Investment Made In New Buses For Swale Routes

Pictured left to right: Kevin Hawkins (Regional Commercial Director, Arriva Southern Counties), Councillor John Wright (Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Swale Borough Council) and Tom Pierpoint (Public Transport Team Leader, Kent County Council).

Local bus operator Arriva has invested almost half a million pounds in four brand-new buses for its services in the Sittingbourne and Faversham areas.

Three of the buses are for use on the route that links Oare, Faversham, Teynham and Sittingbourne with Maidstone. whilst the fourth is a smaller midibus that is now bringing new standards of comfort on the local service between Sittingbourne town centre, Murston and Great Easthall.

Built in Yorkshire by the Optare company, one of the UK's leading bus builders, all are of the easy-access design with a low-level entrance and no steps in the front half inside. Arriva's Regional Managing Director, Heath Williams, told SFM News that he was "delighted that we have been able to invest in new, fully-accessible and environmentally-friendly buses for our services in the Swale area. We are members of the Swale Quality Bus Partnership which aims to improve the quality of bus travel in the area and the new buses will give a more comfortable ride to our customers on Services 333 and 349 while helping to bring about improved air quality across the Borough. In spite of the economic climate we have so far this year invested nearly £8million in forty-seven new buses for our services in Kent and across the Thames Estuary in South Essex, this being a testament to our confidence in the future of public transport in the area."

Speaking on behalf of Swale Borough Council, Cllr John Wright, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and member of the Quality Bus Partnership, told SFM News "I and, most importantly, the travelling public welcome the investment by Arriva in their four new buses. New buses will help to encourage more people to use these services as an eco-friendly and cost effective way of travelling. I welcome this commitment by Arriva and look forward to continuing to work with them to improve services and infrastructure for buses throughout the borough for the benefit of Swale residents."

Full details of the times of Arriva's buses serving Swale can be found online at www.arrivabus.co.uk/south-east or by calling 0844 800 4411.

Timetable leaflets are available from local outlet,s such as libraries, council offices etc, or by calling the above number.