Bus route to restore link between city and towns

A new bus service is being launched to connect Canterbury with communities across South Thanet after a campaign saw more than 800 people sign a petition.

The new 44 service will provide a link between Canterbury and communities in Wingham, Sandwich, Cliffsend, Ramsgate and Westwood Cross shopping centre from 20 September.

Polly Billington, East Thanet MP, said she had campaigned for more than two years to restore the link, which had been "overwhelmingly the top priority" in a survey of residents.

Joel Mitchell, managing director of Stagecoach South East, said the new connection had been made possible through careful route planning and timetable work.

Billington said: "In coastal towns like ours, reliable, affordable bus services are vital to keeping our communities connected and our economy moving."

She said she had campaigned for more than two years to restore a direct bus link between Ramsgate and Canterbury, adding: "More than 800 constituents backed my petition calling for this important change."

Billington added: "I've heard from people locally who have had to turn down job offers or training opportunities simply because they couldn't afford to travel to Canterbury to take them up.

"I'm delighted this vital connection is being restored."

Mitchell said: "We know how important reliable bus services are to the communities we serve, and we have worked hard with Kent County Council and local representatives to find the best way forward for Thanet."

He said Stagecoach was also protecting services 9 and 32, while still operating the 34, despite the "significant financial pressures" facing some parts of the network.

The new 44 bus will also work alongside the hourly service 43 between Sandwich and Canterbury, maintaining a combined 30-minute frequency on that section of the route.

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