Changes to Stagecoach services, the Loop and school bus routes in Thanet from June

May 22, 2024 Kathy Bailes News 26

Stagecoach Thanet Loop (stock image)

Stagecoach has confirmed changes to some Thanet bus routes and timetables will come into effect from Sunday 2 June.

There will be changes affecting routes 32 and 34, and changes to some bus journeys on routes 8, 8A, 45 and 45A.

There are also some new school-time bus options from Monday 3 June.

More buses will be added to the Thanet Loop with the frequency increasing to every 8 minutes on Mondays to Saturdays – a 25% increase in the level of service.

Kent County Council’s ‘Thanet Superbus’ scheme , supported by funding from central government as part of Kent’s Bus Service Improvement Plan, means Stagecoach will be running more Loop buses and boosting the frequency to every 8 minutes on Mondays to Fridays.

The company will also be adjusting the Loop timetable.  View the new Loop timetable here

8/8A: Thanet – Canterbury
Some bus times between Margate and Canterbury will be adjusted View the new 8/8A/8X timetable here

32: Margate – Garlinge – Minnis Bay
The 32 service will continue to run between Garlinge and Margate, but will no longer serve Dane Valley. Instead, some buses will be extended to Birchington and Minnis Bay.

Buses between Garlinge and Margate will operate every 30 minutes and one bus every hour will extend to Minnis Bay. Dane Valley will be served by route 34. Stagecoach says  this will mean a more reliable service that matches more closely the number of passengers using buses from Garlinge and Minnis Bay. View the new 32 timetable here

34: Margate – Dane Valley – QEQM (rear) – Westwood – Newington – Ramsgate
Route 34 will now include Dane Valley, but will no longer operate between Minnis Bay and Margate. Buses will continue to run every 30 minutes on Mondays to Saturdays. Stagecoach says the new route arrangement will help ensure the 34 can operate more reliably and opens up a direct bus link from Dane Valley to QEQM, Westwood Cross and Ramsgate, as well as Margate. View the new 34 timetable here

45/45A
The 1445 route 45 bus from Sandwich will finish at Ramsgate (it won’t continue to Dumpton and Broadstairs). The 1530 bus from Broadstairs (1546 from Ramsgate) will no longer operate. There will adjustments to the timings of route 45A buses. View the new 45/45A timetable here

School-time buses

There will be changes to some school-time bus services with a number of routes being axed.

Route 932 (from Dane Valley to Birchington). The morning bus will depart 10 minutes earlier at 07.51 (from Fitzroy Avenue).

Route 933 (St George’s School – Ramsgate – Dumpton). This afternoon bus will no longer run.

Route 937 (Northdown – Broadstairs). This morning bus will no longer run.

Route 939 (St George’s School – Ramsgate – Nethercourt). This afternoon bus will no longer run.

Route 943 (Minster – Birchington – Hartsdown – Dane Court – St George’s School). The morning and afternoon buses will no longer run. For students travelling from and to Minister, use the 942/944. Any students travelling from and to St Nicholas should use the 48A bus.

Route 944 (St George’s School – Margate). The second afternoon bus that operates just as far as Margate will no longer run. Please use the first 944 bus.

Route 946 (Margate – St Peter’s – Broadstairs – Ramsgate – St George’s School).
The morning bus will no longer serve the grounds of the Royal Harbour Academy lower site. The nearest bus stops are Ashley Close on Allenby Road or Bookers on Pysons Road. The afternoon bus will no longer run. The Loop provides a high frequency alternative.

Route 960 (Kingsgate – Cliftonville – St George’s School – Dane Court). This route will be consolidated into one bus. The 07.40 bus from The Wheatsheaf, and the 07.53 bus from Lamberhurst Way will no longer run. Use the 07.34 bus from Lamberhurst Way (07.41 from The Wheatsheaf).

Route 989 (Minnis Bay – Margate). This morning only bus will no longer run. There is a route 32 bus from Minnis Bay at 0812 as an alternative.

Please use the journey planner here to check out the best travel options before travelling to school on Monday 3 June.

26 Comments

  1. So, the 34 has given Dane Valley direct buses to QEQM by removing direct buses from Minnis Bay to QEQM?

  2. More buses on the loop route? Wow! Great if you live on the loop route. What about those who don’t ?

    • I’ve long said there should be a bigger loop, going to/from Margate, Westwood, Broadstairs, Ramsgate, Cliffsend, Minster, Monkton, Sarre, St. Nicholas, Minnis Bay, Birchington and Westgate.

