Bus operator Stagecoach has confirmed the services that will be ‘revised’ from September 20.
The 32 service, which was previously earmarked to be withdrawn, will continue thanks to funding from Kent County Council following talks with councillors and staff, including with Cliftonville division’s Cllr Rob Yates.
The off peak 9 service, which was also to be withdrawn, has been taken on by another bus operator on behalf of KCC.
But the 34 changes mean the route will be curtailed at Westwood Cross and will run hourly and the 45/45a Broadstairs – Dumpton – Ramsgate – Discovery Park – Sandwich is withdrawn with a replacement service only covering part of the route.
Stagecoach will introduce a new Service 44 connecting Canterbury with Thanet, saying this restores a direct link between communities including Ramsgate, Cliffsend and Westwood Cross.
The revived service has been developed following discussions with local partners, including East Thanet MP Polly Billington, who has highlighted the importance of a direct Canterbury connection for her constituents.
Service 44 will connect Canterbury, Wingham, Sandwich, Cliffsend, Ramsgate and Westwood Cross.
Stagecoach says the new 44 will also work alongside the hourly Service 43 between Sandwich and Canterbury, maintaining a combined 30-minute frequency on that section of the route.
The company adds that despite significant financial pressures, Stagecoach will also continue to operate Service 34, although its frequency will reduce to hourly.
Joel Mitchell, Managing Director of Stagecoach South East, said: “We know how important reliable bus services are to the communities we serve, and we have worked hard with Kent County Council and local representatives to find the best way forward for Thanet.
“We are particularly pleased to be introducing the new 44, which restores a direct connection between Canterbury and South Thanet. This has been a long-standing local priority, and through careful route planning and timetable work we have been able to make this connection possible.
“We are also pleased that we have been able to protect Services 9 and 32 and continue operating the 34, despite the significant financial pressures facing some parts of the network.
“We recognise that changes to bus services can be difficult for communities, but our aim is to create a sustainable network that continues to connect as many people as possible. We are grateful to Kent County Council and local representatives for working constructively with us to achieve this.”
Polly Billington MP, Labour MP for East Thanet, said: “In coastal towns like ours, reliable, affordable bus services are vital to keeping our communities connected and our economy moving. That’s why I’ve been campaigning for more than two years to restore a direct bus link between Ramsgate and Canterbury. More than 800 constituents backed my petition calling for this important change, and restoring this route was overwhelmingly the top priority in my residents’ bus survey.
“I’ve heard from people locally who have had to turn down job offers or training opportunities simply because they couldn’t afford to travel to Canterbury to take them up. I’m delighted this vital connection is being restored, and I want to thank Stagecoach for listening to the people of Thanet and working with me to make it happen.”
Bus service changes
45 / 45A Broadstairs – Dumpton – Ramsgate – Discovery Park – Sandwich This service will be withdrawn and replaced by service 44 between Ramsgate and Sandwich. The 07:41 current 45 service from Westwood Cross and the 15:40 from Sandwich Tech on school days only will be renumbered 945.
44 Canterbury – Westwood Cross The current Discovery Park journeys running as service 43 will be renumbered 44 and extended to Westwood Cross via Cliffsend, Ramsgate and Newington. The journey will include stops currently on the 45/45A which will no longer run. The new 44 route will go directly through the centre of Newington then via New Haine Road and Sainsbury’s to Westwood Cross.
34 Ramsgate – Margate Rail Station The 34 timetable has been reviewed and will now operate between Margate Cecil Square, Dane Valley and Westwood Cross hourly. The current section of the route between Westwood Cross and Ramsgate will now be covered by the new route 44.
32 Margate – Minnis Bay This service will continue the current timetable and frequency, supported by KCC.
9 / 9X Westwood – Canterbury Another operator will run the off‑peak route 9 service on behalf of KCC. 9X journeys will not change.
8 / 8A / 8X Westwood Cross – Canterbury The 06:53 journey on route 8 / 8X to Canterbury Monday to Friday will be extended to serve Westwood Cross. The 07:26 8A journey to Northdown Park will be revised to terminate at Birchington Rail Station.
