'We need our local bus service back,' say villagers

Many residents in Broad Oak are now "very, very isolated", according to a campaigner (stock image)

A campaigner has called on Kent County Council to restore a "vital" local bus service after it was cancelled in 2022.

Peter Crawley urged the local authority to bring back the number seven bus, which used to connect Broad Oak to Canterbury and Herne Bay.

He told the BBC that many residents in the village were now "very, very isolated" and could not access key services, such as the GP or pharmacy.

Stagecoach said the number seven bus was withdrawn following a review as passenger numbers remained very low and the costs of operation were unsustainable.

The company explained: "The decision was taken to help protect the viability of the wider network and ensure we could continue to provide reliable bus services across the region.

"We understand the impact that changes like this can have on local passengers, and such decisions are never taken lightly."

Kent County Council has been approached for comment.

'Rising costs'

KCC said earlier in 2025 it had been awarded £22m of government funding to protect bus services and improve its network.

"While this is welcome news, the cost of sustaining buses in Kent continues to grow," the council said at the time.

"With fewer people getting the bus, and rising costs since the pandemic, the council is warning of the financial pressures of sustaining Kent's network."

Multiple bus services have been cut or reduced across Kent in recent years, including Orpington and Dartford, Tunbridge Wells, and Folkestone.

The loss of bus services was also harmful to the environment, said Mr Crawley

Mr Crawley, of the Broad Oak Residents' Association, said the issue was "endemic" in villages in the area and warned people should care as cuts might one day affect them.

The loss of Broad Oak's bus service - which he claimed happened without proper public consultation - was hitting vulnerable, elderly and disabled people particularly hard, according to Mr Crawley.

It also had a negative environmental impact as the only option now was to travel by car, he said.

'Unfair'

Addressing concerns the number seven bus was not commercially viable, Mr Crawley suggested the operator Stagecoach could trial using a smaller bus or redirecting existing services through the village.

Though he said he understood KKC faced funding challenges, he called on the local authority to "please look at this problem".

"It is very unfair," Mr Crawley added.