The 915 bus service between Royston and Cambridge, which was due to be cut later this month, will be taken over by a new operator following a public outcry.

Last month Stagecoach announced that the route was "unsustainable", and said it would stop running at the end of October.

Stagecoach explained that the changes would accommodate travel patterns which have emerged after the Covid pandemic, which has led to reduced passenger numbers, rising costs and labour challenges.

However the hourly service is the only route which links Royston with Melbourn, Foxton, Harston and Cambridge city centre, and its closure was met with backlash from North East Herts MP Sir Oliver Heald and Dr Nik Johnson, Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

Sir Oliver expressed concern that the closure might make it difficult for patients travelling to Addenbrooke's Hospital for appointments, while residents launched a petition campaigning to save the route. 

Another operator - Centrebus - has now come forward to take over the 915 service, with an altered timetable, enabling residents to continue to travel between Royston and Cambridgeshire towns.

Fiona Hill, Herts county councillor for Royston East and Ermine ward, described the plans to cut the service as "unacceptable and appalling", and said the closure "would have had a severe impact on residents travelling to Cambridge for health and education purposes and so many other activities".

Along with Sir Oliver Heald, Cllr Mike Harrison and others, Cllr Hill made representations to Mayor Johnson and the managing director of Stagecoach East, with Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire councillors working together to find a solution.

A public meeting was also held in Royston, where attendees were encouraged to send in their submissions arguing to retain the service. Around 40 residents attended, voicing concerns about increased isolation and the environmental benefits of using public transport.

Following the news that the service would continue, Cllr Hill said: "I am delighted with the announcement, following considerable efforts by our officer from Hertfordshire County Council, that Centrebus has come forward to take over the 915 service.

"The timetable will be altered, but residents will not be isolated and will still be able to travel, by bus, between Royston and Cambridge."