944 Cliffsend – Dane Court School Services delayed 15 minutes to better serve Ursuline College.
945 Ramsgate – Sandwich New service replacing the current 45A 07:41 from Westwood Cross and the 15:40 return from Sandwich Tech.
946 Margate – Broadstairs Revised to start at 07:15 and to operate via Newington.
Timetables have not yet been published: https://www.stagecoachbus.com/news/south-east/2026/august/thanet-and-dover-network-changes-from-20-september-2026#
A suggestion: How about a service covering the villages, to connect with the frequent Loops in the main towns? Something like: Margate – Westgate – Birchington (including Minnis Bay) – St. Nicholas – Sarre – Monkton – Minster – Cliffsend – Pegwell Bay – Ramsgate? If these were (say) every 30 minutes, people in these places could get to most areas in Thanet with just one change.
Tickets are per bus though, so £6 each way, only serves to encourage car use, blocking the roads and mastery journey slower. Public transport needs a major rethink in thanet, how to make it first choice for everyone.
It will soon be £4, as fares are being cut… but yes, in an ideal world it would be wonderful to have direct routes everywhere in Thanet.
It is pleasing to see that the 9 has been reprieved but to be worthwhile it needs to be extended to Canterbury again on an all day basis. The current shoppers service to Minster & Monkton finishes at 1.50 in the afternoon & is lightly used for most of the day.
At the very least it should go to/from Sarre, that way passengers could connect with the 8 four times per hour.
A good suggestion. I have an old East Kent timetable book dating from 1969 & back then it did used to do that on some trips.
The 9 still went all the way to Canterbury until just a few years ago. Nowadays, its impossible for anyone to get a bus to Monkton Nature Reserve, a popular family destination.
is it really THAT popular though. Everytime I drive passed (twice daily, 6 days a week at midday and around 430pm) the carkpark is empty.
Great Newington Estate again are getting a reduced service. Cut the number of busses on the loop route. There is not point me renewing my disabled bus pass as I wont be able to get anywhere. They are cutting the 34 route into two parts and renaming 1 part 44. This will affect kids, disabled, oap and people working in and out of Newington Estate. Great job stagecoach and KCC.
Whinge whinge whinge
Maybe if people paid fares instead of free travel it wouldn’t be cut , if people don’t pay how do u expect a service, do Tesco give free food if u don’t pay answer – no , at least they are still offering a service through Newington
aye, damn those elderly and disabled folk with concessions, then the false equivalence about tesco…you weirdo
This is Peter paying Paul again from Stagecoach.
Thanet gets a rejig of services, but parts of Dover are receiving cuts again.
Every year since bus improvement was on the agenda, Stagecoach has cut services, even when more money is available to putty up some yawning cracks in the network.
I’m certainly not Paul .
Unfortunately the amount of free passes doesn’t generate money to keep services running , wages , fuel , do buses run on air – no they don’t.
Simple people pay fares and use service it won’t be cut , it’s the same for businesses you don’t use them they close down, simple really 🤔
Yeah well blame the Labour government for wasting your taxes on handing out ENCTs passes to over 66. Otherwise stop whining about free pass. The irony of you commenting “whinge whinge whinge” when you are doing exactly that. Pathetic.
Hmm … curiously when looking at the currently published route map for the new 44, part of the Ramsgate–Sandwich section of the journey shows the route as St Augustine’s Road > Grange Road > Watchester Avenue > Stancomb Avenue > London Road. I wonder why it is connecting from Grange Road to London Road by using those two residential streets (Watchester and Stancomb) which are currently without any bus traffic. Staying on the main road and just using the roundabout seems easier? Or perhaps it’s a mis-drawn map?
Well anyway, I look forward to seeing the timetable when published.
No one travels for free. If not paying a fare but using a disability pass / elderly pass, stagecoach get a prearranged portion of the standard fare via funding from KCC. The notion that people get on a bus without some form of payment is ludicrous. 10 people using passes is better than 10 empty seats. Although I’m sure Stagecoach Thanet have drivers who prefer empty seats, rather than have to interact with passengers – they just get in the way of vaping and looking at your mobile.
You can already see one of the massively aggrieved stagecoach drivers here in the comments. I’m sure they’ll have no issue working out who it is.