Sittingbourne Bus Hub Officially Opens 16th March

The hub, which is located opposite to The Forum shopping centre and adjacent to the Bourne Place leisure quarter,  is due to open on the week commencing 16 March and will serve as the focal point for buses in and out of Sittingbourne.

The revised opening date for the hub was to allow for an improved customer experience in and around the bus area.

Additions made to the bus area include:

• Differentiating the surfaces on paths to mark the appropriate routes in and around the bus stops;
• Installing additional way finding signage around the bus area to remove any ambiguity around the direction of travel;
• And marking the crossing between the bus island and The Forum with coloured surface to highlight the pedestrian transition route.

The improvements to the bus area, ahead of opening, were made in partnership between the Spirit of Sittingbourne and local bus operators.





A Spirit of Sittingbourne spokesperson said:

"We are delighted to announce that the new bus area in Sittingbourne town centre is due to open on the week commencing 16 March."

"The new area will create a central point for buses in and out of the town centre."

"In designing the bus area, we have worked with local bus operators and Swale Borough Council to ensure the customer experience is as quick and easy as possible."

"We look forward to the area opening to the public in a few weeks’ time, making commuting in and out of the town centre easier than ever."




Cllr Monique Bonney, Cabinet Member for Economy and Property at Swale Borough Council said:

"I’m pleased that we will finally have a dedicated area in Sittingbourne for local bus services."

"Buses are essential for bringing people back into the town without clogging up the roads, and this new area will provide easier access for visitors and shoppers using public transport."





Oliver Monahan, Managing Director of Arriva Kent and Surrey said:

"After working closely with the Spirit consortium, we are very pleased to see the new bus hub in Sittingbourne town centre opening shortly."

"Arriva’s customers can look forward to a new and improved experience."

"Bus journeys in and out of Sittingbourne town centre will be even easier and more pleasant than before”




Roland Eglinton, Managing Director of Chalkwell Coaches said:

"Chalkwell coaches have worked with the Spirit of Sittingbourne and Swale Borough Council in recent months to deliver a bus area that will operate efficiently and effectively for our customers."

"The new hub includes additional signage and signified crossings which will make the area safer and easier to use for all."

"We very much look forward to the bus hub opening, and to our buses being able to access this new facility, which should improve the overall user experience for all of our customers."

Will the mud baths on that part of the hub be filled in by then and a proper surface laid for pedestrians?  Will a suitable crossing be placed between the hub and that part of the footway giving access to the railway station?  Such a crossing is very necessary with the amount of vehicles travelling in both directions there and with little, if, at times, any warning of their approach or is it a matter of being one of the quick or the dead?  Is the red 'carpet' already in place there so that we don't notice the blood when we are knocked over?  The whole area is dangerous in so many respects and ill-conceived.  Perhaps the County Council, especially the Councillors, being responsible for road lay-out and planning, could do worse than visiting and walking around the area so see what the ordinary folk are being obliged to put up with.