Stagecoach has published the confirmed cuts and changes to bus routes in Thanet, coming into effect this Sunday (August 28).
A protest over the cuts was held outside the company’s depot in Westwood on August 16 with around 70 people turning out to voice their opposition.
A petition with 2693 signatures opposed to the changes has also been sent to Stagecoach MD Joel Mitchell.
Councillors including Ruth Bailey and Aram Rawf have written to Mr Mitchell to ask for the cuts to be reconsidered.
Beacon Road resident Jenny Matterface has led a campaign, including the launch of the petition, to show the strength of community upset.
She said: “‘I’m bitterly disappointed Stagecoach chose to ignore the 3000 residents who signed the petition, residents who will lose their lifeline, their local bus service.
“I have to wonder if anyone planning these cuts, actually visited here to talk to passengers or to look at the layout of, in part, Broadstairs and St. Peter’s, to see where people live and why they rely on public transport.”
There is local anger about the axing of Stagecoach routes 33 and 37 and the truncation of route 9.
Stagecoach say: “We’ve continued to run a full network of bus services since the pandemic. This has been possible because of a combination of government emergency funding, County Council subsidy, and the steps we’ve taken to keep services running for the community.
“Bus use in the UK has only partially recovered since the pandemic. This autumn, government emergency funding will come to an end, and bus operators, including Stagecoach, have been working with the County Council to re-base the local bus network to take account of changes in people’s travel habits and the impact of rising costs, lower passenger numbers and a national shortage of driving and engineering staff.
“In Thanet, we are able to keep these network changes to a minimum. The majority of our bus routes will continue to run and core services for the community will be protected. This will ensure we can provide a sustainable network that we hope can grow over the longer-term.”
From 28 August, there will be timetable changes affecting routes 8, 8A, 8X, 9, 32, 34, 45 and Loop. School-time services 932, 933, 943, 946, 948, 949 and 989 will also change.
Bus routes being axed
Route 11 (Plucks Gutter, Stourmouth, Preston, Ickham and Wickhambreaux) UPDATE: – Stagecoach is in discussion with Kent County Council regarding funding to continue a limited service on this route.
Route 33 (Eastern Esplanade, Kingsgate, Grange Road, Stanley Road, East Dumpton and Colburn Road)
Route 37 (Stanley Road, Lanthorne Road/Stone Road, St. Peter’s Village and The Silvers)
From the same date, route 9 will no longer operate between Monkton and Canterbury.
Route 33 (Margate, Cliftonville, Kingsgate, Broadstairs, East Dumpton, Ramsgate)
This service will no longer be operated by Stagecoach. There will be no buses serving Eastern Esplanade, Grange Road, Stanley Road, East Dumpton and Colburn Road, however most other areas on this route will continue to be served by a nearby alternative bus service.
Changes
Route 9 and 9X (Westwood, Broadstairs, Minster, Canterbury)
There will no longer be a daytime service to and from Canterbury. However, some peak-time route 9X journeys will continue to operate the full route. A new route 9 off-peak service will run hourly between Ramsgate and Monkton, serving Minster Road, Downs Road, Chiltern Lane, Nethercourt estate and Manna Hutte, turning at Monkton and serving Minster in the same way as the current route 11. You can view the new 9, 9X timetable here.
Route 11 (Westwood, Manston, Minster, Monkton, Plucks Gutter, Stourmouth, Preston, Wingham, Ickham, Wickhambreaux and Canterbury)
This service will no longer be operated by Stagecoach. Monkton and Minster will continue to be served by route 9 (see below) and Wingham will continue to be served by route 43. UPDATE: – Stagecoach is in discussion with Kent County Council regarding funding to continue a limited service on this route.
Route 8, 8A and 8X (Westwood, Northdown Park, Margate, Canterbury)
There will be some limited adjustment to bus times. You can view the new 8, 8A, 8X timetable here.
Route 32 (Dane Valley, Margate, Garlinge)
There will be some limited adjustment to bus times. You can view the new route 32 timetable here.
Route 34 (Minnis Bay, Birchington, Margate, QEQM (rear), Westwood, Newington, Ramsgate)
There will be some adjustment to bus times. Buses between Minnis Bay and Margate will operate every 30 minutes. You can view the new route 34 timetable here.
