Stagecoach South East has announced that from Saturday 19th July, the popular Thanet Open Top Bus ( 69) route will be extended to Minnis Bay.
The route ran between Ramsgate Boating Pool and Broadstairs Stone Bay but it will now operate between the Viking Ship at Cliffsend, through Ramsgate, Broadstairs and Margate to the Blue Flag beach at Minnis Bay.
The open-top service will run every weekend, bank holiday, and school holiday from 19th July until Sunday 21st September, providing regular connections along the coast.
A Thanet Open Top Dayrider is £6 for adults, giving unlimited travel for the day along the open-top route. For safety reasons, children under 15 must be accompanied by a responsible adult to travel on the top deck.
Tickets can be bought from the driver, or Stagecoach Bus App.
The Route 69 extended route stops:
1 – Minnis Bay
2 – Westbrook, opposite Norman Road
3 – Margate Train Station
4 – Cliftonville Esplanade
5 – St Peter’s Railway Bridge
6 – Broadstairs, Victoria Parade
7 – Ramsgate Harbour
8 – Ramsgate West Cliff, Boating Pool
9 – Cliffs End, Viking Ship
Visit https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/south-east/thanet-open-top for more information and timetables.
I’ve been suggesting this for years! Glad someone finally listened to me.
It used to run years ago. I can remember it in the 60’s
Indeed. And I’ve been suggesting that they revive it.
Great news!👏👏👏
Looking at the Stagecoach map though, it doesn’t seem to go near Botany, Kingsgate and Joss Bays. A shame, as they’re probably Thanet’s most scenic bit of coast.
That’s due to low trees around joss Bay Area so bus wouldn’t be able to get through those areas.
However still goes via boating pool dumpton gap , broadstairs seafront , palm bay seafront , Margate Seafront , Westbrook bay , westgate bay and seafront all way to minnis bay . Nice new route looking forward to it .
Me too.
Brilliant serves cliffsend , boating pool , Ramsgate harbour , broadstairs bandstand , palm bay sea front all the way to Margate ,
Westbrook bay , westgate bay and all seafront to minnis bay .
Going to be an epic summer and a nice 3hr round trip from either end .
Looking forward to it .
Happy the route has been extended to allow more people to enjoy this wonderful bus but sad to see that it is not going to stone bay anymore as previously as it was a great service for us who only have one bus which doesn’t run Sunday or bank holiday .
So will miss out on our daily trips to Ramsgate .
This is good news. It’s the way it used to be years ago. I remember waving to the patients on the verandah at the Sea Bathing as the bus swung round the corner at the end of Royal Esplanade.
Childhood holiday in the 60’s and early 70’s alway involved a trip on the 69 open top, it was a definate tick on the holiday checklist, we once went all the way from Minnis Bay to the Hoverport at Pegwell Bay and it followed all the coastal roads took forever but what an adventure especially as we got to see the huge SRN4 hovercraft ‘taking off’ and ‘landing’ at the hoverport. It’s good to see the open top bus coming back but it’s a shame it doesn’t follow the fully coastal route of the old service.