A common misconception is that Kent County Council (KCC) runs bus services, but we don’t. The majority of bus services are run by private companies, often without public funding. These operators decide on routes and timetables based on whether they can make them work financially and regulation is done by Government agencies. So what role does KCC play?
As the Local Transport Authority (LTA), we can support with funding for services, other initiatives and something called the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) which we deliver with bus operators through our Enhanced Partnership Schemes.
This means we can look at where bus routes are not profitable for operators, but are still important for local communities, and fund operators to run these. For example, helping people in rural areas get around, or enabling children to travel to school. In these cases, we can step in to provide support to help bus companies keep these services running. However, this doesn’t mean that we can fund all services that are cancelled by operators as our funding is limited and we rely heavily on Government Bus Grant funding which has helped us support the network in Kent in the last four years.
We also put forward funding for physical improvements to things such as bus lanes and shelters, and to technology.
What is the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP)?
In 2021, the Government launched the National Bus Strategy to improve bus services across England.
As part of this, councils like KCC were asked to create a BSIP to set out how buses can be made better by improving reliability, keeping fares affordable and making information clearer for passengers.
KCC worked with bus companies to develop the plan and form “Enhanced Partnership Schemes”, meaning both sides work together to deliver improvements.
Kent’s plan successfully brought in significant government funding:
- £35.1 million for 2023/24 and 2024/25
- A further £23 million after the plan was updated in July 2024
- A further 25.8 million for 2026/27
This means more than £86 million has been secured so far, with more to come.
However, there are important rules about how this funding can be used. A large share is provided as capital and must be spent on physical improvements such as improving road layouts, bus lanes, shelters and new technology, rather than just directly paying to subsidise services.
What we’ve done with BSIP funding so far
This funding has come at a difficult time for bus services. Since the pandemic, fewer people have been using buses, while costs for operators have gone up. This has led to many services being reduced or withdrawn across the country.
KCC has used the funding available for services to help protect the network and keep buses running where they are most needed.
For example, we have:
- Helped keep 62 bus services running that might otherwise have been lost
- Supported the Kent Travel Saver (KTS) to keep costs down for families relying on buses to get young people to school
- Focused on protecting routes used by school children
Much of the funding has had to be spent on improving roads and infrastructure, including three major schemes to give buses priority and reduce delays.
These include:
- Pencester Road in Dover which saw the conversion of a one-way road into a two-way bus contraflow opening up a link between Dover Priory Station and Dover Port
- The Rennie Drive scheme in Dartford saw major junction improvements that have reduced journey times on Fastrack services
- The Thanet Superbus scheme saw a host of interventions around the Thanet Loop service including a new bus lane in proximity to the Q.E.Q.M Hospital in Margate
There have also been more than 35 smaller improvements on roads around Kent to help buses run more reliably. A number of further schemes are currently being investigated.
As well as this, more than £3.6 million has been spent on upgrading bus shelters across Kent, and we have given operators grants to introduce contactless and smart ticketing options on their buses.
Improving sustainability
Using BSIP funding, we have also invested in four new low emission vehicles to upgrade and replace some of our Kent Karrier fleet, a flexible dial-a-ride service. This is a service that allows our providers to collect you from your home and take you to a location, such as a supermarket, town centre or hospital, for a small fee.
We are also supporting Arriva to convert buses operating on services 82 and 89 in Maidstone to become fully electric. These services operate on Lower Stone Street, Maidstone, where air quality is a concern.
We are rolling out Real Time Information Screens across locations in Kent and hope to have a further phase for more screens in the future.
We have installed QR codes at all of our marked bus stops in Kent and these link to a new Bus Information Portal where there is up to date information about all buses in Kent, and the option to report problems with bus stops.
What we’re doing next
KCC has secured a further £48 million in government funding for 2027/28 to 2028/29. While this is welcome, much of it will be used to continue the support already in place.
A large portion will go towards keeping the 62 supported services running and continuing to help families with Kent Travel Saver costs.
In other words, a lot of the funding is needed just to maintain the current network as costs continue to rise.
However, there are still opportunities for improvements, and we have future plans which include:
- Improving levels of accessibility to services, fares and information for all of bus users
- More bus priority measures to reduce delays
- Further improvements to passenger information and technology
- Continued introduction of modern, lower-emission buses
- Support for community transport schemes
- Ongoing upgrades to bus stops and waiting areas
To find out more about BSIP here.
