A petition has been launched to save the 8a bus service from Kingsgate to Canterbury,
Operator Stagecoach is bringing in changes from next month which will mean services from Broadstairs will be cut except for at peak morning and evening times.
From April 15, Route 8 will start and finish at Westwood Cross and serve the QEQM hospital and Margate.
Route 8A will start and finish at Northdown Park (Palm Bay) and run as now via The Wheatsheaf and Laleham Corner.
For those in Kingsgate and Broadstairs the 8A will travel to and from Westwood, Broadstairs and Kingsgate in the early mornings and evenings (Mondays to Saturdays) and on Sundays and Bank Holidays.
The existing 8X buses in the mornings and evenings between Broadstairs and the QEQM hospital will continue to operate but will be renumbered route 40.
Broadstairs Beacon Road ward councillor Jenny Matterface has launched a petition to try and save the route. She said: “Regular bus users in Kingsgate and in the Beacon Road area were very concerned to find out that their twice-hourly 8A bus would be re-routed and replaced by the 33 bus that would only run once an hour.
“The 38 route that connects the Palm Bay surgery with Broadstairs will continue as an hourly service. We’ve gone from three buses an hour to only two and have lost the only double-decker service that serves this part for Broadstairs.
“Once an hour is insufficient and if the GP super surgery is located at Westwood, how will people get there?
“The loss of the 8A, which isn’t subsidised by Kent County Council, between Northdown House and St. Peter’s Railway Bridge will be a blow for all users since it will mean anyone travelling to Canterbury will now need to change buses and connect with the service in Margate. “
Stagecoach says it is making several timetable changes to Thanet buses due to traffic congestion issues.
A spokesman said: “From Sunday 15 April we’re making some changes to bus routes and timetables in Thanet. These changes are designed to help improve the timekeeping and reliability of our bus services which have been affected by increasing road traffic congestion in the area.”
Thanet bus route and time changes
The Breeze route
All ‘Breeze’ route 8, 8A and 8X buses will continue to run as they do now between Margate and Canterbury, but many journeys will be retimed. Routes 8 and 8A will be adjusted so that they no longer serve Broadstairs except during peak morning or evening times.
Route 8 will start and finish at Westwood Cross and serve the QEQM hospital and Margate.
Route 8A will start and finish at Northdown Park (Palm Bay) and run as now via The Wheatsheaf and Laleham Corner.
You’ll still be able to use the 8A to travel to and from Westwood, Broadstairs and Kingsgate in the early mornings and evenings (Mondays to Saturdays) and on Sundays and Bank Holidays.
If you use the existing 8X buses in the mornings and evenings between Broadstairs and the QEQM hospital, these will continue to operate but will be renumbered route 40.
Find the petition to save the 8a route here
Route 9
Some early morning and evening route 9 buses will be retimed to help improve timekeeping and reliability.
Route 32
Stagecoach will be retiming the last bus from Margate to Dane Valley and back.
All change for the 33
This route will no longer serve Minnis Bay. But Stagecoach is doubling the number of route 34 buses, so there will still be the same level of service. The new route 33 will run hourly between Margate and Broadstairs via Cliftonville and Kingsgate. It will no longer serve Northdown Park (Palm Bay) which will be served by route 8A instead (see above).
Route 34
Route 34 will increase in frequency between Minnis Bay and Margate with buses every 15 minutes. Buses that continue beyond Margate to and from Ramsgate will continue to run every 30 minutes. Route 34X will no longer operate. Route 34 will continue to provide a half hourly service between Newington and Ramsgate.
Changes to school-time buses
From Monday 16 April the following changes will apply to school-time buses to help improve punctuality:
Route 932 – The afternoon bus from King Ethelbert School will be retimed.
Route 942 – The morning bus from Cliffs End will run a few minutes earlier throughout the route. The afternoon bus will finish at Minster Church and won’t continue to Manna Hutte.
Route 943 – The morning bus from Minster serving Monkton, St Nicholas and Birchington will be retimed throughout the route.
Route 944 – The afternoon bus will still depart at 2.38pm but with revised running times along the route.
Route 946 – This bus will depart Victoria traffic lights at 7.31am and run a few minutes earlier throughout the route.
Route 948 – The 7.54am bus from Northdown Park, The Wheatsheaf will depart 5 minutes earlier at 7.49am. The 8.07am bus from Margate will depart 6 minutes earlier at 8.01am. Both these buses will have revised timings along the route.
Route 949 – The 7.48am bus from St Peter’s Railway Bridge will depart 12 minutes earlier at 7.36am with revised timings along the route.
