INFORMATION ON BUS SERVICES
Corona virus crisis has effectively disrupted the entire UK bus network over the past ten days. Kent County Council are currently inundated with emergency service changes which we are attempting to process into the data set as quickly as we can, but needless to say the backlog is significant.
The majority of services continue to operate but many are now providing reduced timetables reflecting significantly reduced demand for services. Arriva and Stagecoach both have emergency timetables in place across their networks.
Operators have been asked to prioritise services in such a way as to ensure that all areas continue to get some level of service, with changes focused where possible on reductions in frequency and curtailing evening journeys rather than outright cancellations. Journeys provided for key workers (often those services running to hospitals) have been prioritised. Some public buses operating on school days only are being retained despite the closure of schools in cases where they may provide for some access to shops for the elderly who can now travel before 9.30am, using their ENCTS Pass.
At the present time, the most up-to-date source of information is bus operators’ own websites. Where we are aware of disruption to a particular service, we have attached a message to the timetable for that service on Traveline with links to appropriate pages on the operating company’s website. It should be noted that the timetable shown by Traveline may be out of date, so it is important to check the operator’s own site for full details while local authorities work through the backlog of changes.
Information on all the services Kent County Council provides and how they have been affected by the recent corona virus restrictions can be found at the link below:
https://www.kent.gov.uk/social-care-and-health/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-service-updates.
Traveline Link: http://www.travelinesoutheast.org.uk/