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alex397

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Rather than clog up the 'Little&Often' thread with the other East Kent changes and cuts which are happening simultaneously to the Little & often changes, I thought it best to start a seperate thread focusing on the other changes.

It is now in full public knowledge about Stagecoach South East's changes in the Ashford, Folkestone and Dover areas, as they have released service change information, and put information on Twitter.

From their website, is the following:

https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/south-east/ashford-bus-route-and-timetable-changes

Ashford bus route and timetable changes from 3 June 2018
From Sunday 3 June there’ll be changes to many bus routes and timetables in Ashford. They'll also be changes to routes that serve the town from outlying areas.

There hasn’t been a full review of all these services for a number of years. Whilst there’s been growth in bus use on many routes, some carry few passengers at certain times.

Traffic congestion continues to have an impact on our services too. We recognise that you want your bus to run at the advertised time, so we need to make sure our timetables are achievable.

This means that adjustments to the network are required so that we can continue to offer sustainable local bus services for the long term.

The vast majority of places currently served by our buses will continue to be, however there will be some changes to route numbers and the frequency of buses on some routes.

A little bit of big news

As you may have already heard, we’ll be introducing slightly bigger buses to little & often routes. We know that many of you love the convenience of the little & often service but wish the buses had a bit more space for your legs and shopping! The buses will still be often – up to every 12 minutes on route B and every 10 minutes on route C, but with greater comfort and more capacity on board.

We’ve seen a fantastic 35% growth in bus use on these routes since we launched the little & often service just over a year ago. We hope that bringing in these larger buses will build a network that works for you and is sustainable over the long term.

A new route A service linking Singleton with the town centre will also become part of the little & often network.

The switch to little & often on routes E and G didn’t result in an increase in bus use. This means that we now need to readjust the level of service in areas covered by these routes so that it matches more closely the actual demand for travel.

So, what’s happening to my bus route and why are you changing it?
A – Ashford

This route will be divided into two dedicated services, route A for Singleton and route D for Stanhope. Route A will become a little & often service operating every 10 minutes. Route D will operate every 15 minutes. The existing evening and Sunday route serving both Singleton and Stanhope will be numbered route AD.

By separating the routes in this way we’ll be able to provide a more reliable service that is less likely to suffer from delays, particularly for Singleton which will no longer be affected by traffic congestion at the Designer Outlet.

View the new route A timetable here

View the new route D timetable here

B – Ashford


Things will be getting a little bigger! We’re waving goodbye to the compact little buses and saying hello to larger minibuses with more legroom and space for shopping bags. The service will remain little & often operating at a high frequency (every 12 minutes) along the same route as it does now. In the evenings and on Sundays buses will run every 30 minutes.

View the new route B timetable here

C – Ashford

Things will be getting a little bigger! We’re waving goodbye to the compact little buses and saying hello to larger minibuses with more legroom and space for shopping bags. The service will remain little & often running at the same high frequency as now along the same route. In the evenings buses will run every 30 minutes. Sunday buses will remain at every 15 minutes.

View the new route C timetable here

E – Ashford

This route will no longer operate, but other bus routes will continue to serve most areas currently covered by route E. An hourly route 666 service will serve Trinity Road, Eureka Leisure Park, John Lewis and Repton Park Waitrose. Orbital Park and South Willesborough will be served every 30 minutes by route G. Little Burton will be served by route 1 giving a direct link to and from the town centre. On Sundays and Bank Holidays there will be a new hourly route 666 service running between Ashford town centre and Eureka Leisure Park.

Links to the new timetables are available in the sections for each route below.

G – Ashford

Things will be getting a little bigger! We’re waving goodbye to the compact minibuses and saying hello to larger buses with more legroom and space for shopping bags. The route will be extended to serve South Willesborough and Orbital Park (replacing the current route E) and buses will run every 30 minutes.

View the new route G timetable here

1 (1A and 1X) – Ashford/Canterbury

If you use these routes you’ll know that the service can suffer from delays. The existing arrangement means that most bus journeys have to use the level crossings at Wye and Chartham. Although we do our best to schedule our buses so they don’t meet with trains - it’s inevitable that delays will occur when the crossings are down.

From 3 June this route will be reorganised so that it better suits the requirements of our customers and is less susceptible to delays. There will be a dedicated service between Chartham (Beech Avenue) and Canterbury (route 1A). There will also be a dedicated service running between Wye and Ashford (route 1). Both these routes will operate on an hourly basis with extra buses at peak times. By separating this route into two parts the potential for delays to the service will be minimised.

There will still be a through service between Ashford and Canterbury which will serve Chilham and Chartham Rail Station (and Wye at peak times). This will run at peak times and every 2 hours during the daytime.

View the new route 1 and 1A timetable here

2, 2A – Ashford/Tenterden/Hastings

Unfortunately these routes are not well used outside of peak times during the day. Whilst the level of service will remain similar at peak times, there will be a reduction in the frequency of buses during the daytime.

Route 2 will be changed to run every 2 hours during the day between Hastings, Tenterden and Ashford. At peak times buses will be more frequent with a similar level of service as now. We’re also separating this service form route 1 so that buses no longer run through to (and from) Canterbury.

View the new route 2 timetable here

Route 2A will be changed to run every 2 hours during the day but with extra journeys at peak times.

View the new route 2A timetable here

These routes will together provide an hourly service between Tenterden and Ashford with some additional journeys at peak times.

10, 10A – Folkestone/Ashford

A revised timetable will apply. Most parts of the route will continue to be served, but we’re separating the 10/10A and 10X so that buses won’t run through to Maidstone. You’ll need to change bus in Ashford town centre if you want to continue your journey towards Maidstone. This will help improve the reliability of these services because delays caused by traffic congestion in and around Maidstone will no longer impact on journeys running through to Folkestone.

There’ll be an improved Sunday and Bank Holiday service running every two hours which will also serve Port Lympne.

Route 10 and 10A buses will run separate routes in and out of Folkestone. Peak time route 10A will operate as it does now directly via Sandgate. Most buses will be route 10 and will serve Shorncliffe Road and the Golden Valley and run to Cheriton Tesco and Horn Street to Seabrook.

View the new route 10/10A timetable here

10X – Maidstone/Ashford

A revised timetable will apply. All parts of the route will continue to be served, but we’re separating the 10X from the 10/10A so that buses won’t run through to Folkestone. You’ll need to change bus in Ashford town centre if you want to continue your journey towards Hythe and Folkestone. This will help improve the reliability of the service because delays caused by traffic congestion in east Ashford (around junction 10) will no longer impact on journeys running to Maidstone.

View the new route 10X timetable here

11 (11A, 11B) – Ashford/Romney Marsh/Lydd

All buses will start and finish at Ashford town centre where you can change to the high frequency route C service for the William Harvey Hospital. There will be changes to the timetable with some new journeys on routes 11A and 11B.

