Changes to bus services in the Canterbury, Herne Bay, Whitstable, Faversham, Sittingbourne and Maidstone areas

From Sunday 12^th January, we’re making changes to some local bus services in and around Canterbury and the north Kent area. Most of the changes will involve retiming bus journeys to help improve reliability and timekeeping. There will be more extensive changes to the 3/X3 service linking Canterbury and Faversham.

You can find more detail below.

Routes 3/3A/X3

Unfortunately, passenger numbers between Faversham and Canterbury are not currently high enough to be able to sustain the half hourly daytime frequency on this corridor. Therefore, route 3 buses (between Faversham and Canterbury) will no longer run during off-peak times. There will be no change to the number of peak- or school-time buses.

• The X3 will continue to provide an hourly service, with all journeys re-routed to serve Dunkirk and Boughton in addition to Upper and Lower Harbledown. This will give Dunkirk and Boughton a direct link to Sittingbourne and Maidstone for the first time.
• Bus times have been adjusted to take into account the opening of the new M2 junction 5 improvements at Stockbury.

View the new 3/X3 timetable here.

Route 5

There will be some minor changes affecting school-time journeys and evening buses.

• The 15:10 bus from Barton Court School will be renumbered 915 to match the morning service.
• The 15:50 bus from Simon Langton Boys School will be renumbered 914 to match the morning service.
• We regret that the 18:25 and 19:10 buses from Canterbury to Seasalter will no longer run due to low useage. For the same reason, the Seasalter to Millstrood Road short bus journeys at 18:36, 18:51, 19:14, 19:25, and 20:51 will also no longer run.

View the new route 5 timetable here.

Route 22

We’re doubling the frequency of route 22 buses on Sundays and Bank Holidays! Buses will run every 30 minutes instead of hourly.

• The 08:37 schoolday bus journey will no longer run. Customers that use this bus can use the 953 or the earlier route 22 bus at 08:27.
• On Sundays and Bank Holidays the frequency of buses will increase to every 30 minutes.

View the new route 22 timetable here.

Route 23

Sunday bus times will be adjusted.

View the new route 23 timetable here.

Route 25

The daytime service will remain unchanged, however buses will no longer operate after 8.20pm in the evenings.

View the new route 25 timetable here.

Route 36

There will be some changes to bus times to help improve reliability.

View the new route 36 timetable here.

Routes 600/601

There will be a new timetable to help improve journey times and reliability.

View the new route 600/601 timetable here.

Route 602/603

All route 602 buses will serve via Altira Retail Park. In response to local feedback, some 603 schoolday only journeys between Canterbury and Herne Bay will operate everyday. There will also be some minor changes to school-time buses.

View the new route 602/603 timetable here.

Schoolday route 908

Due to low useage, the afternoon journey will no longer operate. You can instead catch the 955 bus to Canterbury city centre then a 600/601/602/603 service to Herne, Broomfield or Hillborough.

Schoolday route 955

The afternoon bus will start from St Anselm’s School layby at 1540.