Arriva stops Park and Ride services throughout Maidstone

A Park and Ride service in Maidstone is set to end in February 2022.

After years of serving the community Arriva has decided to discontinue the service due to the lack of passengers due to Covid-19.

Councillor Paul Cooper, Maidstone Borough Council Chairman of strategic planning and infrastructure committee said: “We are very disappointed that Arriva will no longer provide this service, however, we do understand how difficult it has been for Arriva with the reduction of passengers since the beginning of the pandemic.”

Arriva took over the Park and Ride in May 2019 at the sites on Willington street and London Road but due to the pandemic, the service hasn’t had an up flow of customers.

This isn’t the first nor the last of park and rides to close in Maidstone with the 506 route on Sittingbourne Road closing in 2016.

Councillor Paul Cooper also said: “We understand how hard it has been for any business trying to survive in these very unusual circumstances and one which none of us could have predicted.

“The Council has facilitated the Park and Ride service as much as we possibly could prior to and throughout Covid-19 but understands why Arriva has made the decision to withdraw the service.”

Sophie Payne, 25, is a paralegal from Faversham and said that “older residents and students will struggle the most as they need park rides to travel.

“It’s going to impact people a lot because of the restrictions.”

After February 2022 there will be no more Park and Ride services in Maidstone.

Image Source: (Google Maps)