View the new route 11 timetable here

121 – Molash/Shottenden/Wye/Ashford

This route will no longer operate because much of the route is served by a parallel route 1 bus that has spare capacity on board. Unfortunately it will no longer be possible to serve Molash and Shottenden.

517 & 519 – Park Farm Ashford

The morning route 517 service from Park Farm to Hythe Road will no longer operate. This will be replaced by a route 2A bus that will serve Park Farm for Hythe Road Schools. There is also an alternative bus on route 518.

Route 519 will no longer serve Park Farm and will be shortened to start at Stanhope. If you travel from Park Farm to Towers School please use route B which provides a direct service to the school.

View the new route 515-519 timetables here

666 – Faversham/Ashford

There will be a revised timetable and most buses will be rerouted to run to and from Ashford via Trinity Road (Eureka Place). The buses will also serve Eureka Leisure Park, John Lewis and Repton Park Waitrose.

School-time route 666 buses will continue to operate on the existing route directly in and out of Ashford (Faversham Road and Canterbury Road).

Most buses will start and finish at Ashford town centre where you can change to the high frequency route C service for the William Harvey Hospital.

There will be a new hourly Sunday route 666 service running between Ashford town centre and Eureka Leisure Park.

View the new route 666 timetable here

HS2 & HS3 – Ashford/Tenterden school-time buses

These buses will no longer be operated by Stagecoach. Please contact KCC for further information.


If you have any questions or unsure about how these changes will affect you, then let us know. You can Tweet us @StagecoachSE, or send us an email at [email protected] using the subject header Ashford timetable changes.

https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promo...st/folkestone-bus-route-and-timetable-changes

Folkestone bus route and timetable changes from 3 June
From Sunday 3 June there’ll be changes to many bus routes and timetables in the Folkestone area. There’ll also be changes to some routes that serve the town from outlying areas.

There hasn’t been a full review of services in and around Folkestone for many years. Whilst there’s been growth in bus use on some routes, others carry fewer passengers at certain times.

Traffic congestion continues to have an impact on our services too. We recognise that you want your bus to run at the advertised time, so we need to make sure our timetables are achievable.

This means that adjustments to the network are required so that we can continue to offer a sustainable bus service for the long term.

The vast majority of places currently served by our buses will continue to be, however there will be some changes to route numbers and the frequency of buses on some routes.

So, what’s happening to my bus route and why are you changing it?
10, 10A – Folkestone/Ashford

A revised timetable will apply. Most parts of the route will continue to be served, but we’re separating the 10/10A and 10X so that buses won’t run through to Maidstone. You’ll need to change bus in Ashford town centre if you want to continue your journey towards Maidstone. This will help improve the reliability of these services because delays caused by traffic congestion in and around Maidstone will no longer impact on journeys running through to Folkestone.

There’ll be an improved Sunday and Bank Holiday service running every two hours which will also serve Port Lympne.

Route 10 and 10A buses will run separate routes in and out of Folkestone. Peak time route 10A will operate as it does now directly via Sandgate. Most buses will be route 10 and will serve Shorncliffe Road and the Golden Valley (replacing routes 77 and 78) and run via Cheriton Tesco and Horn Street (replacing route 160) to Seabrook.


View the new route 10/10A timetable here

16 – Hythe/Folkestone/Hawkinge/Canterbury

A golden opportunity!

We’re changing the timetable and extending the route beyond Hythe to the Martello Lakes development at Palmarsh. The frequency of buses will be changed to every 20 minutes throughout – including the section between Hythe and Folkestone. This will allow sufficient time for the buses to include Palmarsh in the route.

There will also be a change to the route the buses use in Hawkinge. All Gold 16 buses will run along Heron Forstal Avenue and Haven Drive (no longer serving Tesco and the Primary School). If you normally board the bus at Tesco (for Canterbury) your nearest bus stop will be on Aerodrome Road (just up from the Estate Agents). If you board the bus at the Primary School (for Folkestone) you’ll need to catch the bus from Aerodrome Road at the stop on the opposite side to the Estate Agents.

View the new Gold route 16 timetable here

17 – Folkestone/Elham Valley/Canterbury

There will be some minor timetable changes on weekdays to help improve timekeeping and the service will be enhanced on Sundays and Bank Holidays to run every 90 minutes (from every two hours). These extra Sunday and Bank Holiday journeys will be operated commercially without public funding and are therefore available for an open-ended trial period. So, if you need to travel, please make use of them.

View the new route 17 timetable here

19 – Hawkinge/Folkestone/Hythe/Saltwood

There’ll be some changes to bus times to help improve punctuality.

View the new route 19 timetable here

71 – Cheriton/Folkestone/Creteway Down/East Cliff

This route will be extended in east Folkestone to serve Stanbury Crescent and Hollands Avenue (replacing route 72). The frequency will be adjusted to every 20 minutes.

View the new route 71 timetable here

72 – Cheriton/Folkestone/East Cliff

This route will no longer operate but will be replaced in east Folkestone by route 71 in Stanbury Crescent and Hollands Avenue and by route 91 in Foreland Avenue and Wear Bay Crescent. In Cheriton the Sunday service will be replaced by route 73 – see below.

73 – Hawkinge/Folkestone/Cheriton

The frequency of buses on this route will increase to every 20 minutes on Mondays to Saturdays. There will be a new Sunday and Bank Holiday service on this route operating every 30 minutes during the day. In Hawkinge buses will serve Canterbury Road (Tesco), Millfield and then Aerodrome Road, The Battle of Britain Museum and Haven Drive. We expect route 73 buses will also serve Page Road and Pannell Drive subject to the installation of new bus stops by KCC.

In Cheriton all route 73 buses will run clockwise from Risborough Lane via Church Road, Tesco, Weymouth Road, Shaftesbury Avenue and Ashley Avenue.

View the new route 73 timetable here

77, 78 – Folkestone

These routes will be replaced by route 10 (see above) which will offer a new service connecting Shorncliffe Road, the Golden Valley, Oxenden Road and Royal Military Avenue with Folkestone town centre in one direction and Cheriton Tesco in the other direction. This new service will operate every 30 minutes Monday to Saturday. One bus every hour will continue beyond Cheriton Tesco to Seabrook, Hythe and Ashford (William Harvey Hospital).

This new arrangement will provide a Sunday and Bank Holiday service connecting Shorncliffe Road, the Golden Valley, Oxenden Road and Royal Military Avenue with Folkestone town centre and Cheriton Tesco, Seabrook, Hythe and Ashford (William Harvey Hospital).

