Category Archives: News

Stagecoach Staff Discounted Tickets

The University of Kent works in partnership with stagecoach to bring our staff and students the best value accessible bus travel in Kent.

We are currently the first to be trialing the new Stagecoach mobile corporate app, which enables you to gain exclusive access to the latest discounted bus tickets. As a University of Kent or Kent Union member of staff you receive a 25% discount!

The discounted ticket range includes weekly (7 day) and monthly (28 day) tickets for the Canterbury local travel zone or the whole South East area, for those travelling a bit further to work.

Buying bus tickets on the mobile app means you can pay conveniently on the go using card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, and you can use your ticket straight away! What’s even better is there aren’t any restrictions on when you can use your ticket. So whether you’re commuting to work, nipping out for the evening or exploring local hidden gems at the weekend, you can get there for less.

Of course, COVID safety is at the top of the agenda at the moment and Stagecoach has published a guide to travelling safely by bus – https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/national/covid-19-travelling-safely. With extensive measures to make their services COVID-secure all their local buses are accredited with Visit Britain’s “We’re Good to Go” official mark, recognising the measures they’ve taken to meet government COVID guidelines, keep buses clean and aid social distancing.

Remember – it’s mandatory to use of face coverings on all public transport and social distancing should be maintained at the bus stops and on the buses.

To get discounted bus travel now, download the app or for more information visit our bus travel webpage.

See our COVID-19 travel webpage for regular COVID updates and @UniKent_travel twitter feed (also displayed on our Transport news webpage) for regular service updates.

Dr Bike is back!

In line with the University’s Green Travel Plans and the developing University Masterplan Framework, the Transport Team are always trying to find ways to encourage sustainable travel. To encourage walking ad cycling we provide many initiatives across our campuses including; cycling and walking routes, cycle hire, free bicycle checks, and discounted bicycle repair works to staff and students.

Dr Bike:

We work in close partnership with Dr Bike, at Bycycle, an experienced bicycle mechanic to provide bicycle maintenance, repairs, adjustments, and safety health checks. Dr Bike carries out checks and minor adjustments free of charge. Additional repair work is also available and will always be charged at a special University of Kent reduced rate.

Bicycle repairs will be conducted on a first-come-first-served basis and we generally aim for same-day service but this is less likely if you arrive late in the day!

Canterbury Campus:

The service is available to all University of Kent students and staff.

When and where is Dr Bike at Canterbury:

Dr Bike is on the Canterbury campus every Wednesday, during term time between 08:30 and 16:00.

Find Dr Bike at the Kent Sport Cycle Hub outside the Pavilion, on Park Wood road.

Medway Campus:

The service is available to all University of Kent and University of Greenwich students and staff.

When and where is Dr Bike at Medway:

Dr Bike travels to the Medway campus once a month during term time between 12:30 and 15:30. His dates for the 2020/2021 academic year are:

Thursday 8th October 2020.
Thursday 12th November 2020.
Thursday 10th December 2020.
Thursday 21st January 2021.
Thursday 11th February 2021.
Thursday 11th March 2021.
Thursday 13th May 2021.
Thursday 10th June 2021.

Find Dr Bike outside the Deep End Student Hub on the Pembroke Campus.

For any enquiries regarding bike hire or servicing, contact ByCycle on chris@easybycycle.co.uk or telephone 07842 636597. For more information see our cycling webpages.

COVID Safety:

To ensure this service is COVID-friendly Dr Bike has introduced enhanced cleaning regimes and will be using a track and trace system. It is also essential that you should not enter the workshop or storage areas unless absolutely necessary and when you do you maintain social distancing and wear a face covering. Please also try to avoid busy times, such as during lunch breaks.

For more information visit our travelling during COVID page.

Note: During this time our shower facilities are unavailable.

Dr Bike at Medway and bicycle marking by Medway police

Dr Bike’s first 2020 visit to Medway is coming up on Thursday 23 January. He will be outside the Student Hub between 12:30 and 15:30.

Dr Bike is a trained bicycle mechanic, who offers free cycle health checks including adjustments and advice on repairs. Major repair work and parts are available and will always be charged at a reduced rate for staff and students. The service is available to all University of Kent and University of Greenwich staff and students.

The University of Greenwich have also organised for Medway police to come and perform bike marking between 12:30 and 13:30. Marking consists of taking the frame number from your bicycle, then marking your bicycle with a unique reference number using a chemical compound and applying a semi-tamperproof sticker. All of the reference numbers are then logged on to a secure database, run by BikeRegister.

Registering your bike helps the police identify the legitimate owners of bicycles that have been stolen.

The police will also be able to offer bicycle security and safety advice.

You do not need to register for the event, which is free to all. Just bring your bicycle to the Student Hub on Pembroke campus.

