saturday, with Vectare’s customer service team available by telephone and social media throughout the operational hours of the service. The operator is to introduce a ‘Passenger Promise’, which ensures that no passenger will be left stranded. If their bus does not turn up or is full, and the next bus is more than 30 minutes away, Vectare will pay for a taxi, whether to your destination or back home.
There will be some changes to the service, with users needing to install a new app and a change to the customer services phone number, but users will still be able to track buses in real time via the app, and contactless payments will continue to be accepted.
“We’ll be introducing brand new buses, longer operating hours and a range of great value fares and tickets, all underpinned by our Passenger Promise customer service commitment” – Peter Nathanail, Commercial and Operations Director at Vectare
Peter Nathanail, Commercial and Operations Director at Vectare, said: “We’re delighted to be working with the Combined Authority on this exciting and innovative transport service. Rural communities need sustainable, affordable public transport more than ever at the moment, and we’re proud to be able to play a part in that by taking over the operation of the Ting Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) service. We’ll be introducing brand new buses, longer operating hours and a range of great value fares and tickets, all underpinned by our Passenger Promise customer service commitment.”
“Vectare is a small company, but they have very high standards of customer service” – Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Dr Nik Johnson
Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Dr Nik Johnson, said: “At a time where our bus services are under immense pressure and our rural routes are amongst the worst affected, finding a sustainable, affordable and convenient bus service that supports these rural communities is a priority for me. I am delighted that Ting, a new type of bus service, is attracting a new generation of younger travellers and delivering a real shift in how people travel, as well as ensuring that members of our community in these areas can still access vital services such as hospitals and supermarkets.
“Vectare is a small company, but they have very high standards of customer service and delivery and I am delighted that they are able to increase Ting’s hours of service and that they will continue to offer amazing flexibility in the booking service across the patch.”