The Cambridgeshire Guided Busway

Just when you think you've seen everything in the transportation world, you encounter something different. That happened to me on an infrastructure tour in Cambridge, England, when my guides showed be this guided busway.

The video only shows a short segment of The Busway, but it's fascinating. The wheels of the bus run between grooved concrete slabs along an old rail line. The system also handles drainage without burdening the sewers: Stormwater is absorbed by the ground.

At 16 miles, the Cambridge guided busway is the longest one in the world. Bus speeds can reach up to 55 mph.

A busy biking and walking path runs right next to the route. You won't find railings separating the busway from the trail. There's no honking or flashing lights like you would find in the USA -- just common sense.

[donteatthechalk]

The use of bells makes me giggle. Such a British innovation.

[ARSZLB]

the one thing that would make this sort of system perfect (if there weren't any bridges/overpasses to contend with, of course) would be to retrofit the busway with overhead electric contact lines and the buses with cantilever systems on their roofs, power operated and controlled by the driver when they enter/exit the bus way, very similar to how the Silver Line dual-mode trolleybuses in Boston, MA operate to/from South Station via the dedicated bus tunnel...before entering the tunnel, the buses stop momentarily at a staging area which gives the driver a chance to correctly position their bus and raise their cantilever to connect with the overhead before shutting down the diesel engine entirely and operating on electric-only mode when driving in the enclosed tunnel, and of course vice-versa when the buses exit the tunnel leaving South Station. i had the unique opportunity to ride it when i visited Boston and it was certainly one of the most interesting public transit experiences i've personally had.

[TrenyCwm]

This is such a great scheme, I'm so impressed.

[EdgyNumber]

I do wish they'd build these in the Coventry/Walsgrave area. Plenty of wide roads with big central reservations could use these, especially with the articulated buses (144 passengers as opposed to 88 with a double decker)

[hesterclapp]

It's basically a rail-replacement bus. What do you think when I phrase it like that?

[_CaptainCookie]

I feel articulated buses would be good here. It would increase loading speed and likely improve service quality significantly

[AymanTravelTransport]

Wow! They're very fast on the Cambridgeshire guided busways! On the one in Greater Manchester, they only go 30mph!

[m_affiliates]

how many times are we going to reinvent the train?

[Alexander-rkre]

*Transjakarta buses should be like this*

[somattalistenta]

I noticed this new bus system while planning our trip online around the Uk next year, so it was great to see the video of it, thank you. We will be staying in St Ives for three days and so we will catch this bus to Cambridge. I assume it's cheaper than using the train?

[aviman]

I get the busway. What I don't get is why it has to be guided. Wouldn't a simple dedicated road do just the same job.

I tried describing this system to a friend but I still think that he thinks it's a wind up.

[dxutube]

Been on this system myself for the first time today. At end of video: proof buses are faster than trains lol

[jamiechippett]

Hi I live in Adelaide South Australia and the obarn bus system is a pearla concept we have here.looks great, efficient, economical, etc works great for the community mayby that's why Adelaide is the 5th most liveable city in the world, other cities could learn from our obahn system proof is in the pudding so to speak.

[jorgefigueroa]

Veeder Root Hubodometers very popular on UK

[frankworld]

this is great idea should be implemented all over the country .

[MyLandscapeArt]

I wonder if we're at the point now where a 'virtual' track could be used? ie. standard asphalt or concrete road but with the buses guided by a 'virtual' track. Still for the exclusive use of buses.

[richardharvey]

After several years of service the thing that I cannot help noticing is the massive increase i the use of the cycleway and footpath, also that the buses are surprisingly quiet, although there is quite a whoosh as they pass. The one major limitation with the system in Cambridge is that as soon as the busway enters the town, where the traffic is worst, the busway ceases to exist and everybody has to use the same congested streets!. One could be forgiven for thinking that the original planners are so convinced of the merits the private car that they deliberately compromise its alternatives. You have only to observe the way Amsterdam's traffic system allows adequate space for cycles, pedestrians, cars and buses so that reasonable proportions are reserved!.

[scottpeacock]

Guided busway outside of Cambridge Rail station has now become abandoned and Cambridge County Council are now considering a tramway, this rail line to Bedford should have never been abandoned and now Cambridge city roads have now become congested during rush hour.

[TransportCambs]

My dad had an accident where he was driving on the busway for camebridge a cyclist went under his bus and he had to stop

[Bodragon]

Surely the "guided" buses suffer greater friction and therefore higher fuel consumption. Has this been looked at, at all?