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Finally, there is some good news for bus passengers, with one group hoping it might lead to the restoration of a service which was cancelled last week.
Members of Kent County Council’s (KCC) environment and transport committee voted at a meeting at County Hall in Maidstone to accept a grant of £23,134,379 from central government to shore up bus services across the county
The money was the third tranche offered under a scheme called BSIP (Bus Service Improvement Plan) under the previous government and now more simply named Bus Grant by the new administration.
KCC had already been granted £18.9m in March 2023, and a further £16.2m in July 2024, but following further bids from the council’s public transport team it has now been given the largest sum yet - more than £23 million.
It was described as a “huge amount of money” by Green Cllr Mark Hood (Tonbridge), and indeed members of all political colours lined up to congratulate Phil Lightowler – KCC’s head of public transport - and his team on their success.
Mr Lightowler said the money was divided into three sections: £10,120,00 in revenue support, £11,026,00 for capital projects and £1, 007,00 for operator grants going directly to the bus companies.
He said that KCC’s priority would be first to shore up the existing bus network, before looking to fund new services.
He said there were already 51 services that were being supported under the scheme at a cost of £4 million a year, that would probably be cancelled without the BSIP money.
He suggested that KCC would be called on to support yet more existing services over the coming financial year as “the challenges for the bus sector are still there”.
One such demand will come from residents in Ringlestone, near Maidstone, who have just seen Nu Venture cancel their No 55 service into town because it was no longer viable.
Before the meeting, four of the Ringlestone residents secured a 10-minute interview with Cllr Neil Baker, the cabinet member for highways, in which they told him of their fears of being left stranded on their estate and handed him a petition signed by 71 of their neighbours.
Tony Chapman was one of those who met Cllr Baker. He said: “Mr Baker was unaware that we had just lost our service.”
“He seemed very sympathetic but made no promises.
“He didn’t mention the £23 million grant. Now that we know about that, we will be contacting him again to ask him to use some of that to help us.
“If the number 55 can’t be restored, then perhaps at least the Arriva 101 which runs regularly along the top of the estate could be diverted to call in a couple of times a day.”
Public transport manager Mr Lightowler described the government grant as a “lifeline for bus users” and he said that he detected “a change of ethos” at the Department of Transport (DfT) and also at the rail companies, which he said he hoped would lead to greater integration between the bus and rail networks in the coming years, with the possibility that AI could play a part in solving ticketing issues between the two sectors.
The capital expenditure grant would probably be used to help district councils repair or replace their bus shelter stock, and on measures such as developing real-time information for passengers.
County Cllr Tony Hills (Romney Marsh) welcomed the expenditure on shelters, saying that the recent bout of cold weather had left many elderly folk shivering as they waited at bus stops
Mr Lightowler said they were now on “a fast journey” with the DfT and pubic transport which he hoped would lead to a “bright destination.”
Praising his staff Cllr Baker said: “Settlements like this don’t just happen, they reflect the relationships built up over many years.”
The Confederation of Passenger Transport, which represents the county’s bus companies, said: “We welcome the government’s allocation of over £23 million to Kent County Council to protect existing bus services and support the development of a sustainable, reliable and accessible network for communities across the county.
“Collaboration between the council and operators under existing enhanced partnerships will be key when it comes to identifying measures that will lead to tangible improvements for passengers.
“These partnerships can also help drive growth, speeding up buses and ensuring people can get where they need to go."
The Kent Bus Service Improvement Plan can be found here.
KCC had actually asked the government for £223 million to complete the whole of it Bus Service Improvement Plan. It has now received a total of £58.2 million.