Full service levels restored from Monday 8 March
Stagecoach bus services in Kent and East Sussex will step up to 100% from Monday 8 March. Full pre-COVID school day timetables will be restored on most routes. Stagecoach are pleased to finally be able to return to normal service and welcome the support from Kent County Council that has enabled this to happen.
Dedicated school services in Ashford
As when schools were last fully open, many school day bus journeys will be running as ‘dedicated schools services’. This means they will only be available for young people to board if travelling to and from their place of education. The general public will not be able to use them, and, in-line with government instructions, these buses will be able to carry more passengers. Unlike normal service buses which have a limited seating capacity, these dedicated schools services will allow the near maximum seated capacity of the bus.
All dedicated schools services will have a special destination display that shows ‘School Service’ at the front of the bus, alternating with the route number and destination. As these ‘dedicated schools services’ are for students only, morning journeys will only stop to pick-up students and drop them at school/college. On the way home in the afternoon the ‘dedicated schools service’ will collect students from school/college and then operate as drop-off only at all other stops.
- 124 Egerton – Hythe Road Schools,
- 15S Wye – Ashford Towers School,
- 18A Ashford – Canterbury,
- 515 Singleton – Towers School,
- 516 Towers School – Willesborough,
- 517 Hythe Road – Knoll Lane,
- 518 Maidstone Rd, Highworth School – Tenterden,
- 519 Stanhope – Towers School,
- 925 Stanhope – St Anselm’s School,
- 1A Ashford – Canterbury (Chartham to Spires morning journey only).
- Highworth Grammar School for Girls
- Hythe Road Schools (Norton Knatchbull/The North School)
- The Towers School
If you travel to and from school, please check out our schools information web page for the latest news:
Also from 8 March, Kent County Council have confirmed that concessionary travel passes will no longer be accepted for travel before 09:30am.
Despite this increase in service levels, it’s vital that if you need to make a bus journey, you follow the government rules. Face coverings must be worn (unless you are medically exempt) and windows on most bus types should be left in the open position to allow the flow of fresh air. Capacity is limited to help with social distancing and you should be mindful to keep a safe distance from others (unless travelling with someone from your household bubble).
Want to know how to travel safely by bus? Stagecoach have taken a range of measures to help protect you when travelling. Their buses are clean, safe and ready to go. If you’re planning on travelling and are concerned about what to do, check out this guide. We’ve also put together a ten-point guide to help understand the measures that are in place. Find out more here.