News | Bus changes
downsmail.co.uk Bus timetable review unveiled Continued from page one
TunbridgeWells with buses running every 20 minutes and later into the evening, service 12 providing more frequent buses to Headcorn, and twonewservices, 85 and 86 giving a more reliable service to Maidstone Hospital. The Headcorn changes received a cautiouswelcome from parish clerk Caroline Carmichael,whosaid:“We are pleased with the new timetable for the number 12 service as it does appear to be an improvement, but I think that we are still very poorly served for buses.” Mr Taylor said: “While these are headline changes, there are also up- dates tomanyother routes whichwe are sure our passengers will find bring great improvements to their services.” NormanKemp, owner ofNuVen-
ture is looking at the possibility of providing some of the affected serv- ices. He said: “All bus companies have a problem with traffic conges- tion growing, meaning more time is needed for buses to get fromAto B - and especially in Maidstone to take
New service to rail station
is announced A NEW bus service has been launched linking Maidstone, West Malling station and Kings Hill. The Kings Hill Connect services
X1 and X2 provide a fast link be- tween Kings Hill and Maidstone via the M20. The X2 service operates between
Kings Hill and West Malling sta- tion, offering a regular link for rail users. The services are operated by Ar-
riva using KCC-owned vehicles and are funded by developer Kings Hill Property Trust. The contracted 123 bus operation provided by Nu-Venture is re- duced, but the company is running peak-time commercial journeys linking Kings Hill with West Malling railway station. KCC cabinet member for envi- ronment and transport Matthew Balfour said: “This will be a great service not only for commuters looking to get toWest Malling but for thosewanting a more direct bus service to Maidstone. “These new buses we’re provid-
ing have fully redesigned interiors with USB charging points and aisle lighting, as well as onboard an- nouncements stating where the next stop will be. “Alongside this, bus stops on the service have been enhanced with new signs and some have received work to make it easier to board.”
4 Maidstone March 2017
number of staff on the routes as we currently do.” Bearsted residentPeterWiles,who
account of changes to traffic patterns resulting from the recent works at the bridge gyratory. “We’ve made tweaks to our serv-
ices to respond to this over the last 12 months and I expect this is Ar- riva’s effort to catch up. “We all look to operate a regular service and we too will be looking carefully at our timetables to make sure that we continue to provide a dependable service. However, we will also carefully study the full list
of Arriva's changes to see whether there are any gaps in future service provision which we could fill with our buses.” Whenwe askedMaximto confirm
if the “exciting changes” included more buses and staff, a statement from Arriva’s Simon Baxter said: “These changes are about streamlin- ing the timetables to improve the re- liability rather than increase the number of buses on the roads. Therefore we will have the same
HOW CHANGESAFFECT YOU
THEmain changes to Maidstone services are as follows: 5Maidstone to Hawkhurst Sunday reduced to between Maidstone and Cranbrook. Extrabus fromCranbrook to Cornwallis School withdrawn 6 and 6A Maidstone to Tunbridge Wells curtailed at East Peckham apart fromschool services which will continue to
Maidstone.NewSunday service, two hourly. Service with- drawn from Colts Hill and Five Oak Green. A service 6X, off-peak, will go to Maidstone Town Centre (MTC) 7Maidstone to TunbridgeWells in- creased to every 20 minsMonday to Saturday. New Sunday service and extra evening buses until 23.00 8 Downswood to Maidstone with- drawnand replaced withnewservice 4 which will not be as frequent as service 8. Fant section will operate every hour in off-peak only, Monday to Saturday. Service 4 will operate betweenDownswoodandMTCwith- out direct connection to the hospital 12 Maidstone to Tenterden In- creased to every 30 minutes to Headcorn in off-peak,Monday to Fri- day. Withdrawn from Langley vil- lage. Extra services on Saturday to Headcorn and Sunday increased to hourly to Headcorn 77 and 147, 148 and 577,578 and 579 Kings Hill to Tunbridge Wells and associated school services withdrawal of service 77,someareas provided with alternative 82 Park Wood to Maidstone re- duced to every 10 minutes 84 becomes 4 Maidstone to Senacre;newservice replacing exist-
ing services 8 and 84 85 Maidstone Hospital to MTC to Shepway and Senacre route split at town centre 86 Maidstone to Maidstone Hospi- tal via Fant withdrawn 3MTC to Maidstone Hospital new route between hospital and MTC every 20 minutes giving Tonbridge Road a 10minute link 19 Maidstone to Grove Green and Bearsted major route change, start- ing from Bearsted, will serve Madg- inford, New Cut Road, Grovewood Drive, Provender Way, Tesco, then Grovewood Drive, New Cut Road, Bearsted Road, Hampton Road and SnowdonAvenue, run every 30 mins 58 and 81 Maidstone to West Malling and Ryarsh more time in- cluded for Hermitage Lane. 70 Borough Green to Lunsford Park last journey (16.55) withdrawn 71 Maidstone to Snodland and Holborough reduced fromevery 7-8 minutes to every 10 minutes on Lon- don Road corridor. Lunsford Park re- duced to four buses per hour. 71s will not operate direct to schools. Lunsford Lane not served 72 Maidstone to Kings Hill with- drawn from West Malling station, but extended to serve Airfield estate 89 Maidstone to Coxheath re- moved from Gallants Lane. School services will not cross town. Sunday service doubled to half hourly 155 Maidstone to Chatham minor peak-time changes, evening service withdrawn No changes are proposed to routes 79, 17, 59, 60 and 64.
has been waging a long-term war withArriva over the reliability of the Number 19 service into Maidstone from Bearsted and GroveGreen said he had contacted the Traffic Com- missioner in Leeds to try and get more details about Arriva’s service changes but had been told they had received no notification. Mr Wiles also criticised the bus company for having no details, even five days ahead, of the public exhibition, adding: “How can a company like this set about holding a public meet- ing and then choose not to tell the public about it.”MrWiles (72), a for- mer deputy head of Aylesford Pri- mary School, said: “I am speaking up for the
elderly...they want a bus to turn up and get them where they need to be…be that the hospital or the shops. It has been the unreliabil- ity and lack of punctuality of the Number 19 that has got everyone down.” He has collected more than 130 signatures from fed-up passengers.
MP to look for new provider
for late route ANMPsays she will now focus on trying to find another bus provider after Arriva axed evening services through five vil- lages between Maidstone and Chatham. Residents have finally lost their four-year battle
to save their 155 evening service which they said was “a lifeline”, especially for shift workers and young people. Aylesford and Chatham MP Tracey Crouch, who campaigned, along with passengers and coun- cillors, to keep the service, said: “This is a disastrous decision. I am sorry I haven’t been able to save the evening service. I shall now re- focus my efforts on trying to get another provider on board.” The company has issued a for-
mal notice that the two return services, calling at Aylesford, Ec- cles, Burham, Wouldham and Borstal, will run for the last time on April 1. Arriva said the service was not commercially viable because of dwindling passenger numbers. The decision means that the last service, Monday to Saturday, will leave Chatham at 6.35pm and re- turn from Maidstone at 7.30pm.
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