Route 45 (Ramsgate, Nethercourt, Cliffs End, Sandwich)
This route will be extended to serve Broadstairs, running a clockwise circuit from Gladstone Road to Pierremont Hall and Queens Road. Route 45 will no longer serve Nethercourt estate or Chiltern Lane – these will be served by route 9 (see above). You can view the new route 45 timetable here.
Loop (all round Thanet)
There will be some limited adjustment to bus times. The late Friday and Saturday night journeys will no longer operate. You can view the new LOOP timetable here.
Changes affecting school-time bus services
Hartsdown Academy, King Ethelbert School
The route 932 bus at 0825 from Margate to Minnis Bay will no longer operate. Use the 0823 route 932 bus from Margate which has spare capacity.
The 0801 route 932 bus from Dane Valley will also run along Maynard Avenue in order to serve Garlinge Primary School.
The 1505 route 932 bus from Hartsdown Academy to Margate will no longer operate. Please use the route 32 service as an alternative.
Royal Harbour Academy (Newlands Lane), Dane Court Grammar School
The 0728 route 933 bus from Cliftonville to Dane Court will no longer operate. Please use the Loop, 946 or 960 service instead.
Hartsdown Academy, King Ethelbert School, Dane Court Grammar School, St George’s School
The 943 bus will be rerouted to avoid reversing at St. Nicholas, The Oaks.
Royal Harbour Academy, St George’s School
The route 946 bus will be rerouted to serve St Lawrence, Newington Road, The Royal Harbour Academy, Dane Court and St George’s School to replace part of route 933.
Dane Court Grammar School, St George’s School
The 948 bus at 0740 from Cliftonville will be renumbered route 960.
The 949 bus at 0742 from St Peters Railway Bridge will be renumber route 960 and depart St. Peter’s Railway Bridge at 0732, serving Kingsgate, Northdown Park, Cliftonville, Dane Valley, Laleham Corner, Margate, St George’s School and Dane Court School.
The 948 bus at 1535 from Dane Court will no longer operate. Instead, please use the 1535 route 960 bus that will be re-routed to St. Peters, Kingsgate, Northdown Park, Cliftonville (The Wheatsheaf), Dane Valley, Warwick Road and Margate.
Ramsgate schools – Chatham House and Clarendon House Grammar Schools
The 989 bus will no longer operate. Use the Loop and 8/8A service instead.
We need a transport for kent policy where Kent county council take over the responsibility of running buses in the county, cornwall,Manchester and of course London have cheaper, more reliable transport system than the failing privately run bus non service, where private shareholders are given priority over bus users
And correct punctuation, of course.
We sure do if it benefits communities who rely on a bus service.
Can this be investigated as to possibilities ?
Dearest Barry
I shall explain.. Stagecoach is the puppy of Anne Gloag and her brother Brian Souter. I believe she outrid the competition commission to make all towns and cities have just stagecoach so the problem lied there for decades.
Stagecoach have billions
They get grants from KCC
They have had money for greener buses.
All of which is more of a KCC give away our taxes to stagecoach.
Buses are not green
Ive seen cuts in service of loop before lockdown.
Buses are dirty and smelly and have no air conditioning
The amount of grant funding has not gone where it should go but into fat cat pockets.
Its time we opened up the conpetition
Its time we had air conditioned and electric buses.
No service should be cut.
Dreadful
We’re on the brink of a climate emergency. People should be encouraged to get out of their cars and onto buses.
No chance, if there are no buses.
And for those who don’t drive, the situation is getting more desperate.
It certainly is, but those people who make decisions are just not listening to the people this has impact on. No matter what we do we do not have a voice it seems.
So surprise surprise Stagecoach inThanet take no notice of public opinion the sooner someone takes them over the better,they are totally indifferent to the needs of local people SHAME ON YOU.
They have been taken over by I think a German company.
I got a long and, as it turns out,pointless email from Joel MItchell who is ‘really upset he has had to make these changes but they simply weren’t profitable enough’. He has ignored 3000 residents who are up in arms about this.
Before anyone comments on the lines of ‘no-one uses them any more’ that is absolute nonsense and, in fact, due to the rising cost of living and costs related to run a car, more people were using the bus.
