Arriva bus service, Kent
Commuters in Kent say the £2 bus fare cap has transformed the way they travel, yet others disagree and are demanding for improvements to be made.
The ‘Get Around For £2’ scheme was introduced as an initiative to tackle the cost-of-living crisis and was set to end at the end of this month but has now been extended until December 2024.
Biff Whipster, from Canterbury, is an environmental advocate and admits the bus fare cap has influenced him to use the services more regularly since he ditched his car.
He said: “It has completely transformed how I have been using buses, it got me from other modes of transport and onto the buses.
“I love them now; I just can’t stop using them. It has been an absolute godsend.”
More than 130 bus operators including Arriva, National Express and Stagecoach, all of which are major operators in Kent, joined the scheme.
But despite the fare cap saving passengers almost a third of their ticket prices, many have complaints about the service.
Mark Morgan, from Chatham, travels to work using the bus every-day but has waited up to an hour for a bus previously.
He said: “When they’re good they can be really good. I can walk straight out the Pentagon, get onto a bus and be home in ten minutes.
“But that doesn’t excuse the fact that there are other times where they get cancelled, don’t inform anybody and I’m waiting up to an hour.”
Mr Morgan said he does not own a car but out of frustration he hopes to buy one in the new year and abandon the buses all together as he is fed up of the service.
He said: “Take the Arriva bus fleet here. They’re approaching their half-life where they need major overhauling like new engines, gear boxes and yet they just seem to run the bus service on a prayer and a limb at times.”
In response to Mr Morgan’s complaints, a spokesperson from Arriva South, said: “Our buses in Kent are running to time in most instances, but sometimes our buses have to wait in roadworks, which are out of our control.
“In terms of safety and engineering, our vehicles are checked and maintained to the legal standards expected from a public transport business.”
But it’s not just Mr Morgan who is feeling the frustration as many passengers from Kent are expressing their annoyance on social media.
One post on Facebook read: “I’ve been waiting for the bus since 3pm and three buses have failed to show up. What a joke of a bus service yet again.”
Another by Bernard Dwyer, read: “I gave up using the service its completely unreliable. I’d rather wait in traffic.”
However, Roads Minister Richard Holden confirmed that Kent County Council will be receiving its second allocation of funding for the Bus Service Improvement Plan+ for 2024-25.
He said: “We are delivering for local communities across fifteen local authorities by providing a further £17.2 million to improve and protect essential local services, as we continue to boost transport connections in the South East to grow the economy.”
The council hope the funding across the region will help introduce lower fares, improve bus reliability and punctuality as well as protect the services.
But for now, major bus operators are asking passengers who have complaints about specific routes and services to get in contact with them.