View the new route 10 timetable here

91 – Dover/Alkham/Folkestone

A revised timetable will apply. In Folkestone, route 91 buses will operate a new route serving Wear Bay Crescent, Foreland Avenue, Warren Road, Canterbury Road, Downs Road, Dolphins Road and Holywell Avenue. It will also be extended to serve Broadmead Village (see routes 72 and 127).

View the new route 91 timetable here

100, 101, 102 – Dover/Folkestone/Hythe/New Romney/Lydd/Rye/Hastings

This service will be separated into two dedicated sections. Route 102 will provide the service between Dover, Folkestone, Hythe, New Romney and Greatstone with buses every 20 minutes. From Greatstone one bus every hour will continue to Lydd-on-Sea, Lydd, Camber and finish at Rye.

Routes 100 and 101 will operate between Rye and Hastings via Icklesham or Fairlight. Connections will be available at Rye Station between route 102 and 100/101 buses.

View the new route 102 timetable here

View the new route 100 timetable here

View the new route 101 timetable here

127 – Folkestone

This route will be replaced by route 91 (see above). No areas currently served by route 127 will be without a service. We're increasing the frequency of buses for Broadmead Village to every 30 minutes throughout the day. Holywell Avenue, Dolphins Road and Downs Road will be served by route 91.

160 – Folkestone/Cheriton/Seabrook

This route will be replaced by route 10 (see above). Between Folkestone and Cheriton Tesco it will operate via Shorncliff Road and The Golden Valley every 30 minutes Mondays to Saturdays and provide a Sunday and Bank Holiday service too. Between Hythe, Seabrook and Cheriton Tesco route 10 will operate hourly throughout the day (Monday to Saturday) and every two hours on Sundays and Bank Holidays. Route 10 buses will also provide a link to Ashford (William Harvey Hospital).

There’ll be a golden opportunity if you live in Palmarsh. Gold route 16 will be extended to serve Martello Lakes every 20 minutes and one bus every hour will call in to Grebe Crescent (see above for a link to the timetable).

976 – Folkestone Academy school-time route

The Wednesday only buses at 1440 will no longer run. The two buses at 1710 will be brought forward to depart at 1600 every day.

991 – school-time route

The 0751 journey from Swingfield will divert via the A20 and Capel-le-Ferne replacing a route 992 bus [see below].

992 – Greatstone/Dover school-time route

The duplicate bus that starts from Grove Road, Folkestone at 0800 will be replaced by a 991 bus [see above]. The 1535 bus from Tower Hamlets will be replaced by a diverted route 102 bus.

994 – West Hythe/Folkestone school-time route

This bus will be renumbered route 16A with extra time added to improve reliability. The afternoon journey will be diverted from Newingreen to serve Stanford first then via Sellindge to terminate at Newingreen.

From the same date there'll also be changes to buses in the Dover area. Find out more here

If you have any questions or are unsure about how these changes will affect you, then let us know. You can Tweet us @StagecoachSE, or send us an email at [email protected] using the subject header Folkestone timetable changes.

https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/south-east/dover-bus-route-and-timetable-changes

Dover & Deal bus route and timetable changes from 3 June
From Sunday 3 June there’ll be changes to some bus routes and timetables in the Dover, Deal and Sandwich area.

We carried out a review of local bus services last September and made a number of changes to the network. Since then we’ve been keeping a close eye on how things have been going. We’ve also been listening to your feedback. Some of the changes we made have worked well with improved timekeeping and new journey opportunities. It’s also clear that for some routes there needs to be a bit of fine-tuning. We want to ensure the service meets your requirements and the advertised times are achievable.


So, what’s happening to my bus route and why are you changing it?

12 – Deal/Whitfield/Canterbury

We’re changing the timetable to help improve the reliability of the service.

View the new route 12 timetable here


15 – Dover/Canterbury

A revised timetable will apply to help improve reliability. To help with capacity, smaller buses will no longer be scheduled for use on this route.

View the new route 15 timetable here


43 – Westwood/Ramsgate/Sandwich/Canterbury

There’ll be some changes to bus times to help improve punctuality.

View the new route 43 timetable here


61 – Dover town

There will be some reduction in the frequency of buses in the afternoon when the buses are less well used. This will match the level of service on Saturdays. There are some minor changes to bus times on Sundays.

View the new route 61 timetable here


62 – Dover town

There will be some changes to bus times and the route will serve the new St James shopping area via Castle Street and Queen Street.

View the new route 62 timetable here


80, 81 – Dover/Deal/Sandwich

There’ll be some changes to bus times to help improve punctuality. Buses serving St Margaret’s Bay will be swapped round, so route 81 buses will run direct via the A258 and route 80 will serve St Margaret’s Bay. Most route 80 buses going to or from Sandwich will no longer serve Sholden Village which will be served by new short journeys to and from Deal only. These changes are designed to help improve the reliability of the service.

View the new route 80/81 timetable here


82, 83, 84 – Deal

There will be some changes to bus times on these routes.

View the new route 82 timetable here

View the new route 83 and 84 timetables here


89, 89A – Dover/Eythorne/Elvington/Snowdown/Aylesham/Canterbury

This route will be divided into two new dedicated services. Route 89 will provide a service between Aylesham and Canterbury about every 30 minutes. NEW routes 92/92A will provide a dedicated service between Elvington, Eythorne and Dover. There will continue to be school time buses serving Nonington and Snowdown.

View the new route 89 timetable here


View the new route 89 timetable for Snowdown and Nonington here


90 – Deal/Whitfield/Dover

Route 90 will serve the stop at Tesco Whitfield and there will be some changes to bus times.

View the new route 90 timetable here


91 – Dover/Alkham/Folkestone

A revised timetable will apply. In Folkestone, route 91 buses will operate a new route serving Wear Bay Crescent, Foreland Avenue, Warren Road, Canterbury Road, Downs Road, Dolphins Road and Holywell Avenue. It will also be extended to serve Broadmead Village (see routes 72 and 127).

View the new route 91 timetable here


92, 92A – NEW ROUTE – Elvington/Dover

NEW routes 92/92A will provide a dedicated service between Elvington, Eythorne and Dover. Route 92 will run from Elvington via Whitfield and River to Dover and from Dover via River, Lydden and Shepherdswell to Elvington. Route 92A will run from Elvington via Shepherdswell, Lydden and River to Dover and from Dover via River and Whitfield to Elvington.

View the new route 92/92A timetable here



100, 101, 102 – Dover/Folkestone/Hythe/New Romney/Lydd/Rye/Hastings

This service will be separated into two dedicated sections. Route 102 will provide the service between Dover, Folkestone, Hythe, New Romney and Greatstone with buses every 20 minutes. From Greatstone one bus every hour will continue to Lydd-on-Sea, Lydd, Camber and finish at Rye.

Routes 100 and 101 will operate between Rye and Hastings via Icklesham or Fairlight. Connections will be available at Rye Station between route 102 and 100/101 buses.

