Stagecoach South & South East

[RogerOut]

The thing is Ashford is situated quite well for other Kent towns. Maidstone, Canterbury, Folkestone all big towns within its network.
In theory, shouldn’t Ashford be successful for a bus operator?

 

[alex397]

The thing is Ashford is situated quite well for other Kent towns. Maidstone, Canterbury, Folkestone all big towns within its network.
In theory, shouldn’t Ashford be successful for a bus operator?

In theory, Ashford should have prospered well with its connection to HS1 and a huge amount of new housing developments. But something seems to have gone wrong in that town, and it appears to be a town on the decline. The town centre is quite grim and increasingly so.
Perhaps there are many people living there who don’t spend money in the town or use the local buses because they are working in London, whereas perhaps before HS1 there were less commuters. Though I would have thought many commuters would want to get the bus to the station? Who knows.
It would be also interesting to know if the closure of the Eurostar terminal has had an impact at all on the town, though I doubt they employed many people or those using the station spent much in the local area.
But, I digress…

Back to the buses - those three places you mention are all connected to Ashford by train, offering much faster journey times which also have evening and Sunday services. I suspect the only people to use a bus from Ashford to those towns/city are those who want a cheaper journey.

 

[RogerOut]

I did seem madness to cut the Eurostar terminal at Ashford , I guess that was down to the French?

Whether that impacted buses I don’t know, as most people would probably have parked in the car park. I also digress.

 

[Typhoon]

The thing is Ashford is situated quite well for other Kent towns. Maidstone, Canterbury, Folkestone all big towns within its network.
In theory, shouldn’t Ashford be successful for a bus operator?

Back to the buses - those three places you mention are all connected to Ashford by train, offering much faster journey times which also have evening and Sunday services. I suspect the only people to use a bus from Ashford to those towns/city are those who want a cheaper journey.

Not only that, but it is the time taken to get there by bus - Maidstone an hour, Canterbury 50 minutes, Folkestone 90 minutes and in most cases there is not much along the way (Hythe on the 10 being an exception). Contrast to Sittingbourne to Maidstone, no rail link, takes 30 minutes and that will be down to one an hour from next month.

'cheaper journey' or time to kill; maybe when I am rather more decrepit than I am today, I will take the 10X ('X' indeed) from end to end just to get out of the house do a round trip, that will kill 8 or 9 hours might save a few quid on the heating.

Stagecoach have tried to get things moving in Ashford - 'Little & Often', and at one time they had many more lettered routes - I can remember 'H' which went to the hospital from the suburbs, 'E' which went to Eureka Park/ Europa Park?(somewhere beginning with 'E') and K - no idea! I used to go through Ashford quite a bit, and the impression I got was of 'car city', with buses caught up behind 'beeping' cars. Now, with the rural routes I used axed along with the through bus to Hastings, it may be some time before I return.

In theory, Ashford should have prospered well with its connection to HS1 and a huge amount of new housing developments. But something seems to have gone wrong in that town, and it appears to be a town on the decline. The town centre is quite grim and increasingly so.

They appear to be heavily into 'out of town' shopping centres - there is the Designer Outlet, there are smallish retail parks all over the place and also the leisure park which means you really need to go by car. And there is only so much shopping you can do.

 

[RogerOut]

But if fewer passengers are using buses and there is a shortage of drivers, that’s contradictory? These are the reasons councils are using to cut services.
If services are cut too much won’t people fail to see the point in using them at all?

We’re not heading for a school only service are we ?

 

[Typhoon]

But if fewer passengers are using buses and there is a shortage of drivers, that’s contradictory? These are the reasons councils are using to cut services.
If services are cut too much won’t people fail to see the point in using them at all?

We’re not heading for a school only service are we ?

Why? Drivers are leaving because they get paid more elsewhere.I can only speak from my experience but say five years I would see a rather large core of familiar drivers and a few I hadn't seen before on local routes, now there are a lot who are completely new to me and not many I recognise. I know they are probably new or newish because they don't seem to be able to place certain stops, particularly if the passenger uses a landmark name which is different from the stop name (for instance a building rather than a road name).

Fewer passengers are travelling because there is more working from home and for some people they have not returned to their old way of living following the Covid break, for instance there are people who used to catch a bus who now take a taxi.

