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downsmail.co.uk Bus ‘will make pupils late’


PARENTS of Maidstone schoolchildren are angry at planned changes to bus services that could more than double journey times. Pupils heading to Invicta Gram-


mar School, Valley Park and Oak- wood are hardest hit by a new timetable, which came into force on April 2. Buses will arrive at schools just


four minutes before lessons start, if they hit their timetable target. Some parents are concerned the current 33-minute service being scrapped from Sutton Valence will be replaced with a 75 minute jour- ney – an increase of 42 minutes. The Number 12 service, from


Tenterden to Maidstone, is already packed, with children standing on the double-decker vehicle by the time it reaches Sutton Valence. There are fears capacity will only increase and calls for Arriva to lay on more buses as new schools and housing developments are planned for the area. Many Invicta Grammar school parents are concerned at the changes proposed by Arriva. Sarah Worlsford has two daugh-


ters,Emma(17) and Katherine (14), at the school and pays £670 a year for travel passes. They currently board the No 12


at 7.20am from Sutton Valence di- rect to Invicta, arriving at about 7.53am. From April 2, the No 12 will no


longer be direct to Invicta and Val- ley Park schools and the girls will have to change buses in Maidstone. they will then arrive by bus at 8.30am as schools get ready to start


their day. A later, direct service from Sutton Valence is timetabled to arrive at 8.26am – just four min- utes before the school day starts. “My daughters are worried


about this service because they have never been late for school in their lives,” said Mrs Worlsford. “We are sure the school would not be happy either. “To eliminate this direct service


to VIAT (Valley Invicta Academy Trust) schools seems ridiculous. This double-decker already has children standing from Sutton Va- lence on many occasions and is three-quarters full with Invicta & Valley students, all wanting to travel directly to school. “Arriva should in fact be increas-


ing their direct services on this route, taking into account the addi- tional houses being built in Head- corn and Langley, along with the


new VIAT STEM school being built. These factors will only increase the need for regular and direct services to Invicta.” MP Helen Whately said parents


and children should not be “held to ransom” and will liaise with Kent County Council to see if an alterna- tive to Arriva can be found. She said: “We can’t be held to ransom by Arriva in the sense that they have produced a new timetable - take it or leave it. “What is needed is a timetable to


meet the needs of schoolchildren. “I think Arriva’s response is un- satisfactory and it certainly doesn’t feel like a meaningful consultation at all.


“Schools are now getting seri-


ously worried about getting their students in on time, especially as the exam season will soon be here. This has to be sorted out soon.”


Arriva ‘failing to


bring solutions’ A SHOWDOWN meeting between Invicta Grammar and Valley Park schools management, Arriva, par- ents andMPs’ representatives took place on March 28 over the issue of bus service cuts. Matt Boughton, representing Malling MP Tom Tugendhat, said: “There were no clear solutions. Ar- riva did say that they are interested in what we had to say.We’re hop- ing they can go away and look at places they can tweak.” Mr Boughton criticised Arriva for


not having consulted bus users be- fore lodging its intentions with the TrafficCommissioner witha56-day notice period. He added: “A further meeting will be held after the changes. There is a lot of anger at themomentfromresidents in Kings Hill, Wateringbury, East Peckham and surrounding communities re- garding the impact on these vil- lages due to changes to the 6 and 77, as well as the specialist school buses.” A source who also attended the meeting said: “Arriva came to the meeting completely unprepared andwithnoresolutions but they did acknowledge, correctly, that the cuts had been a PR disaster. This bus company is going to be leaving children stranded because the timetables are unworkable.” Arriva says it remains “confident”


the changes will work following exrtensive stakeholder consultation.


Head’s aack Passengers urged to take notes


INVICTA Grammar School head teacher Julie Derrick launched a withering attack on bus company Arriva for cutting bus services. An “appalled”


Mrs Derrick (left) released a state- ment after a crunch meeting with Ar- riva, saying the cuts in services would mean more


cars on Maidstone’s congested roads. She said: “It is not only frus- trating but extremely disappoint- ing that students and parents of Maidstone and the surrounding villages are affected in thisway.As both a parent and teacher, I amap- palled at the way in which Arriva have changed timetables and serv- ices mid-way through the year. “I hope...councillors, MPs and


(KCC leader) Paul Carter will help us to make Arriva see sense. It is nonsense to reduce services; it will just mean more cars, more traffic and yet more congestion.”


8 Maidstone Weald April 2017


BUS user PeterWiles is asking pas- sengers of the new Number 9 bus to help hold Arriva to account. He has campaigned for improved reliability from Arriva – taking his case to the Office of the Traffic Commissioner – after passengers were left stranded repeatedly in the cold.


Now he wants those using the


new service – introduced onApril 2 – to record when buses turn up late or fail to show on forms available near close to bus stops en route at the Newsrack, Grove Green; Tay- lors at Bearsted Green and Vinters newsagents. Mr Wiles (pictured) says since


taking issue with Arriva he has been appalled by the company’s lack of customer care, reluctance to learn from feedback and its poor complaints procedure. Indeed, its customer service de- partment, based in Luton, was un- able to trace any of his complaints. He is also disappointed that bus


users have no voice on the county and borough councils Quality Bus Partnership or Joint Transportation Board (JTB). He attended the board’s March meeting, attended by Arriva South- ern’s Kevin Root, to present a 200- signature petition calling for a more reliable bus service for Bearsted. Mr Wiles said: “I was given five minutes to speak, but I was backed by six or seven councillors also dis-


satisfied with Arriva’s bus services and the difficulty in reaching any- one from customer services.” The former deputy head added:


“I am not anti-Arriva, but if a com- pany offers to run buses it can’t offer a service that is reliably unre- liable. “It also needs to listen to users,


like our schools, to ensure timetable changes don’t cause the uproar we are seeing.”


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