View the new route 102 timetable here

You can find out more about routes 100 and 101 here


991 – school-time route

The 0751 journey from Swingfield will divert via the A20 and Capel-le-Ferne replacing a route 992 bus [see below].


992 – Greatstone/Dover school-time route

The duplicate bus that starts from Grove Road, Folkestone at 0800 will be replaced by a 991 bus [see above]. The 1535 bus from Tower Hamlets will be replaced by a diverted route 102 bus.


From the same date there'll also be changes to buses in the Folkestone area. Find out more here



If you have any questions or are unsure about how these changes will affect you, then let us know. You can Tweet us @StagecoachSE, or send us an email at [email protected] using the subject header Dover timetable changes.

So, a huge amount of changes! While no doubt the locals, and the local newspapers, will just focus on the negatives, I can see some good things in the changes. Some of these areas have had no reviews for years, and as a regular user across East Kent, there are many underutlised journeys which I can understand need to be cut in the current climate. Many of the changes will improve reliability on some routes, and there has been some simplification in the networks which will be beneficial (e.g. sorting out the routings of the 16 and 73 in the Hawkinge estates, or splitting the A route in Ashford into two route numbers). But, some of the changes look very counterproductive and will only increase decline, such as reducing the 2 to 2-hourly, or diverting inter-urban routes to replace local routes.

Something i'd like to point out is the new Folkestone map, seen in the link below. You can't really miss the route for the 10 - that is one sure way of putting off passengers. Currently, the 10 just travels on the main coastal road out of Folkestone, but now on most journeys (apart from a few peak 10A journeys), passengers travelling from Folkestone will have a grand tour of the estates of Golden Valley, Shorncliffe, Cheriton, and Horn Street. Diverting inter-urban routes to serve estates is very off-putting, but this takes it to a new level. It will also decrease reliability for the estates, as buses are more likely to get held up in traffic elsewhere, especially if the bus goes anywhere near Ashford! The 91 is almost as bad.
Although I should point out a positive with the 10 - it will give the Horn Street and a part of Cheriton an hourly service, as opposed the current 160 it replaces which is much less frequent.

https://tiscon-maps-stagecoachbus.s3.amazonaws.com/RouteMaps/South East/Kent/Folkestone Network Map 030618 MM.pdf
 
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goldisgood

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Something i'd like to point out is the new Folkestone map, seen in the link below. You can't really miss the route for the 10 - that is one sure way of putting off passengers. Currently, the 10 just travels on the main coastal road out of Folkestone, but now on most journeys (apart from a few peak 10A journeys), passengers travelling from Folkestone will have a grand tour of the estates of Golden Valley, Shorncliffe, Cheriton, and Horn Street. Diverting inter-urban routes to serve estates is very off-putting, but this takes it to a new level. It will also decrease reliability for the estates, as buses are more likely to get held up in traffic elsewhere, especially if the bus goes anywhere near Ashford! The 91 is almost as bad.
Although I should point out a positive with the 10 - it will give the Horn Street and a part of Cheriton an hourly service, as opposed the current 160 it replaces which is much less frequent.
You can change onto the 16 or 102 at Hythe though, which run every 10 minutes, although for some passengers this won't be ideal.
 

Typhoon

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2 Nov 2017
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Kent
These are major changes with potentially big impacts in certain areas. I hope publicity is available well in advance.

For instance - Lydd: used to have 4 buses an hour to Romney, Folkestone, Dover (2 short way round 101, 2 long way round 102); will now be 1 an hour (long way). (Not that they have much choice unless they want a stiff walk to the RH & D Railway.)
Also a gap of 2 hours 50 minutes on 1X in the afternoon, even Chartham has gaps of over an hour.

Perhaps the biggest uncertainty is the impact on people getting 'through services' which are being cut.
There are certainly passengers who stay on board at Ashford as a 1 becomes a 2 (and vice versa); The Wave certainly does not empty when it gets to Rye (the Camber effect?). Will potential passengers be put off because they have to change buses? More importantly, perhaps, is whether they would be put off by arriving at one place with a 55 minute wait for the connection because the incoming service is late and the outgoing service left on time - I know there are generous allowances but (seemingly) no guaranteed connection. There are also potentially higher fares (unless through fares are available)?
This may well lead to buses running closer to time (although I have never found the 1* or Wave much of a problem, with that regard) but passengers have built their lives (choice of school, college, employment) around these services and will need time to get to grips with the new routes (as an example, a school service has been cut leaving two villages without cover; there is another school bus through these villages - it goes to Canterbury, the former service went to Ashford).

I know Stagecoach have to make savings but my concern is that there will be a loss of passengers that may require further cuts down the line.

* - one plus, less likely to be held up at Wye (twice sometimes) if coming from Canterbury. Sadly, the bus I usually catch will still suffer!
 

Megafuss

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639
I know Stagecoach have to make savings but my concern is that there will be a loss of passengers that may require further cuts down the line.

This is a point that has been made to Perth by senior managers recently.
 

alex397

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You can change onto the 16 or 102 at Hythe though, which run every 10 minutes, although for some passengers this won't be ideal.

Indeed, and no doubt many of the savvy passengers will do this. But, some passengers won't be aware of this, and many won't want to change bus, especially in bad weather or if they struggle with mobility. If you are travelling to/from college, work, appointments etc, the things you won't want to do is go on a grand tour of various estates OR have to change buses. I do see things from Stagecoach's POV though, and the 10 is probably the 'best' route to do this with, as opposed to the busier 16 or 102. Hopefully they make clear in their advertising that a change at Hythe is possible.
 

Typhoon

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Indeed, and no doubt many of the savvy passengers will do this. But, some passengers won't be aware of this, and many won't want to change bus, especially in bad weather or if they struggle with mobility.
Or if you don't have an unlimited travel ticket or ENCTS pass, or if you don't trust that the buses are running to time.

Anyone doing so with an ENCTS pass will be, of course, be registered as taking two journeys. Good for Stagecoach's finances, I think.
 

backontrack

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Here are the drastic changes in full:

Little and Often A will be split into two, with A - now a Little and Often service - serving South Ashford and Singleton every 10 minutes.
D will run every 15 minutes, serving Designer Outlet and Stanhope.
AD will run in the evenings, serving South Ashford, Singleton, Stanhope and Designer Outlet.
Little and Often A, B, C and G: Sprinter minibuses will no longer be used on this route. They will be replaced by Optare Solo buses.
Little and Often E will no longer run.
Little and Often G will be extended through to Orbital Park and South Willesbrough, replacing E.

1 will serve Little Burton, replacing Little and Often E. 1 buses via Little Burton will continue through to Wye.
1A will continue to run from Canterbury to Chartham and Shalmsford Street.
1/1X will provide a service every two hours between Canterbury and Ashford.