What we are seeing is that some marginal routes have succumbed, other routes operate less frequently which might impact on their usefulness to some potential passengers, local authorities don't have the resources to do anything about it, central government can, and is, to some extent. Whether it is the right 'something' I will leave to others. Operators are under pressure to cut overheads (but cutting the wage bill would be difficult), one asset they have is garages so if there is empty space, they can take a number of steps to reduce unused resources including by selling off their real estate in whole or in part - particularly as the price of land has increased recently.

There is likely to be more than just school services but evenings and Sunday (and possibly early mornings) will take a hit, passengers might have to endure more indirect routes if an existing route is diverted to serve a previously served area. Different areas with different providers will suffer to a greater or lesser degree and, as someone in my seventies who doesn't drive, I wouldn't want to live too far from a main route.

 

[RogerOut]

The fact is, many young people don’t want to be bus drivers. There isn’t enough new blood to want to do the job anymore. Granted I work with some very young drivers, and some enjoy it.

But let’s be honest , there’s lots of negatives to being a bus driver.
Long shifts, weekends, late nights, hassle from passengers, inconsiderate road users. This has always been the case , but many people have more choices with careers now than say 20 or even 10 years ago. Especially when people can work from home in the the comfort of any shirt and shorts. Why would they want to drive a bus for 5 odd hours in either boiling hot buses or cold ones?

Traffic will only get worse with more house building, leading to more lost mileage from operators.
Some drivers have got theirs class 2 licence off their own back, as long as you can afford the course , you’ve pretty much got a guaranteed job afterwards. And HGV drivers get paid more generally. Quite a few are Mon- Fri too.
You’re quite right about wages, bus operators are trying to save money but if they don’t pay a reasonable wage then simply people won’t do the job.
I’ve been looking at the operators in Merseyside for example. Even offering wages of 15ph and they still struggle to get staff. It’s cheaper up there surely? Sorry, I’m going off topic.

But I don’t see any real solution to how the south east can really improve without major government intervention. Down here we’re also the most populated area of the country, outside London. Inevitability, more people not also more traffic.

 

[LUYMun]

Silly question here but isn’t the government meant to be funding county councils across the UK to improve public transport?

I believe this is largely down to local authorities funding bus services through their own collected taxation as well as other grants (Section 106, BSIP+) from as far as I know, though others with greater knowledge can explain better. As a result, local authorities across the country are taking different measures to tighten their budget post-pandemic, such as Surrey County Council wanting to maintain its core network while reducing frequency, and looking to replace a large number of rural once-weekly bus services with DRT in order to reduce their budget slightly. There were also some cuts proposed, but because of the response received following this year's consultation, SCC won't be pursuing with the majority of these.

Fewer passengers are travelling because there is more working from home

I would argue that flexible working is better embraced by workforces as the employees would only come to the office once or twice a week, taking the other two or three days to work remotely, and at different time periods as well. This certainly flatlines peak demand, but bus operators would now have to employ drivers to work the 'interpeak' periods to carry workers to/from their offices, expecting to start at 11am or finish at 2pm, meaning additional hours would have to be endured and a rework on their daily duties to meet practicalities.

 

[MotCO]

such as Surrey County Council wanting to maintain its core network while reducing frequency, and looking to replace a large number of rural once-weekly bus services with DRT in order to reduce their budget slightly.

Please not another DRT which will inevitably fail and cost more than a regular bus service. Put the available funding into fixed bus routes, even if it means a reduced service compared to the current timetable, but find out when people want the buses to run and just run at those times if you want to save costs.

 

[LUYMun]

Please not another DRT which will inevitably fail and cost more than a regular bus service. Put the available funding into fixed bus routes, even if it means a reduced service compared to the current timetable, but find out when people want the buses to run and just run at those times if you want to save costs.

Having conversed with several members responsible in SCC's bus team (as a member of a local bus users' group), the impression was given that the overall changes, including the expansion of DRT, to Surrey's bus network would apparently affect 1% of total trips within the county, but would provide better travel offers to rural residents. This was justified by the positive response to Mole Valley's DRT scheme, which had been extended south earlier in the year. Regardless, I share concerns that the cons might outweigh the pros, though it should be seen how the DRT network would perform.