New printed timetable leaflets will be available on buses and from local outlets from Monday 9 April.
Follow @StagecoachSE on Twitter for regular service updates.
With the number of Loops that run daily around Thanet why can’t everyother one come through Kingsgate.
Frequently 2 arrive within seconds, going in the same direction at North down Park. We could then go into either Broadstairs, Margate or Ramsgate and change busses for most other places.
For many it’s too far to walk to North down Park. Kingsgate covers a large area of Thanet with hundreds of homes but poorly covered by public transport, and many elderly people live in this area. Sort this out we need more public transport, not less.
So no more half hourly 33 bus serving Palm Bay estate through Princess Margaret Avenue anymore. It finished at 6.00 pm in any case so if you live there and wasn’t home by 6.oo pm then you would be stranded as no other bus serves the estate fully. The 8 and 8A go nowhere near the estate either and only touch the other side of Northdown Park which is too far for many to walk. You wouldn’t want to walk through a dark park at night to get home either. The 38 only goes to the surgery which is nowhere near the estate either, and that finishes when the surgery closes.
Stagecoach, you need to serve the people of the estate between Northdown Park and Palm Bay or I see another petition will be up-starting !
Read the article. The 8A is going to serve the Palm Bay Estate via Princess Margaret Avenue every half hour.
So once again the 8 bus route is under attack. Third time since the Breeze came in. Those of us who live near Beacon road will no longer be able to get to Westgate, Birchington or Canterbury nor can we get to WWX. One unreliable 33 to replace two an hour Breeze – who ever thought this was a good idea!
stagecoach should get there act together,so many areas are leaving people with no public transport,40 used to go from old side QEQM st peters rd straight to Broadstairs which was wonderful for the residents around the area as we had choices,56 is under threat and 34 dose’nt go near broadstairs, so many elderley/disabled people will have to walk the other side of the QEQM to get anywhere and that is a long way, I for one cannot get that far and neither can my husband as we are both disabled. Why not keep 40 on all day and make it a loop from Broadstairs to QEQM st peters rd side then onto other side Ramsgate Rd and so back to Broadstairs, that way people have a choice what side of the hospital they need
How about Training the Drivers properly?
So the changes are being made due to traffic congestion in the St. Peter’s / Westwood Cross area? What about people like myself who live in St. Peter’s and need to get to Canterbury? That will now be two buses, adding time and expense an essential journey. The train is already too expensive to use daily and the station is a long walk from the top of St. Peter’s. Also, if traffic congestion is the reason, what will it be like when vast new-build estates go up around Westwood Cross?
We need this service in Kingsgate, its madness to cut it, many local people use these buses as do visiting students..it leaves a lot of people unable to get to from Kingsgate to Canterbury and local towns in between easily without a long walk and changing buses….I will think more about driving instead..,,yes one more car on the road..where public transport could have been used.
Time to introduce bus only lanes in peak hours as they do in London.
Now there is no direct bus to Westwood cross from Broadstairs for nearly two hours in the afternoon. An 8 used to run from Broadstairs past Charles Dickens, up Fairfield Road, Pysons Road and then on to Westwood bus garage. From there it went on to Margate hospital in to Margate and then on to Canterbury. The 9 still goes to Westwood along this route but is taken off after 2.30 as a school bus – as is the 56 so there is no buses to get to Westwood direct along that route for 2 hours. The 8 used to fill the gap. The 56 is the only bus serving St.Peters. The Loops are packed at this time and it’s a round trip through either Margate or Ramsgate to get to Westwood. What is the point of renumbering the early 8x back to 40? It’s the same route! The 40 bus was better when it went to the back of the hospital and direct to Broadstairs. Why couldn’t that route be extended in to Margate? All roads in Thanet are busy – so hard for services to run on time.
Now there is no direct bus to Westwood cross from Broadstairs for nearly two hours in the afternoon. An 8 used to run from Broadstairs past Charles Dickens, up Fairfield Road, Pysons Road and then on to Westwood bus garage. From there it went on to Margate hospital in to Margate and then on to Canterbury. The 9 still goes to Westwood along this route but is taken off after 2.30 as a school bus – as is the 56 so there is no buses to get to Westwood direct along that route for 2 hours. The 8 used to fill the gap. The 56 is the only bus serving St.Peters. The Loops are packed at this time and it’s a round trip through either Margate or Ramsgate to the early 8x back to 40? All roads in Thanet are busy – so hard for services to run on time.