2 (Ashford-High Halden-Tenterden-occasionally Rolvenden) will run every two hours rather than hourly.
2A (Ashford-Shadoxhurst-Tenterden) will run every two hours rather than hourly.
This combines to give an hourly frequency between Ashford and Tenterden.
No more route 2 buses will run through to/from Canterbury on route 1/1X.

10 will no longer continue to/start from Maidstone as the 10X: the latter will become a separate route, and a change will be required at Ashford for those travelling to places on the other side of Ashford.
10 replaces the 77/78 and the 160 between Hythe and Folkestone, diverting away from Sandgate to serve Shorncliffe, Golden Valley and Cheriton Tesco (where it will terminate) at a frequency of every 30 minutes. Every hour, the 10 will continue through from Cheriton to Ashford via Horn Street, Seabrook, Hythe and Port Lympne. The 10 will now serve Port Lympne on Sundays.
10A will only run at peak times, via Sandgate. This means that the 18 will be the only regular bus through Sandling and Saltwood, and the 102 will be the only regular service through Sandgate.

11/11A/11B (Romney Marsh) will no longer run to William Harvey Hospital or Orbital Park.

Gold 16 no longer serves Hawkinge (Tesco), Hawkinge (Primary School), or Saltwood (Brockhill Road). All 16 buses through Hawkinge will be routed via Aerodrome Road, Haven Drive, Heron Forstal Avenue and Uphill. 16 buses now continue to Palmarsh (Martello Lakes). One bus per hour continues from there to Palmarsh (Grebe Crescent), replacing the 160 west of Hythe.

17 will run every 90 minutes on Sundays, rather than every two hours.

71 (Creteway Down) will now serve Stanbury Crescent and Hollands Avenue, replacing the 72. It will run every 20 minutes.
72 will no longer run.
73 will run every 20 minutes (every 30 on Sundays), and will serve Hawkinge Tesco as well as Millfield and the Battle of Britain Museum. It will run in Cheriton via Church Road, Cheriton Tesco, Weymouth Road, Shaftesbury Avenue and Ashley Avenue, replacing the 72.
77 and 78 will no longer run.

80 (via Worth) will no longer serve St Margaret's Bay or Sholden Village on Dover-Sandwich services. An extra hourly 80 service will run from Deal to Sholden Village and back.
81 (via Eastry) will now serve St Margaret's Bay.

89/89A becomes three routes, the 89, and the 92/92A. The 89 will run between Canterbury and Aylesham via Bridge. The 92 will run in a circuit - Dover > Crabble > River > Temple Ewell > Lydden > Shepherdswell > Coldred > Elvington > Eythorne > Whitfield > Temple Ewell > River > Crabble > Dover. The 92A will run in the other direction.
89B will no longer run south of Aylesham.

90 will now serve Whitfield Tesco.

91 will run between Broadmead Village and Folkestone via Coniston Road every 30 minutes - one of these services will run from Dover via Kearsney Abbey and Alkham Valley. The through service to Dover will be diverted to serve Wear Bay Crescent, Foreland Avenue, Warren Road, Canterbury Road, Downs Road, Dolphins Road and Holywell Avenue between Dover and Drellingore, replacing the 72.

Wave 100 (via Winchelsea) will no longer run between Rye and Lydd.
Wave 101 (via Fairlight) will no longer run between Rye, Lydd and Dover.
Wave 102 will run 3ph between Dover and Greatstone-on-Sea. One of those buses will continue via Lydd-on-Sea, Lydd and Camber to Rye, meeting a connecting Wave 100 service.

121 will no longer run, as a parallel 1 service will replace it. This service will not serve Shottenden or Molash.

127 will no longer run.
160 will no longer run.

517 will no longer run in the morning. It will be replaced jointly by a service on route 2A via Park Farm and by the 518.
519 will no longer serve Park Farm, starting at Stanhope. Little & Often B provides an alternative service from Park Farm to Towers School.

666 (Faversham-Ashford) will be diverted via Eureka Park and Repton Park, replacing Little and Often E. This part of the route will run hourly on Sundays.

There are also some changes to school routes around Dover and Folkestone.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The only places that do well from those changes are Badlesmere, Broadmead, Challock, Greatstone, Horn Street, Leaveland, Littlestone, Palmarsh and Sheldwich.
 

backontrack

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(as an example, a school service has been cut leaving two villages without cover; there is another school bus through these villages - it goes to Canterbury, the former service went to Ashford
Molash and Shottenden. They no longer have any services to/from Ashford, except for a school bus that serves schools in Canterbury and runs via Challock, Chilham and Chartham.
 

alex397

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I've heard that Arriva are increasing their frequency of the 12 from Maidstone to Tenterden from hourly to half-hourly (it already runs half-hourly Maidstone-Headcorn). This is probably as a direct result of Stagecoach reducing their hourly services (2 and 2A) to 2-hourly.
The 12 connects Tenterden to the railway station at Headcorn.

I wasn't expecting Arriva to be improving services while Stagecoach are reducing them. Stagecoach have long had a better reputation than Arriva in the Kent area. It appears to be changing (in Tenterden at least!)

EDIT: The Traveline website shows the new half-hourly timetable.
 
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Romilly

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I've heard that Arriva are increasing their frequency of the 12 from Maidstone to Tenterden from hourly to half-hourly (it already runs half-hourly Maidstone-Headcorn). This is probably as a direct result of Stagecoach reducing their hourly services (2 and 2A) to 2-hourly.
The 12 connects Tenterden to the railway station at Headcorn.

I wasn't expecting Arriva to be improving services while Stagecoach are reducing them. Stagecoach have long had a better reputation than Arriva in the Kent area. It appears to be changing (in Tenterden at least!)

In that case, maybe they might also as part of that reinstate the once a week Market Day diversion via Frittenden. One can only hope!
 

alex397

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Yet another cut back in Folkestone.

A short notice change has been registered for the 71. It will be pulled out of the Hollands Avenue section of the route (which was only just diverted here following the 72's withdrawal on 3rd June).

The Hollands Avenue section is a 0.4 mile double run, with a turning circle for the bus to use (apparently only Solo sized vehicles can use this). Issues are frequently caused by cars parking in the clearly marked turning circle. And this is Stagecoach's excuse for pulling out, as seen here:

https://www.stagecoachbus.com/servi...rticle?SituationId=ID-12/06/2018-15:09:53:979

Due to continued obstruction of the turning area by parked vehicles, resulting in buses becoming trapped, we regret that we have no option but to withdraw the service from Hollands Avenue.

The last day of operation will be on Saturday 16 June.

Your nearest alternative bus stops are in Stanbury Cresent, or in Wear Bay Road, adjacent to Bowles Wells Gardens.

We thank you for your support, and regret any inconvienience [sic] caused.