From what I know, the North Guildford area is set to have DRT introduced in September of this year, anticipating the withdrawal of Stagecoach's Guildford route 17, along with a wider introduction by September 2024.

 

[Trainguy34]

Reduced frequencies and withdrawal of late evening service after 2000

Does that mean the last service is around 8 o'clock on the C

 

[alex397]

Does that mean the last service is around 8 o'clock on the C

At this stage, these appear to be only proposals, so we won’t see a timetable until much nearer the time, and after there has been an official announcement. Who knows, there may be last minute funding for certain journeys, especially as the C serves the hospital.

 

[E-Rail]

The thing is Ashford is situated quite well for other Kent towns. Maidstone, Canterbury, Folkestone all big towns within its network.
In theory, shouldn’t Ashford be successful for a bus operator?

East Kent as an area is quite unique. It's town's are all pretty much self contained and have one of everything that most people needed.

Bus travel was centered around journeys to and from Canterbury, primarily for academic purposes but also for the 'bigger shops'. However, Canterbury is now a sad shadow of its former self these days and from my last few visits there, quite a depressing place with increased crime and graffiti everywhere. A lot of the high street brands that use to pull people from the East Kent towns have either closed, or like Debenhams, survive online only now. Nobody is going to sit on a bus for an hour each way to get to Home Bargains, and besides which, every town has one anyway. Even looking at Primark, which now occupies the former BHS store in Canterbury, its a smaller store compared to its Westwood Cross branch so there is no need for journeys from Thanet into Canterbury for that either.

People in East Kent just don't travel around the county very much. There are residents in Thanet that have never been off the island. Most people, for eg in Folkestone, had never been to Thanet before Westwood Cross became East Kent's regional shopping centre (with free parking). They had no reason to. Its the same in every East Kent town.

 

[Sussexwatch]

East Kent as an area is quite unique. It's town's are all pretty much self contained and have one of everything that most people needed.

Bus travel was centered around journeys to and from Canterbury, primarily for academic purposes but also for the 'bigger shops'. However, Canterbury is now a sad shadow of its former self these days and from my last few visits there, quite a depressing place with increased crime and graffiti everywhere. A lot of the high street brands that use to pull people from the East Kent towns have either closed, or like Debenhams, survive online only now. Nobody is going to sit on a bus for an hour each way to get to Home Bargains, and besides which, every town has one anyway. Even looking at Primark, which now occupies the former BHS store in Canterbury, its a smaller store compared to its Westwood Cross branch so there is no need for journeys from Thanet into Canterbury for that either.

People in East Kent just don't travel around the county very much. There are residents in Thanet that have never been off the island. Most people, for eg in Folkestone, had never been to Thanet before Westwood Cross became East Kent's regional shopping centre (with free parking). They had no reason to. Its the same in every East Kent town.

When I was last in Canterbury a few months ago it was as busy as ever. As a historical city it will always be a major visitor attraction and draw people in from coastal towns when they are staying there and with two universities it will always be a lively place. It still has a large department store, Fenwick which took over Ricemans, the landmark store previously opposite the bus station. Canterbury also has lots of independent shops which make it more attractive than some smaller towns. Stagecoach frequencies on inter town services are remain good and often far better than pre deregulation days and the busy bus station is still struggles to cope in the afternoons.

 

[E-Rail]

When I was last in Canterbury a few months ago it was as busy as ever. As a historical city it will always be a major visitor attraction and draw people in from coastal towns when they are staying there and with two universities it will always be a lively place. It still has a large department store, Fenwick which took over Ricemans, the landmark store previously opposite the bus station. Canterbury also has lots of independent shops which make it more attractive than some smaller towns. Stagecoach frequencies on inter town services are remain good and often far better than pre deregulation days and the busy bus station is still struggles to cope in the afternoons.

Don't confuse inbound tourism to Canterbury from both London and Port of Call Coach trips from Dover cruise ships with locals though. These visitors were never in the market for local bus services.

I lived in East Kent for 30 years and worked for Stagecoach East Kent for 5 years at Thanet. Canterbury sees nowhere near the number of residential visitors it used to. The closure of Sturry Rd Park and ride is testimony to that.

