Too little, too inconvenient

Further to my previous letter on the new Little & Often minibus service, having now travelled on the new B-line bus more frequently, I have realised the pros and cons a bit more.

Putting aside the size of the minibuses, I have observed that these vehicles stop far away from the kerb (a good 25cms) and the step is not level with the path, making a step on or off a little difficult.

I heard a woman with a pushchair trying to get out saying to herself “Bloody hell, this is dangerous”.

The old buses, when approaching the kerb, use to lower down level with it, making it easy for passengers with walking frames and wheelchairs and pushchairs.

Also, now, the B-line Kennington service only serves one side of the Kennington area.

There is old Kennington and new Kennington.

All along the Faversham Road right and left and up to Towers School is, I think, Kennington.

The B-line buses come every 10 minutes up and down, via The Pastures, through the back and come out at Bybrook Barn, joining Canterbury Road and then going straight to the town centre.

However, there are plenty of residents on the other side of Kennington, close to The Street, which don’t have any buses other than the E-Line, or the Canterbury and Faversham buses.

I would like to suggest that the B-line also runs every 10 minutes to alternate sides of Faversham Road.

Currently the B-line buses are empty most of the time and only serve one side of Kennington.

Surely it would not make much difference if one of the B-line buses took a deviation every now and again to pick people up.

Sorry Stagecoach but I do hear people’s complaints. Mrs Delfina Brooks Kennington With reference to the many letters regarding Stagecoach’s new Little & Often minibus service. I like many was looking forward to the introduction of this service, until I studied the new routes.

Living in the Street area of Kennington the H bus used to provide a good quick service to the William Harvey Hospital.

This line has now been withdrawn, with no direct route to the hospital on a Sunday.

Checking the Stagecoach timetable, it offers three alternatives for this day, from between 45 minutes and 1 hour 11 minutes.

Each options requires between one and three changes of bus.

Essentially this area of Kennington has been cut off from the hospital, unless taking a long indirect journey. A Thom Kennington

The new ‘Little & Often’ service