My opinion is that Stagecoach should be pushing the local council/local politicians to enforce parking restrictions (they might already have), rather than pulling out, and further decreasing potential passengers and worsening their already poor customer feedback following the 3rd June changes. But then again, why would local councilors care when most of their voters are car drivers?
 

overthewater

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If you want something sorted, get the public to do the work, your be surprised how much faster this works..
 

Jordan Adam

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This is a point that has been made to Perth by senior managers recently.

Surely the failure of the cuts in the Stagecoach North Scotland region would have taught them a lesson, routes that until recently ran every 15 minutes and were always busy are now far less frequent (half hourly and hourly) and the impact has just been passengers moving to their cars. Seems further cuts are near too! Sometimes you wonder if those at the top have a functioning brain! That said i better keep my views of Souter quiet...
 

overthewater

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Surely the failure of the cuts in the Stagecoach North Scotland region would have taught them a lesson, routes that until recently ran every 15 minutes and were always busy are now far less frequent (half hourly and hourly) and the impact has just been passengers moving to their cars. Seems further cuts are near too! Sometimes you wonder if those at the top have a functioning brain! That said i better keep my views of Souter quiet...

That partly down to cutlock.. sorry, Mark Whitelock, but thankful he doon south to cause trouble, just watch the cuts in Aberdeenshire will be rolled back a bit while in Cumbria cuts will start...


What do you mean by this?
That is simple, Sometimes if you want bus service sorted out or have parking car troubles, its alot easier if the angry public complain. Ive seen it before the public complain and the council does something faster because it can see its causing problems.
 

alex397

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That is simple, Sometimes if you want bus service sorted out or have parking car troubles, its alot easier if the angry public complain. Ive seen it before the public complain and the council does something faster because it can see its causing problems.

I see what you mean, and certainly understand your point
 

Typhoon

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Sometimes if you want bus service sorted out or have parking car troubles, its alot easier if the public complain. Ive seen it before the public complain and the council does something faster because it can see its causing problems.
No problem with the method but maybe unlikely to be successful here.

1. On the few occasions I have travelled on the 72 it has been empty/ almost empty when I got on so unlikely to be much public complaint. (That section was only hourly as the 72.)

2. It suits Stagecoach. Diversion unlikely to be very productive and they may not be restricted as to vehicle type any more (they sometimes ran DDs on the 71).

3. The replacement route (71) is a one-way loop at that end with the Holland Ave run diverted off of it. Passengers living on the loop won't complain about missing out the double run.

4. Folkestone and Hythe Council is not the most responsive to protests. Far bigger ones than are likely here have been treated with distain.
 

Jordan Adam

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That partly down to cutlock.. sorry, Mark Whitelock, but thankful he doon south to cause trouble, just watch the cuts in Aberdeenshire will be rolled back a bit while in Cumbria cuts will start...

I to some extent agree, although they're still stuck with Daniel Laird who's errrr.... Not the brightest of sparks it seems. Also some routes have been cut to the extent where i don't think they're salvageable anymore. But yes now it's time for Cumbria to have busy services frequency cut by 50% and 75%.
 

alex397

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No problem with the method but maybe unlikely to be successful here.

1. On the few occasions I have travelled on the 72 it has been empty/ almost empty when I got on so unlikely to be much public complaint. (That section was only hourly as the 72.)

2. It suits Stagecoach. Diversion unlikely to be very productive and they may not be restricted as to vehicle type any more (they sometimes ran DDs on the 71).

3. The replacement route (71) is a one-way loop at that end with the Holland Ave run diverted off of it. Passengers living on the loop won't complain about missing out the double run.

4. Folkestone and Hythe Council is not the most responsive to protests. Far bigger ones than are likely here have been treated with distain.

Good points Typhoon. Before the changes, double-decks would often appear on the 71, but no longer can - so this will make allocations easier. Solos now seem to be in high demand across East Kent since the changes!
Taking out Hollands Avenue will make things better for other customers of the 71, who I suspect have probably complained about the new 'around the houses' route. I just think the more operators pull out of areas, it just increases decline. But I suspect they won't lost too much custom from this new change.
I also agree about the distain from Folkestone & Hythe Council - nearby Canterbury CC is similar in that respect!


So, today another visit to Ashford. Firstly, only timetables for the new D and G routes at the station, when there are meant to be timetables for all services. There were however copies in the Tourist Information on the top floor of Ashford's 'Gateway' centre - which I suspect not many people know about, or would go to the trouble of going to just for a timetable.

I saw plenty of ancient 14-year old Solos running about with standing loads, none of which I saw had Little&Often branding. The out-of-town routes were mostly running 15-20 mins late with few passengers. I went on the revised route 1 which just goes to Wye via Little Burton - running 20 mins late with about 5 passengers. I have noticed on the timetable that Little Burton has really lost out in the changes - although there is an 'hourly' service on route 1, there is a massive gap. There is the 13.10 from Ashford, and then the 18.00 which is the last bus! Bad luck if your a London commuter! To be fair to Stagecoach, Little Burton looks very difficult to give a good service too - ideally it should have a half-hourly service direct to the town centre and station throughout the day, but I doubt that would be in any way commercially viable. I guess there could be half-hourly ' extras' added to the B which after Bockhanger, goes to Little Burton instead of Kennington - just a thought!

The traffic in Ashford is truly awful, so I don't think any operator could give a decent reliable service to be honest.
This is what happens in a country where transport policies generally favour the car and give little investment in bus services.
 

Lynford1976

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Good points Typhoon. Before the changes, double-decks would often appear on the 71, but no longer can - so this will make allocations easier. Solos now seem to be in high demand across East Kent since the changes!
Taking out Hollands Avenue will make things better for other customers of the 71, who I suspect have probably complained about the new 'around the houses' route. I just think the more operators pull out of areas, it just increases decline. But I suspect they won't lost too much custom from this new change.
I also agree about the distain from Folkestone & Hythe Council - nearby Canterbury CC is similar in that respect!


So, today another visit to Ashford. Firstly, only timetables for the new D and G routes at the station, when there are meant to be timetables for all services. There were however copies in the Tourist Information on the top floor of Ashford's 'Gateway' centre - which I suspect not many people know about, or would go to the trouble of going to just for a timetable.

I saw plenty of ancient 14-year old Solos running about with standing loads, none of which I saw had Little&Often branding. The out-of-town routes were mostly running 15-20 mins late with few passengers. I went on the revised route 1 which just goes to Wye via Little Burton - running 20 mins late with about 5 passengers. I have noticed on the timetable that Little Burton has really lost out in the changes - although there is an 'hourly' service on route 1, there is a massive gap. There is the 13.10 from Ashford, and then the 18.00 which is the last bus! Bad luck if your a London commuter! To be fair to Stagecoach, Little Burton looks very difficult to give a good service too - ideally it should have a half-hourly service direct to the town centre and station throughout the day, but I doubt that would be in any way commercially viable. I guess there could be half-hourly ' extras' added to the B which after Bockhanger, goes to Little Burton instead of Kennington - just a thought!