 

[RogerOut]

I can’t pretend to know East Kent at all. Why did the Sturry Rd park and ride stop? I’ve heard of it but not familiar with it.
I also can’t pretend to know Canterbury. I do know that some drivers have faced abuse including physical attacks in recent years.

 

[markymark2000]

there is the Designer Outlet

The designer outlet is hardly bus friendly though. A large oval and buses are dumped on the outside at the furthest point away from the shops with some shops around 700m walk from the bus stop. If you want to drive though, you can park right in the middle with all shops within a 300m radius.

Why get a bus and be dropped off so far from the shops when you can drive and park in the middle?

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I can’t pretend to know East Kent at all. Why did the Sturry Rd park and ride stop? I’ve heard of it but not familiar with it.
I also can’t pretend to know Canterbury. I do know that some drivers have faced abuse including physical attacks in recent years.

Least well used of the P&Rs, usage crashed post Covid, and they can save money from mothballing the site.

There's a lot of places in a similar boat. Ignoring Swindon and Worcester (who chopped theirs years ago) but Maidstone have trimmed theirs and I've been to a couple recently (Exeter, Salisbury, Bristol) that are simply nowhere near as busy as they were.

 

[RogerOut]

So what is the future of the bus industry in the south east ?

 

[Lynford1976]

Least well used of the P&Rs, usage crashed post Covid, and they can save money from mothballing the site.

There's a lot of places in a similar boat. Ignoring Swindon and Worcester (who chopped theirs years ago) but Maidstone have trimmed theirs and I've been to a couple recently (Exeter, Salisbury, Bristol) that are simply nowhere near as busy as they were.

Maidstone has gone completely. I understand the new administration on Canterbury City Council are about to restart the Sturry Road service.

 

[alex397]

East Kent as an area is quite unique. It's town's are all pretty much self contained and have one of everything that most people needed.

In terms of shopping, I agree with you. While there are still some big name stores in Canterbury, which do attract people from other towns and the villages (Herne Bay and Whitstable don’t have a lot of the big names, although their independent offering is very good), it is a shadow of its former self. It does still have Fenwick, but Debenhams and Nasons (a local dept. store) have all gone.
Interestingly, some photos have recently been shared on a Facebook group of some of the market day buses operated by Stagecoach in the 90s,with one operating all the way from Lydd with a pretty full load of passengers. That wouldn't be viable now (the market isn't that great these days, unless you want batteries and vapes).

However, Canterbury is still a big attraction for work and education. Because of Kent’s school system with lots of grammar schools, many pupils travel in from further afield, especially Herne Bay and Whitstable. Canterbury College is a big draw, and there are of course the universities.
I believe having lots of schoolday buses helped lead to Stagecoach's growth in East Kent, as these buses could be used for off-peak services during the day.
Hospitals are another thing that are not really self-contained. Myself and others have had to travel to larger hospitals for appointments such as QEQM in Thanet or William Harvey in Ashford rather than the outdated facilities at Canterbury.

This is personal and not representative of the wider picture, but losing the department stores has stopped me going in to Canterbury so much, I now mainly go in for specialist items from some of the independent shops for gifts or a treat, or go in for a coffee or a beer, although the atmosphere can often be a bit, er, anti-social at times and has certainly worsened in recent years sadly. I'm not sure if that has impacted visitors or not, but a few people I know say they don't like the city anymore because of the trouble from youths. But 'a few people I know' isn't the best evidence obviously.
The vile 2019 gang attack on a foreign exchange student which reached national and German news probably didn't help much with the city's image.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Maidstone has gone completely. I understand the new administration on Canterbury City Council are about to restart the Sturry Road service

I knew it was much reduced but not that it had gone totally.

Wasn't the Canterbury scheme under threat by some guy (was it the Tory leader?) who was anti-P&R and had some "radical" ideas on the ways in which to manage traffic in the city?

 

[alex397]

Wasn't the Canterbury scheme under threat by some guy (was it the Tory leader?) who was anti-P&R and had some "radical" ideas on the ways in which to manage traffic in the city?

