00:00For many, the bus is their only way to get around, getting to the train station for work,
00:04taking the children to school, doing the shopping and general day-to-day living.
00:09So imagine if these vital services that are so heavily relied on were to be reduced or cancelled altogether.
00:15Well that's what's happening here in Kent.
00:17Bus operators, Arriva and Stagecoach have announced they can no longer provide services at the levels they are currently at.
00:23Operators insist that the maths for running these services no longer add up, blaming rising staff and fuel costs.
00:29I'm here in Maidstone and passengers waiting at the bus stop are very disappointed.
00:33I would find it very difficult to get into town because I live, you know, in the country, you know,
00:38further out.
00:39Well fortunately I'm retired so I don't need the buses but it would be annoying.
00:44If your bus service was taken away, how would you get to the places where you would need to go?
00:50I don't know.
00:51I'm coming out, the old people can't drive it, but you need to keep the bus running.
00:56There's no other travel to get to the places I need to get to.
00:59And walking for other people as well with disabilities and all that will be fine and hard to get to
01:06their places that they need to be.
01:07The details of the changes by the operators are contained in a Kent County Council members briefing paper and have
01:14been highly criticized by councillors.
01:15The idea of giving people cheaper bus fares is brilliant and has to be welcomed but it almost feels like
01:22the companies have used this as an excuse to wriggle out of less profitable routes.
01:27I'm not going to suggest for one second that the fare should go up.
01:31There needs to be a way of holding these bus companies to account so that they don't use the changes
01:37as an excuse in the way we can see them doing.
01:40And it comes just as the new Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced a £2 fare cap from next year.
01:45In statements, Areva said adjustments affecting areas like Maidstone, Dartford and Blue Water aim to improve punctuality and match customer
01:54demand amidst rising operating costs and shifting passenger numbers.
01:59Stagecoach said the cuts are necessary due to persistently low passenger numbers post-pandemic alongside unsustainable rises in fuel, operating
02:07and staffing costs.
02:08The government may be promising a new £2 fare cap to get people back on public transport but that is
02:15cold comfort for Kent's most vulnerable people.
02:17The cuts are due to start later this month.
02:20This is Gavin Wilson for KMTV.
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