Now they have no option and some elderly residents will become isolated because they can afford taxis for everyday journeys.
Public transport should be a public service not run solely for profit.
They can’t afford taxis, that should be.
Thank you for information Jenny, all your efforts and all the local communities efforts have been ignored by Stagecoach. SHAME ON THEM, our voices are not counting at all.
The stress this will cause will be tremendous for the majority of the locals.
Surely there must be a way for compromise here, just not sure how ?
So sad for us all.
Why not blame the ‘greedy’ drivers? After all they were going to go on strike until a month or two back & have now received an improved offer which they accepted.
Never the rich bosses to blame here recently, although somehow I feel the tune will be different on this one from those that have spent months shouting loony lefites, doing headcounts at Ramsgate station to denigrate them & shouting greedy skivers at the rail staff.
This post is about the drastic cuts to buses and nothing to do with trains! This is about residents losing their only bus service because Stagecoach is more focussed on profits than service, it seems.
I think buses have drivers or have I missed something !!
The big difference “X” is that train services aren’t being cut, and bus services are. The debate is far more serious than whether or not workers deserve a pay rise.
No, the big difference is Stagecoach eventually gave a pay rise, while the rail bosses refused. Otherwise they would all be on strike as well.
So which one is it? Greedy bus drivers getting a pay rise has caused the Souter’s & other Stagecoach bosses to fall into poverty, or the bosses are greedy & don’t give a fig about the public-just like the greedy & corrupt Go Ahead/Southeastern who stole 51 million of taxpayer(your) money between 2006-2021, the guys you defend & decry their employees getting a fair deal from them as being greedy.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/feb/24/dramatic-increase-to-80m-in-cost-of-southeastern-train-accounting-scandal
And Stagecoach would have been on strike if a pay rise hadn’t been offered at the last minute recently & then the drivers would have been blamed for being greedy.
The Soutars no longer own Stagecoach and haven’t done for some time. It’s owned by a German company.
Last I heard they still had a large number of shares.
Have I missed something or is the 33 the only bus going near the Bethesda surgery? I certainly couldn’t have made it from the ‘nearby’ services in Northdown Rd when waiting for hip surgery
Check out the Number 9. Ramsgate to Monkton, nowhere near Broadstairs.
Number 9X Westwood Bus Station 6.33 arriving at Canterbury at 7.50. Two back in the evening.16.15 and 17.15.
Great if you have an appointment at Kent and Canterbury or are a student at Canterbury College and live in Broadstairs, I think not!
What are the changes to the 8/8a/8x? I can’t see any difference at a quick glance.
Thing is if you work than the bus doesnt ! We live in a village first bus to ramsgate is 9:20. Makes it very hard to be a non car driver and an early morning worker or even at 9am starter !
Well, I hope you at least support public transport for leisure.
My other half drives, but we very rarely use the car, actually prefering public transport. For example (from Birchington), today we got a bus to Sarre then strolled into St. Nicholas to pick wild fruit before getting a bus home, and yesterday got a train to Dumpton Park then strolled into Ramsgate for an excellent costumed historial walk, then got a train home.
Overall, Thanet has excellent public transport links (try living on the Romney marsh or Sheppey!), it is just a shame that things are being cut in places such as where Jenny lives in Reading Street/St. Peters.
A terrible decision, putting even more emphasis on car use over public transport.
Misinformation! The LOOP doesn’t and never has served the whole of Thanet. Maybe someone should tell Stagecoach that those living in Garlinge, Westgate and Birchington are still living in Thanet.
As well as St. Nicholas, Sarre, Minster, Monkton, Manston and Cliffsend! Wouldn’t a REAL Thanet Loop bus be great though?
Stagecoach is owned by DWS in Frankfurt which is 100 miles nearer than Perth.
I am sure Mr Souter and Ms Gloag would want to know of your best wishes.
DWS appear to be more interested in city transport than provincial England
Will cuts to the loop be next? I waited what seemed like half a day, packed like sardines & got charged £3.10 for a short journey. Oh well the walk will do me good.
Makes me laugh we are encouraged to use public transport,this will make more to use cars,and more cars will be on our already busy roads.