Did you know that Thanet has a "Bus Strategy" (whatever that might be). It basically sketches out the idea that from 2000 to 2010 TDC and KCC want to achieve a few things and are willing to pay to get there.

Should you want to you can read the Thanet Bus Plan here: http://www.thanet.go...THANET170304.pdf.

Up until now I had wondered why Stagecoach seemed to suddenly gain such a strong hold in the area and why a number of the little bus companies (such as the much cheaper "Thanet Bus") vanished at the end of the 1990s. The answer it seems is that TDC and KCC wanted it that way.

Keep reading to find out more.

The sudden loss of a few smaller bus firms and the sudden increase in routes and bus quality may have everything to do with large cash injections from the local authority. This does lead me to wonder why the regular bus user (and tax payer) is then expected to pay for ever this again in the bus (un)fair?

In July, 2000 a Quality Bus Partnership was signed between Thanet District Council, Kent County Council and the major local bus operator Stagecoach in East Kent. The Partnership aims to increase local bus usage by 3% per annum, year on year, over a ten-year period commencing in 2000.

This is why we have the new "Super Low Floor" buses on some of the main routes or "corridors". While these improvements are nice, given the ever increasing price of buses a little competition would have been preferred.

However, finding this document has identified what might amount to the council's entire traffic plan for Westwood Cross. The pdf says that the "plan" will need to incorporate the flexibility to accommodate the many new developments that are taking place or are planned for Thanet. Which is incredibly weak and little wonder that it is not trotted out in response to the critisium that there was no plan at all. (That or no one remembers).

One area for definite improvement I have found, however, is that the Bus Time Table from the East Kent Stage Coach Web Site is only any good if you know the bus you want to use to start with. Does anyone know of someone providing a better Thanet bus breakdown as this might definitely help towards the aim of the overall target [which] is to ensure that public
transport accounts for 20% of all travel needs, for journeys of one kilometre and over in the Thanet area.

I wonder how close Thanet District Council have come to this aim?

Your thoughts?