Summer developments in Kent

Saturday 2nd August 2025

Before today’s blog a quick update on the mystery of the missing route 15 on 16th July and non replies from AtoB Bus and Coach. Following publication of Thursday’s blog I was contacted by AtoB’s owner Brian who apologised for the silence in response to my emails/phone calls explaining the company contracts out its email and call handling and that third party company had failed to notify AtoB of my (or any) communications from the public in recent times blaming various reasons from staff shortages to technical issues. Which just goes to show the risk of contracting out important matters like customer communications which I think Brian now appreciates. He also advised the bus suffered a puncture on the journey on 16th July, hence its non appearance in Bassingbourn, not least as they realised intending passengers had the 17 as an alternative.

And so to today’s blog….

I’ve checked out two interesting bus route developments in Kent over the last week to see how they’re doing. First up is a long extension for Stagecoach’s open top bus route 69 in Thanet.

Whereas it had been operating between Ramsgate and Broadstairs at weekends, for the school summer holidays its been extended westwards to three times that route length now continuing via Palm Beach, Margate, Westbrook and Westgate-on-Sea to Minnis Bay.

Buses run hourly from around 09:00 to 19:00 with an 80/90 minute end to end journey time depending on direction.

It’s a route packed full of variety as I found on my journey last week. Buses start in Cliffsend overlooking the sea on Sandwich Road at Ramsgate’s Viking Ship, which isn’t quite as imposing as you might imagine. It’s a replica of Viking Longship which sailed from Denmark to Thanet in 1949 to commemorate the 1,500th anniversary of the AD449 landing of Anglo-Saxon Chieftans Hengist and Horsa at Ebbsfleet, and the betrothal of Hengist’s daughter, Rowena, to King Vortigen of Kent. Well, that’s what the blurb says.

Eight minutes later the bus reaches the Boating Pool…

… where I boarded an already quite busy bus along with eight other passengers.

The bus stop flag which eschewed the old style pole in favour of an adjacent lamppost was adorned with a special plate promoting the service…

… and the timetable case contained a map and timetable.

The bus was a 19 year old former Stagecoach London ADL Enviro400 workhorse originally from Bromley which has subsequently been cut down to size and painted pink for ‘Discover Thanet’ for its second life on the coast…

… and as you can see has a mutli coloured electronic blind display revolving from red to green to blue.

After the Boating Pool it’s on to Ramsgate Harbour where, to my surprise, we only picked up one more passenger but the top deck was already getting quite full.

It’s then on via a bit more of seafront riding…

… to Broadstairs which as you can see from the map below means an inland routing for a short stretch due to there being no continuous coastal road…

… which includes some suburban seaside housing…

… and also some tight turns in residential roads.

As we approached Broadstairs the driver had more challenges with tight turns…

… and passing one of the other two buses on the route…

… which was also well loaded…

… we were soon in Broadstairs where a few passengers alighted and more boarded but it struck me how most passengers were on board for the 90 minute duration. As you may have seen from the map there’s a coastal B road (B2052) that heads north from Broadstairs to North Foreland but unfortunately it’s northern end is too narrow for bus operation…

…so instead we took an inland route along a rather nice tree lined road…

…which itself was quite a challenge…

… but we’re soon back on Kent’s north facing seafront heading towards Margate…

… and it’s familiar landmarks, some of which look past their prime, but not the Turner Contemporary, albeit looking rather bleak…

… and as we approach the main seafront in front of Dreamland…

… where there’s a five minute pause in the timetable for buses in both directions, we pass the third bus operating the route with another good number of passengers on board.

I was again surprised no passengers alighted in Margate and we picked more up at the station…

.. before heading back to the coastal road and on towards Westbrook…

… which brings some welcome green lawns to enjoy, although sadly some of the shelters have seen better days…

… and then on to Westgate-on-Sea…

… and finally to the terminus at Minnis Bay where there are two bus stops, one for passengers to alight, and most did so, although around ten stayed on board, and some boarded, then round the grass square called The Dip…

… and we approached the main pick up bus stop where another impressive number were waiting.

