In a significant win for public transport, Kent County Council (KCC) has secured a £23 million government grant to support bus services across the county. The funding, part of the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP), will help shore up existing routes and potentially restore services that were recently axed.
The announcement was met with widespread approval at a recent KCC environment and transport committee meeting. Green Party councillor Mark Hood, representing Tonbridge, described the grant as a “huge amount of money” and praised the efforts of KCC’s public transport team.
What the Funding Means for Kent
The £23 million grant is the largest tranche yet under the BSIP scheme, bringing the total funding received by KCC to £58.2 million. The money will be divided into three key areas:
- £10.1 million for revenue support to keep existing services running.
- £11 million for capital projects, including bus shelter repairs and real-time passenger information systems.
- £1 million in direct grants to bus operators.
Currently, 51 bus services in Kent rely on financial support to remain operational. Without this funding, many of these routes would likely be cancelled, leaving communities isolated. The new grant will help protect these vital services while also exploring opportunities to restore recently lost routes, such as the No 55 service in Ringlestone near Maidstone.
Cllr Mark Hood emphasised the importance of this funding, stating, “This is a lifeline for bus users across Kent. But while this grant is welcome, it’s only a fraction of what’s needed to transform our public transport system. We need sustained investment to make buses affordable, reliable, and accessible for everyone.”
Challenges Ahead
Despite the positive news, challenges remain. The bus sector continues to face financial pressures, and KCC anticipates needing to support even more services in the coming year. Residents in Ringlestone, for example, are already feeling the impact of service cuts. After losing their No 55 service, they’ve petitioned KCC to use part of the new grant to restore their connection to Maidstone.
Phil Lightowler, KCC’s head of public transport, described the grant as a “lifeline for bus users” and expressed hope for greater integration between bus and rail networks in the future. He also highlighted the potential for AI to address ticketing issues, making public transport more seamless and user-friendly.
Fairer, Greener Transport Choices
The Green Party has long championed better, cheaper, and more accessible public transport. Our manifesto commits to:
- Increasing annual public subsidies for rail and bus travel to £10 billion by the end of the next Parliament, including free bus travel for under-18s.
- Investing an additional £19 billion over five years to improve public transport, support electrification, and create new cycleways and footpaths.
- Bring the railways back into public ownership.
- Giving local authorities greater control over bus services to ensure they meet community needs.
Our transport choices account for around a quarter of carbon emissions, so it’s vital to make it easier to opt for greener choices. Yet public transport provision continues to decline, often leaving those on low incomes with no affordable options. Greens MPs will champion better, cheaper public transport, so that every community is connected and can thrive.
Walking, wheeling and cycling don’t just help reduce carbon emissions and air pollution – they can make us all happier and healthier too.
Elected Greens will push for:
- Investment of £2.5bn a year in new cycleways and footpaths.
- Reimagining how we use streets in residential areas to reduce traffic and open them up for community use.
- Adopting Active Travel England’s objective of 50% of trips in England’s towns and cities to be walked, wheeled or cycled by 2030.
Aviation is the fastest-growing source of CO2 emissions, and it’s the wealthiest driving this trend.
Greens will push for:
- A frequent-flyer levy.
- A ban on domestic flights for journeys that would take less than three hours by train.
- A halt to the expansion of new airport capacity.