The traffic in Ashford is truly awful, so I don't think any operator could give a decent reliable service to be honest.
This is what happens in a country where transport policies generally favour the car and give little investment in bus services.

The traffic in and Ashford today was worse than usual because of the closure of Bad Münstereifel Road for footbridge removal, associated with the M20 works at junction 10a.

D.
 

Typhoon

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So, today another visit to Ashford. Firstly, only timetables for the new D and G routes at the station, when there are meant to be timetables for all services. There were however copies in the Tourist Information on the top floor of Ashford's 'Gateway' centre - which I suspect not many people know about, or would go to the trouble of going to just for a timetable.

During the week, I was able to get the A, B, C, D, G and 666 timetables at Canterbury Bus Station, but not the 1, which starts from Canterbury (or indeed the 15, 16, 17, 43 or 89 - all of which changed on 3rd June). Nor were they at the Beaney House of Art and Knowledge, aka 'the library'). Tourist information in Ashford - it is difficult to imagine a place in the town centre that is more difficult to find or access particularly if you have mobility issues (so those who may wish to use buses).

I have caught the old 'E' a few times in Kennington going towards Eureka Park, I can't remember there ever being anybody on board when I got on so I suspect Little Burton may be a lost cause. At least passengers to/ from Ashford no longer need to go the long way round. I am not surprised about the paucity of passengers on the 1 - I can't work out why they effectively split the 1 and 1X up (except at peak times). Neither the number of through passengers from Canterbury/ Chartham/ Chilham or the number of passengers from Wye seem to justify a through service - the only advantage for passengers from Canterbury is not being held up at the rail gates (often twice in my experience). Your point about the afternoon service to Little Burton is well made - Chilham similarly has a ropey (but not quite as bad) service (as does Godmersham, where I have seen people get on/off).

I suppose the bad traffic in Ashford was one reason for the Little&Often initiative - frequent buses so no need to check the timetable. There is a bus - it may be on time, six minutes late, twelve minutes late, whatever, but who cares, its a bus*. Once the frequency is widened, the timetable comes into play and passengers know when it is late.
* - if you make the frequency 'every 7 minutes', 'every 8 minutes', or 'every 7 - 8 minutes' no-one can (or can be bothered to) work out when the bus is due in any case so will just turn up, hang around for about 10 minutes before they start complaining.

Canterbury City Council - too right (and getting worse).
 

E-Rail

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I wasn't expecting Arriva to be improving services while Stagecoach are reducing them. Stagecoach have long had a better reputation than Arriva in the Kent area. It appears to be changing (in Tenterden at least!)

It's the former Arriva Commercial mob that are now at Canterbury doing their best to bankrupt what was once a business growing at warp speed only 3-4 years ago. Tragic to see East Kent in terminal decline now.
 

alex397

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Some further updates from Ashford-

The 666 which was diverted to replace the Little&Often route E over Eureka Park and Repton Park will go back to its original routing along Faversham Road. This means Stagecoach will no longer operate in the Eureka Park area.

Surprisingly, independent operator Chalkwell have registered route R which will run hourly between Ashford Park Street and Eureka Park via Ashford International, Repton Park and John Lewis. This will operate on Mon-Sat. It seems there will be no replacement for the Sunday service.

I'm not exactly sure if the Eureka Park section is KCC contracted, or if Stagecoach have agreed with Chalkwell for them to take over Eureka Park. I highly doubt Chalkwell would have registered this route in competition.

No doubt this ties in with Chalkwell's recent expansion into Ashford school routes - indeed the R timetable seems to be designed around their school routes. It will be odd to see Chalkwell operating a regular bus route in Ashford, as this operator is more likely to be seen in the Sittingbourne/Sheppey areas.
 

Typhoon

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Some further updates from Ashford-

The 666 which was diverted to replace the Little&Often route E over Eureka Park and Repton Park will go back to its original routing along Faversham Road. This means Stagecoach will no longer operate in the Eureka Park area.

Surprisingly, independent operator Chalkwell have registered route R which will run hourly between Ashford Park Street and Eureka Park via Ashford International, Repton Park and John Lewis. This will operate on Mon-Sat. It seems there will be no replacement for the Sunday service.

No doubt this ties in with Chalkwell's recent expansion into Ashford school routes - indeed the R timetable seems to be designed around their school routes. It will be odd to see Chalkwell operating a regular bus route in Ashford, as this operator is more likely to be seen in the Sittingbourne/Sheppey areas.
Hopefully, for them, it will be slightly more successful than their adventures into Faversham, Whitstable and Herne Bay. One of the problems there was with vehicle break downs. Help was an hour away! (Only slight exaggeration.)

I would have thought any support would have come from businesses along the way rather than KCC.
 

duncombec

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Some further updates from Ashford-
I'm not exactly sure if the Eureka Park section is KCC contracted, or if Stagecoach have agreed with Chalkwell for them to take over Eureka Park. I highly doubt Chalkwell would have registered this route in competition.

No doubt this ties in with Chalkwell's recent expansion into Ashford school routes - indeed the R timetable seems to be designed around their school routes. It will be odd to see Chalkwell operating a regular bus route in Ashford, as this operator is more likely to be seen in the Sittingbourne/Sheppey areas.

I would have thought any support would have come from businesses along the way rather than KCC.

The changes are at KCC's request, as is the new service R. Details, including full timetables, have been posted on the respective operator's websites today. Given the timings, I would suggest the plan is to operate the R-Line using one of the vehicles that would otherwise be in the area during the day for services to Wye School.
 

yorksrob

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My parents used to get the bus quite regularly between Ashford and Folkestone, but have given up now because it apparently takes a couple of hours going around the houses now. At least they have their senior railcards !
 

alex397

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Hopefully, for them, it will be slightly more successful than their adventures into Faversham, Whitstable and Herne Bay. One of the problems there was with vehicle break downs. Help was an hour away! (Only slight exaggeration.)

I would have thought any support would have come from businesses along the way rather than KCC.

I doubt the route will be profitable - it doesn't really serve great bus territory. Also, as it is a different operator, I assume Stagecoach season tickets won't be accepted which will be off putting for passengers transferring onto this service from other Stagecoach routes.

The changes are at KCC's request, as is the new service R. Details, including full timetables, have been posted on the respective operator's websites today. Given the timings, I would suggest the plan is to operate the R-Line using one of the vehicles that would otherwise be in the area during the day for services to Wye School.

Should give some variety to Ashford then - as I believe those routes are operated by double-deckers.