Yes, it was the Tory leader of Canterbury City Council, Ben Fitter-Harding.
In a KentOnline article, while struggling to understand the concept of a bus taking up less road space than lots of cars, he stated “I’m no fan of park and ride, I think the model of driving to a car park to board another road vehicle that’s using the same road space is flawed, and the three locations in the city are too far out to be sustainable in terms of walking – yet too close to provide a real congestion benefit. Our park and ride buses spend far too much time stuck in traffic.” Link here - Park and ride service in Canterbury is 'flawed' and should be replaced, says council leader

Under his leadership, the Sturry Road Park & Ride was 'temporarily' closed from July 2021 until 2024. However, the Tories were booted out in the May local elections (well, 8 seats instead of 23 in 2019) and the council now has a Labour/LibDem leadership. They have pledged to reopen the Sturry Road P&R sooner than 2024.

 

[lxfe_mxtterz]

It has been reported by a driver on the Stagecoach in Guildford Fleet News group on Facebook that Stagecoach will be losing route 715 (Guildford to Kingston) from 25th August due to latest Surrey County Council retendering.

It is reputed that Falcon Buses are to take on the 715.

Facebook

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(Private group so you require an account to view)

 

[Flange Squeal]

It has been reported by a driver on the Stagecoach in Guildford Fleet News group on Facebook that Stagecoach will be losing route 715 (Guildford to Kingston) from 25th August due to latest Surrey County Council retendering.

It is reputed that Falcon Buses are to take on the 715.

Facebook

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(Private group so you require an account to view)

This appears to be backed by a post on the Hants & Surrey Bus Blog on their Facebook page a couple of days ago, along with several other routes reportedly being taken over by Falcon from Rotala's Diamond. It is also reported that this latest round of tendering also included Stagecoach South's 11 [Farnborough to Paddock Hill] and 16 [Aldershot to Rowledge] which they have retained. Not sure how many other companies would have submitted a realistically competitive tender for those though, possibly White Bus for the 11.

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If word on the street is right, the Kingston and north west Surrey area may be seeing even more independent operation following the recent of Surrey County Council retendering. It’s being reported that Falcon have gained the 557 (Addlestone - Shepperton - Sunbury) from Diamond South East and 715 (Kingston - Cobham - Guildford) from Stagecoach South, while White Bus are said to have gained the 458 (Kingston - Walton - Staines) from Diamond South East. A possible move between independents of the 437 (Woking to West Byfleet/Brooklands) from White Bus to Falcon also.
Further out, Metrobus are said to have retained the work of the Southdown operation that parent Go-Ahead acquired earlier this year, along with the 619 (St Andrew’s School to Lower Kingswood) from fellow Go-Ahead Group division London General.
I understand other routes were also part of this year’s tendering process, so as these results are officially announced (and the above gossip confirmed either way) I’ll of course get the full - confirmed - results written up. It is also noted that Diamond have cancelled the registration for the 663 (Esher High School to Walton) from the end of this academic year, so that may be another Diamond South East route on the move to another operator after the summer school holidays.

Also, further to yesterday’s tender results rumours, Simon Dunn of Rotala has confirmed that Diamond South East have indeed lost the 458 and 557 main routes, as well as school/college routes 616, 663 and 814.

 

[Surreyman]

This appears to be backed by a post on the Hants & Surrey Bus Blog on their Facebook page a couple of days ago, along with several other routes reportedly being taken over by Falcon from Rotala's Diamond. It is also reported that this latest round of tendering also included Stagecoach South's 11 [Farnborough to Paddock Hill] and 16 [Aldershot to Rowledge] which they have retained. Not sure how many other companies would have submitted a realistically competitive tender for those though, possibly White Bus for the 11.

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I overheard a Stagecoach driver today saying 'we are losing the 715' - so that will save them a pvr of 3.
On a more positive note, Diamond losing the 458 means less Streetlites in Surrey and none in Kingston.
It will be interesting to see the final outcome of the tender results.

 

[MotCO]

I wonder if Falcon will use their standard E200 MMC on the 715, or whether they may order something a bit more upmarket, maybe with coach seats recognising the Green Line heritage of the route?

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I wonder if Falcon will use their standard E200 MMC on the 715, or whether they may order something a bit more upmarket, maybe with coach seats recognising the Green Line heritage of the route?

Last time I travelled on it, it was a 13 year old Stagecoach Dart!

 

[MotCO]

Last time I travelled on it, it was a 13 year old Stagecoach Dart!

