Double decker buses scrapped from park and ride

Park and ride services in Canterbury will now use single-decker buses rather than double deckers

Double-decker buses are to be removed from a Kent park and ride scheme due to struggling post-pandemic passenger numbers.

The Stagecoach buses in Canterbury will be swapped with single-deckers and hopper buses as the city council aims to cut financial losses from the service.

The city's three park and ride sites were used about 20,000 times in February of this year, compared to 30,000 times in February 2020 shortly before the Covid-19 lockdowns.

The service currently loses more than £30,000 a month, according to a recent report by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Canterbury City councillors have backed the move to replace the double decker buses, with one remarking the existing buses are often seen with only "two people, a dog and a driver" onboard.

Just 17% of journeys in February were at the Sturry Road facility, which had been mothballed by the previous Conservative administration in 2022 but brought back by the Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition after the April 2023 elections.

The site currently loses £28,735 a month – the majority of the council's £32,366 monthly shortfall from the service.

Other changes discussed included reducing the number of buses serving the Sturry road site from three to two.

Canterbury City councillor James Flanagan said changes to the service were "a sensible approach to take" while Conservative councillor Jeanette Stockley expressed concerns over the effect of reducing the number of buses in Sturry Road.

The committee voted unanimously to recommend downsizing the fleet across all three sites, and replacing Sturry Road's buses with hoppers, but members were split on reducing the Sturry Road service.

A final decision on the changes will be taken by the city council's cabinet on 23 April.