59 Bus Service
UPDATE MARCH 2023
Nu Venture will be operating a once a week service on Wednesdays. The timetable is attached below and commenced as of the 15th of February 2023.
On the 20th of March Cllr Clark and the Clerk attended a meeting in relation to the number 59 bus service. A grant has been secured which will mean that the bus service is able to operate once a week until at least March 2024. This scheme has been provided using Community Transport Funding provided by Kent County Council. The Parish Council along with neighbouring Parish Councils are continuing to liaise with NuVenture to ensure the bus service remains for the longer term.
Broomfield and Kingswood Parish Council want to highlight the importance of residents using the bus service if you wish the bus service to remain.
USE IT OR LOSE IT!
The number 59 service was taken over from Arriva by Nu-Venture on the 1st of November 2021.
The school number 59 bus service remains with Arriva.
Following a meeting of KCC’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee at the end of August, the decision to remove the subsidy for 38 bus contracts has been referred back to Full Council for further consideration on 20 October. A decision regarding the contracts being considered for potential withdrawal is expected following this meeting.
The budget for supported bus services in 2021/22 was £6M net. For the financial year 2022/23 and to support the council achieve a balanced budget, the net budget for supported bus services is proposed to decrease by £2.2M. Accounting for planned inflation, the net budget for 22/23 will be £4.3M. To achieve the net budget will require a significant number of supported bus contracts to be reviewed for withdrawal, in excess of the £2.2M proposed saving. Bus contracts have been reviewed using the KCC criteria.
The number 59 bus service was one of the services under review and KCC decided to cancel the service!