Cambs County Council fined millions after three busway deaths
They have been fined £6m after three deaths on the world's longest guided busway.
Last updated 16th Apr 2025
Cambridgeshire County Council has been fined £6 million after three people lost their lives in separate incidents on the world’s longest guided busway between 2015 and 2021.
Jennifer Taylor, Steve Moir, and Kathleen Pitts were all fatally injured in collisions on the Cambridgeshire Busway. During sentencing at Cambridge Crown Court, Judge Mark Bishop criticised the council for what he described as a “rigid and blinkered response” to not only the deaths but also a series of near-misses and other accidents.
The council, which manages the transport route connecting Cambridge, St Ives, and Huntingdon, admitted two breaches of health and safety regulations. In court, the authority expressed sincere regret, stating it was “truly sorry” for the tragedies. The fine will be paid in instalments over three years.
The 16-mile (26km) busway, which opened in 2011, features a guided track that allows modified buses to travel along it.
The first fatality occurred in November 2015, when 81-year-old Jennifer Taylor was struck by a bus while crossing the track on foot at Fen Drayton. In September 2018, cyclist Steve Moir, 50, died after falling into the path of a bus when he clipped a kerb running alongside the busway in Cambridge. The most recent incident took place in October 2021, when 52-year-old pedestrian Kathleen Pitts was hit by a bus on the same section of the route.
The council admitted to two offences under Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, which concern failures in protecting the public at designated crossings and along adjacent walkways.