My parents used to get the bus quite regularly between Ashford and Folkestone, but have given up now because it apparently takes a couple of hours going around the houses now. At least they have their senior railcards !

Yes, the changes to the 10 are one of the most bizarre out of all the changes - the end-to-end journey time is completely ridiculous now, which is no doubt putting off a lot of passengers. I've overheard people moaning about the 10 quite a lot now when travelling about by bus. But, few people seem aware that if they change at Hythe for a Wave or a Gold bus, it would cut down the journey time - Stagecoach do not seem to be promoting this fact at all. But, I can understand how off-putting it is to have to change bus for some people.
I should point out that the changes to the 10 have benefited some - on the diverted part of route, it has given the Horn Street and some parts of Cheriton an hourly service (as opposed to the previous infrequent 160), and given this part of route a Sunday service.
 

yorksrob

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Yes, the changes to the 10 are one of the most bizarre out of all the changes - the end-to-end journey time is completely ridiculous now, which is no doubt putting off a lot of passengers. I've overheard people moaning about the 10 quite a lot now when travelling about by bus. But, few people seem aware that if they change at Hythe for a Wave or a Gold bus, it would cut down the journey time - Stagecoach do not seem to be promoting this fact at all. But, I can understand how off-putting it is to have to change bus for some people.
I should point out that the changes to the 10 have benefited some - on the diverted part of route, it has given the Horn Street and some parts of Cheriton an hourly service (as opposed to the previous infrequent 160), and given this part of route a Sunday service.

Cheers, I'll suggest changing at Hythe to them.
 

Typhoon

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The changes are at KCC's request, as is the new service R. Details, including full timetables, have been posted on the respective operator's websites today. Given the timings, I would suggest the plan is to operate the R-Line using one of the vehicles that would otherwise be in the area during the day for services to Wye School.
I noticed that when I travelled on an Ashford bus yesterday. As Chalkwell now have six school routes in the Ashford area (4 - Wye Free School, 2 - Homewood School), they really need to do something with them during the day.

Are the buses really going down from Sittingbourne each day? I hope the economics are working for them.
 

alex397

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Oh dear, more changes coming for Folkestone and Hythe from 28th October.....

Routes affected are the 10, Gold 16, 17, 71, 73, 91, 102, with new routes 70, 103 and 104. All the existing routes had new timetables back in June.

Some appear to be minor improvements to the rather drastic cutbacks in June, but some of the changes make some routes a bit more confusing.

Back in June we made a number of changes to the local bus network in the Folkestone area including the coastal route through to Lydd. Since then we’ve been carefully monitoring the new routes and bus times and reviewing all the feedback you gave us.

It’s clear that in some locations the changes we made haven’t worked out so well for some local people. There have also been challenges with the operation of the 102 route which has been affected by unscheduled road works in Dover, higher than expected visitor numbers to the area and increased traffic congestion over the summer.

Getting it right matters to us, which is why we’ve looked again at the route network and identified adjustments which will help improve the service we offer in the Folkestone and Romney Marsh area.

From 28 October most bus times for routes in the area will be adjusted. We’re also introducing some new bus routes to bring a service back to some locations where buses were taken out in June.

Here’s a summary of the changes route by route with links to the new timetables.

Route 10
The change we made in June, separating the 10 from the 10X, has worked well with improved reliability for both routes. However, it’s clear that routing the service to parts of Cheriton has lengthened journey times for some customers and not generated much additional bus use from the locations served. From 28 October route 10 will no longer serve Cheriton. Buses will continue to serve Shorncliffe Road and the Golden Valley but will then serve the Shorncliffe camp area and use Hospital Hill to and from Seabrook. This will help reduce journey times and improve reliability. Horn Street and Naildown will be covered by new route 104 (see below). Short journeys on route 10 between Cheriton and Folkestone town centre will be removed. Peak time route 10A will continue to operate as it does now directly via Sandgate.

view the route 10 timetable from 28 October

Route 16
Unfortunately the extension of Gold route 16 to Palmarsh and Martello Lakes has not proved popular. From 28 October route 16 will run as far as the Prince of Wales and will no longer serve Grebe Crescent. There will be some adjustments to the timetable to help improve timekeeping, particularly between Folkestone and Hythe. Don’t worry if you live in Grebe Crescent – a new route 104 will provide a service through Hythe to Cheriton.

view the route 16 timetable from 28 October

Route 17
There will be some adjustments to bus times and certain daytime journeys will run via Shaftesbury Avenue and Biggins Wood Road in Cheriton.

view new route 17 timetable from 28 October here

NEW Route 70
This route will supplement route 10 to provide a half hourly service between Shorncliffe, the Golden Valley and Folkestone town centre.

view the route 10/70 timetable from 28 October

Route 71
Some bus times on this route will be adjusted.

view the route 71 timetable from 28 October

Route 73
In Cheriton this route will run anti-clockwise (in the opposite direction to route 71). Buses will run from Cheriton High Street along Somerset Road/Shaftesbury Avenue and Weymouth Road, then to Tesco and back via Church Road to Cheriton High Street. Route 10 will no longer serve Cheriton, so this change maintains the arrangement with travel options direct to Tesco or the town centre.

view the route 73 timetable from 28 October

Route 91
Bus times on this route will be adjusted. There will be some extra buses in the morning and afternoon serving Foreland Avenue.

view the Folkestone/Dover route 91 timetable from 28 October

view the Folkestone local route 91 timetable from 28 October

Route 102
We’re adjusting the bus times to help improve the timekeeping and reliability of the service. Buses that currently finish at Greatstone will instead finish and turn at Littlestone. If you live in New Romney there’ll be some daytime buses restored to the High Street on new routes 103 and 104 (see below).

view the route 102 timetable from 28 October

NEW Routes 103 & 104
There’s some demand for extra buses along the coastal corridor between Folkestone and Lydd that serve New Romney High Steet. Therefore we’re adding two new Monday to Saturday daytime bus routes. Route 103 will run between Folkestone and Lydd following the same route as the 102 between Folkestone and New Romney. Between New Romney and Lydd it will run direct via New Romney High Street and Hammonds Corner.
Route 104 will run between Cheriton Tesco and Lydd, serving Horn Street, Naildown and Palmarsh Grebe Crescent. This route will preserve a link from Naildown to Hythe in one direction and Cheriton Tesco in the other direction.

view the new route 103 & 104 timetable from 28 October

Here’s the Folkestone bus network map showing the new routes: By selecting this link you can download a PDF.

If you have any questions or are unsure about how these changes will affect you, then let us know. You can Tweet us @StagecoachSE, or send us an email at [email protected] using the subject header Folkestone timetable changes 28 October.

https://www.stagecoachbus.com/servi...0&hootPostID=3aad75299e44ebaad669bc4b0c8826d4
 
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