All in all a great varied ride and it was clear passengers were enjoying the journey notably by staying on board for such a long part of the route. I last took a ride on the 69 in its Ramsgate to Broadstairs format when first introduced in its more contemporary guise in 2018 when it was joined by a less successful counterpart, route 37, along Margate’s seafront which didn’t reappear. However, it’s good to see it’s now back and in a much improved format by linking it to the 69. It looks like Stagecoach South East has a well deserved success on its hands.

Meanwhile over in Medway, Arriva has begun new route 192 for the summer school holiday giving a much quicker journey from Allhallows-on-Sea, on the Isle of Grain, into Chatham.

I’m guessing this is a Medway Council BSIP funded initiative rather than a commercial venture, although that may be a false assumption especially as there’s absolutely no mention of the route on Medway Council’s website. (see extract below – and although the heading states “Timetables”, none of the routes listed are clickable, so it’s not really “Timetables”, more “A list of bus routes”)…

…but, commendably, it was good to see Arriva promoting the route with a bespoke timetable leaflet…

… with a route map as well as a comprehensive timetable including journeys between Allhallows and Chatham on route 191 which links the Isle of Grain with Medway on a year round basis.

As you can see route 191 takes over an hour for the end-to-end journey but the new 192 does it in 40 minutes. That’s because the 191 also serves Grain at the far end of the Island and diverts via High Halstow, and even more revolutionary, whereas the 191 is routed via Rochester and Stood into Chatham, the 192 uniquely uses the Medway Tunnel providing a very quick and attractive direct link.

One bus and one driver’s duty covers all five return journeys on route 192 leaving Chatham at 09:00, 10:30, 14:00, 15:30 and 17:00 and returning from Allhallows at 09:45, 11:15, 14:45, 16:15 and 17:50.

I travelled out on the 10:30 departure from Chatham last Tuesday morning. The bus arrived into the Waterfront bus station on its previous journey with four alighting although the driver told me only one had come from the Isle of Grain, and we left with eight on board with four travelling locally and four went all the way to Allhallows.

I originally thought I might stay in Allhallows and explore the area, catching the following return journey back at 14:45, but I’m pleased I opted to come straight back on the 11:15 departure as three and a half hours exploring a closed down pub (see above), static caravan park…

… and the huge Haven Kent Coast Holiday Park…

… didn’t really appeal once I’d arrived.

It was just me on the return journey (aside from a passenger who missed their stop on the way out and had to retrace her steps) but we picked up two in Hoo who were surprised to see us come through the village, expecting to have to wait for the 191…

… and then no-one until we went through the tunnel again…

… and did a circuit of the Dockside Outlet Centre…

… where four boarded and as did two more as we neared the terminus in Chatham, with all eight alighting and the driver heading off for his lunch break.

It’s an unusual route with much of the Isle of Grain quite barren looking…

… and the only community along the line of route being Hoo St Weburgh which the bus deviates off the A228 to serve ..

… with views out across to Canvey Island and Southend-on-Sea.

One point of interest was passing over the single track freight line which serves the Power Station and Container Terminal at the eastern end of the Island and connects with the main line east of Gravesend.

Route 192 offers a great improvement on journey times for those living or visiting the Island on holiday and travelling by bus from Chatham. It’s good to see Arriva has produced a leaflet and I noticed copies were available on board the bus and hopefully they’ve been distributed to residents and the Holiday Park.

Departure listings in Chatham’s Waterfront Bus Station had also been updated to include the 192 from 24th July…

… but, as you can see in this zoomed in photograph, Arriva’s confuse-a-passenger system of timetable presentation has spread to bus stop departure lists so that it shows both school day departures (s) and non school day departures (n) even though, I assume, the list will be updated again at the beginning of September.

It just unnecessarily complicates the presentation for passengers. This one, from another stop, was even worse (see the third column on the right).

At least the online timetable for the 192 on Arriva’s web site has a separate listing from the 191, but still shows every journey on weekdays with a school holiday code.

I see Medway Council must be using BSIP funds to promote free travel for up to three accompanied children during the school holidays…

… which is a welcome development and may help to boost family travel on the 192, but it’s a shame the general displays of timetables and network map in the bus station made no reference to the new route. You really had to hunt around to find out about it.

And if you don’t know it exists, you won’t be using it….

… especially if you ask Google’s AI search engine for information…

Roger French

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