Arriva had their preserved RMC up for sale recently - I wonder if they could use that !!!!

 

[SeveerYeliab]

Stagecoach have published the details of the changes funded by the East Sussex bus service improvement plan which will take place from July 23rd along with timetable details.

Bus service improvements in East Sussex

www.stagecoachbus.com

Bus service improvements in East Sussex​

From Sunday 23 July 2023, lots of bus services in East Sussex will be improved and upgraded thanks to funding through East Sussex County Council’s Bus Service Improvement Plan.

There will be new timetables for most bus routes in the county. On many routes, more buses will run more often. Some areas will have new bus links, and there’ll be a better bus service in the evenings. Sunday buses will be boosted or introduced on some routes too.

Full details about Stagecoach services are listed below, including links to the new timetables. You can also find info on services provided by other bus operators on East Sussex County Council’s website here.

Don’t forget, thanks to support from East Sussex County Council, there a loads of great value ticket options available for bus travel in East Sussex. You can find out all about these here.

Bus service changes in the Eastbourne & Hailsham area
Scroll table horizontally to view table content

Route Number	Route description	Details
Eastbourne Loop	Town centre – Langney – Shinewater– Hampden Park – Willingdon Trees – DG Hospital – Old Town – town centre	NEW - extra bus journeys between Langney Shopping Centre and the town centre via Asda and Seaside. The frequency of buses on this section will increase. Buses will run up to every 15 minutes on Mondays to Saturdays and up to every 30 minutes on Sundays. View the new timetable here
1X	Roebuck Park – Eastbourne town centre	NEW – later evening buses to and from Roebuck Park. NEW – Sunday buses introduced running hourly throughout the day up to around 1830. Some of these extra bus journeys replace route 51 buses at Roebuck Park. View the new timetable here
3/3A	Meads – town centre – Birch Road	NEW – later evening buses between the town centre and Meads. There will also be a revised Sunday timetable. View the new timetable here
5/5A	Sovereign Harbours – town centre	NEW – enhanced evening timetable with extra journeys running to and from the harbours. There will also be a revised Sunday timetable. View the new timetable here
6	Langney – Sone Cross – Polegate – Willingdon – Eastbourne town centre	NEW – extra evening buses on Mondays to Saturdays. NEW – Sunday buses introduced throughout the day! (partly replacing route 54A). View the new timetable here
51, 251, 252	Eastbourne – Halisham – Heathfield – Tunbridge Wells	NEW – route number will become 51 throughout. NEW – later evening buses between Heathfield and Tunbridge Wells. NEW – frequency of Sunday buses boosted between Heathfield and Tunbridge Wells. (Sunday daytime journeys will no longer serve Roebuck Park; these are replaced with the improved route 1X). View the new timetable here
54	Eastbourne – Uckfield	NEW – extra evening buses on Mondays to Saturdays. New – Sunday buses introduced throughout the day! View the new timetable here
54A	Eastbourne – Polegate – Stone Cross	The Sunday service will no longer operate. The following bus improvements fill in the gaps: • New Sunday timetable on route 6 every two hours. • New Sunday timetable on routes 54 & 98 providing a combined hourly frequency via Dittons Wood and Lidl. • New Sunday timetable on route 1X serving Stone Cross.
98	Hastings – Sidley – Ninfield – Hailsham – Eastbourne	NEW – Sunday buses introduced between Eastbourne and Bexhill via Dittons Wood and Hailsham. NEW – extra early Sunday morning journeys between Sidley and Hastings. NEW - extra evening buses to and from Eastbourne on Mondays to Saturdays. NEW - extra evening buses between Sidley and Hastings on Mondays to Saturdays. View the new timetable here
99	Hastings – Bexhill – Pevensey Bay – Eastbourne	NEW – Sunday buses double in frequency to every 30 minutes NEW - Two extra evening buses from Hastings Rail Station to Silverhill on Mondays to Saturdays. Monday to Saturday bus times will change to help with reliability. (Improvements to the 99 service are commercial changes not funded through ESCC). View the new timetable here

Bus service changes in the Hastings & Bexhill area
Scroll table horizontally to view table content

