Kent politician’s petition to revert bus changes reaches 500 signatures

Local Conservative councillor, Joe Howes, started a petition aiming to keep the number 6 bus service at two buses per hour on the 4th of May.

In the information regarding his petition, he has stated; “this service is not just a means of transportation, but a lifeline that connects our communities- Herne Bay, Beltinge, Broomfield, Herne and Greenhill with Canterbury and Whitstable.”

The petition has hit over 500 signatures very recently, and gained 71 signatures in the morning hours of Friday the 10th alone while receiving positive replies from the community.

This puts the petition at halfway to its goal of 1000 signatures which is needed for the petition to be seen by Stagecoach.

Replies range from “I depend on a regular service being run”, and “my son will be using these buses in the future for college and it is ridiculous having to leave 2 hours early to get somewhere in 30 minutes.”

The change in question is that the number 6 bus was renamed to 602, and operates hourly on Mondays to Saturdays rather than the usual two per hour.

Any number 6 bus that usually serves Hillborough School in the morning was renamed to 603 to indicate their school route.

One user under the name Abbie Gilham said; “The triangle and 6 and 4 worked perfectly. People aren’t confused yu are making excuses for not putting on enough drivers and buses.

“How can we lessen our emissions if we now need a car or a taxi to get places. Now people WILL get confused. It’s an absolute joke and totally unneeded. Change it back!!!!!”

This also sparked some worries due to bus services usually being used by older people and disabled people who would be left waiting for much longer for a needed service.

I heavily rely on the number 6 bus because of my epilepsy and because of this condition and the severity of my condition I will never be able to drive. Also the cost of taxis is not viable- Will Butler

This petition aims to reverse these changes and bring back the old service number with the timetable.

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Featured image from Change.org petition