  3. A Sunday and bank holiday service should be made available to Dane valley and garlinge as No buses run these days it’s ridiculous that people have to stay in or get taxis they can’t afford especially kids

  4. So no bus from St Peter’s to Cecil Sq or to Minnis Bay, I’ll just have to drive to the nicer part of Thanet.

    • The loop bus goes from St Peter’s to Margate. Also the regents coaches 37 bus goes from St Peter’s to Westwood Cross and 35 from Westwood Cross to Margate.

      • The 35/37 is only four times a day so of limited benefit although it does have its loyal passengers. It serves those with no access to buses living in the Chessboard area of Broadstairs and parts of St.Peter’s but is dependent on a subsidy from KCC.

  5. So stagecoach gets money from Tory county council to pay for more loop customers and increase their profits using buses from other areas that are less profitable. Profit before customers need. Labour believes locally in a transport for kent policy which will mean more reliable and cheaper bus service based on social need rather than shareholders dividends

    • I look forward to getting regular buses to Acol, Reculver, Preston (etc) again if Labour win. Though I’m sure you’ll go very quiet when nothing changes.

    • Mr Lewis – and you believe things will change with a change of government? I think not and no matter what you think, nothing will change, except my taxes will go up!

  6. How can Stagecoach state that they are improving the frequency of the Loop, from 10 to 8 minutes. On one occasion, I waited at Broadstairs College for one hour for this service. A loop with ‘not in service’ was subsequently flagged down and the driver cajoled by a wheelchair user to let us all board. 1 hour. 1 hour waiting in the pouring rain. Not 10 minutes, 1 hour.

    • People in Minnis Bay will now be waiting 1 hour for every bus instead of 30 minutes! Think yourself lucky.

    • And how often does that happen?
      If you download the Stagecoach app, you can see in real time how the buses are running.

  7. More cuts to services for those who don’t live on or use the Loop service. There has been an endless spiral of decline in local bus services in recent years. They reduce services because less people are using them so even fewer people will now use them & so it goes on.

  8. For people who live on the Canterbury Road, near the Walmer Castle Taverna, the 34 is one of the few buses that take us to Birchington and up to Margate! That means we have to walk down to past the library, or go across the railway to Westgate to get an 8 or 8A! And if you are of limited mobility, hard luck!

  9. So now we get more buses round roads that already have them, & less round roads that don’t. Makes no sense! Why not re- route some loops to encourage more users ?

  10. Rather than increasing frequency of current loop buses, why don’t they introduce a Loop B route that takes in some areas which aren’t currently covered by buses? They have two routes with the number 8 bus – 8A and 8X, so it is feasible.

    I am sure everyone will have their own suggestions of where that could be but I am thinking of one which would include going past Bethesda Surgery which currently has no bus service. The Loop could go down Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret Avenues and then all along the seafront road (Palm Bay Ave and others) to Zion Place the rejoining the route at Northdown Road.

  11. Bravo. The LOOP is important. It covers the 3 major towns. I use it every single time I am in Thanet

  12. What is the point of venues putting on entertainment, when people cannot get there and back unless they drive or use taxis!! Then we lose our entertainment venues due to not enough people using them! Same with shops, they are opening a bowling alley at WWX cross – how are youngsters supposed to get there. I feel sorry for resudents at Minnis bay, if a bus gets cut then it is a 2 hour wait, which is no good if you have appointments.

    • That’s been a problem for decades. Even getting from Margate to Birchington was dodgy when seeing shows in Margate, as the last buses and trains were no later than 10:30-ish!

  13. A lot of hospital staff use the 989 to get to work from Westgate Bay Avenue. The other option is an overcrowded 8 and change at Margate. Or walk across the railway to Canterbury Road – not ideal if you have mobility issues or heavy bags for work. There is no direct 8 or 8A from Canterbury, via Westgate, to Westwood Cross until 08:05 am (from Canterbury)- although there are plenty to Northdown Park and the 8 service overall from Westgate to Margate through Westgate Village is appallingly poor between 7 to 8 in the morning. Bad luck if you live in Westgate and have to get into QEQM or Westwood Cross by 8! (Some of the areas biggest employers.) The 989 was great because although it was just once a day, and only on school days, it went to Cecil Square, through Westgate, and then turned into a Loop. Shame on Stagecoach for cancelling this bus. Just once a day on schooldays only – and it is cut.

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