Route Number	Route description	Details
20	Ore Down Farm – town centre – Hollington	NEW - Sunday evening buses introduced. View the new timetable here
21	Malvern Way – town centre – St Leonard’s – Silverhill – Conquest Hospital	NEW – extra evening buses. NEW – extra early morning Sunday buses to help NHS staff get to the hospital. View the new timetable here
22/22C	Ore Ivy Gardens – town centre – Hollington	NEW – improved Sunday timetable with later evening buses(serving Mayfield Farm). Route 22C evening service will no longer operate on Mondays to Saturdays. Evening buses at Harley Shute will be provided by the extended route 31 service (see below). View the new timetable here
23	Harley Shute – FilshamValley – town centre – Elphinstone Road – Conquest Hospital	NEW – bus frequency doubled to every 30 minutes between Harley Shute and town centre NEW – extra peak-time buses between Hastings Rail Station and Conquest Hospital. NEW – additional journeys at Harley Shute on extended route 31. NEW – Sunday buses introduced between Hastings Rail Station and Conquest Hospital. View the new timetable here
28	Town centre – West Hill – Ore – Conquest Hospital	NEW – extra evening buses, everyday of the week! NEW – extra early morning Sunday buses to help NHS staff get to the hospital. Some early morning journeys on Mondays to Saturdays will be retimed to help with reliability. View the new timetable here
29	Hastings – Conquest Hospital – Tenterden	NEW – extra evening buses to and from Northiam on Mondays to Saturdays. NEW – extra buses to and from Tenterden on Sundays! View the new timetable here
31	Ore Village – town centre – Filsham Valley – Harley Shute	NEW – Route extended to Harley Shute (via Filsham Valley) providing buses every 30 minutes between Harley Shute and town (with route 23). NEW – evening and Sunday service for Filsham Valley. View the new timetable here
95	Bexhill – Sidley – Battle – Conquest Hospital	NEW – Route extended to Conquest Hospital on Saturdays. View the new timetable here
98	Hastings – Sidley – Ninfield – Hailsham – Eastbourne	NEW – Sunday buses introduced between Eastbourne and Bexhill via Dittons Wood and Hailsham. NEW – extra early Sunday morning journeys between Sidley and Hastings. NEW - extra evening buses to and from Eastbourne on Mondays to Saturdays. NEW - extra evening buses between Sidley and Hastings on Mondays to Saturdays. View the new timetable here
99	Hastings – Bexhill – Pevensey Bay – Eastbourne	NEW – Sunday buses double in frequency to every 30 minutes NEW - Two extra evening buses from Hastings Rail Station to Silverhill on Mondays to Saturdays. Monday to Saturday bus times will change to help with reliability. (Improvements to the 99 service are commercial changes not funded through ESCC). View the new timetable here
100/101	Rye – Hastings – Silverhill – Conquest Hospital	NEW – extra evening buses on Mondays to Saturdays. There will also be some adjustments to bus times to help improve reliability. View the new 100 timetable here View the new 101 timetable here
254, 304 & 305	Tunbridge Wells – Hawkhurst – Hastings	NEW – entire route to be renumbered ‘1066’. NEW – extra evening buses. NEW – Sunday buses introduced throughout the day! The 07:05 from Hawkhurst to Silverhill will continue to Hastings town centre (Mon-Fri) and Bexhill College (on schooldays). On schooldays the 08:00 Hawkhurst to Hastings and the 14:48 Hastings to Hawkhurst will no longer call into Robertsbridge College grounds. Students will need toboard/alight the bus in the village. View the new timetable here
312	Rye – Iden – Whittersham – Tenterden	NEW – Sunday buses introduced! There will also be some adjustments to bus times to help improve reliability. View the new timetable here
313	Northiam – Peasmarsh– Rye – Rye Harbour	NEW – Sunday buses introduced! NEW – extra evening buses on Mondays to Saturdays. There will also be some adjustments to bus times to help improve reliability. View the new timetable here
342	Rye – Hastings Elphinstone Road	The 15:51 bus from Rye to Elphinstone Road on schooldays will leave 7 minutes later to align with a change to the finishing time at Rye College.
349	Hawkhurst – Bodiam – Sedlescombe – Hastings	The last two bus journeys each way will run 28 minutes later. View the new timetable here
359	West Hill – St Richards College