For more information see our cycling webpages.

How gritting works

The University of Kent’s Landscape Management team are always up early and working hard to keep the campus safe and serviceable for all. During icy weather, they grit the campus roads and footpaths to reduce the risk of accidents to staff, students, and visitors.

What many people do not realise is, there is a fine art to gritting. Timing is everything. If you go too early, you waste the grit, because it lands on a dry road and is blown away by the displaced air as vehicles drive past. If it is raining heavily then it just washes away. Ideally the grit goes down on a damp surface and starts to stick, but if you are too late the surface is already frozen and the salt has to work harder to be effective but it will prevent big sheets of ice forming.

The salt is hygroscopic which means that it attracts moisture from the air and it only becomes activated when it is ‘trafficked’. When the grit is driven over the salt grinds down and mixes with the moisture it attracts and becomes the ideal brine, a salty water, which is when it is most effective.

Similar to how local authorities manage gritting, the Estates department will grit all University of Kent roads and main footpaths before starting on other areas across the campuses. For more information see the University’s Snow and Ice Policy.

New year, new commute?

Happy New Year from the Transport Team! As it is the time of year for resolutions and trying out new things, why not try a new commute for the New Year? There are many different ways to travel to and from campus, which may be cheaper, easier, more social, and environmentally friendlier.

To help, we have put together a guide to some of the transport links the university has below.

Train Travel

Both campuses are served by good train links.

Canterbury is served by two train stations: Canterbury East and West. Both are on the Uni bus routes or if your New Year’s resolution was to get fit, why not try walking from the station to the campus a couple of times a week. It is a great way to fit in your steps before work!

For Medway, there are two train stations near the campus: Chatham and Gillingham. Both have regular services running in to them from most of the county. They are accessible via bus or a short walk.

There are many options to help with the ticket costs. For those who travel more than three times a week, season tickets can work out a lot cheaper, giving you unlimited travel of the route. For more information, please see the SouthEastern Rail website.

There are also plenty of railcards which can save you up to a third off all rail journeys: 16-25, Two Together, and Network railcards to name a few. These can be used on any journey you make across the country, and could end up saving you a fortune!

To see if there is any easy train route for your commute, use the rail journey planner now.

Bus Services

Canterbury:

From Canterbury bus station, there are buses travelling far and wide across the region. To see the nearest route to you, use the Stagecoach route planner. A quick journey on the Unibus service (running every 8 minutes during peak times!) brings you up to campus from the city centre, stopping at multiple stops around campus.

The Unibus 1 and 2, Triangle (serving Herne Bay and Whitstable), 4, and 6 services come directly on to campus. For those of you lucky enough to live along one of those routes, you will not even need to change buses in Canterbury.

To help make bus commutes affordable for all, the university works with Stagecoach to offer staff discounted tickets with the option of paying via salary deduction to spread the cost. For more information, please see our webpage.

Medway:

The Medway campuses are served by a number of different services coming from across Medway, which can be seen on our webpages.

As with Stagecoach, the university works with Arriva to offer discounted bus travel to staff. For more information, and to download the promotional codes, please visit our webpage.

For more information on routes and timetables, please see our website.

Car Sharing

Still need to drive, but want to make it cheaper and more social? Why not try car sharing?

We have teamed up with the University of Greenwich and Canterbury Christ Church University to develop a private online car share scheme for staff and students via LiftShare.

On the Canterbury campus, we even have dedicated car share bays in the Estates car park, allowing those with a car share permit to park with ease in a central location.

You don’t have to Liftshare every day, even sharing once a week with someone makes a big difference. You’d be surprised how much the benefits add up over time; we’re talking financial savings (drivers can make back up to 100% of their fuel costs by sharing), as well as reducing your carbon footprint and decreasing congestion and parking pressures. Plus you might make some great new connections!

For more information on car share permits, please see our webpages.

Cycling

Cycling can be a cheap, quick, and healthy way to travel. To help with the initial costs, the university offers staff a cycle to work scheme, which enables you to purchase a brand new bike and accessories from a range of participating local stores at a discounted rate.
You will also save on Income Tax and National Insurance contributions, against the cost of the bike, and can even spread the cost over a 12 or 18 month period. For more information on how to sign up, please see the staff finance page.

On both campuses we offer secure lockable cycle shelters, lockers, and showers in various locations.

Walking

If you live nearby, why not try walking to work a couple of days a week. There are many benefits of walking; it is good for your physical and mental health, as well as saving money and helping the environment. Why splash out on a gym membership when you can get your daily dose of exercise on your commute.

Campus car parks and roads updates (7 January 2020 to 22 January 2020)

The Transport Team want to make finding a place to park on campus as efficient as possible. To do this, we endeavour to keep staff and students updated on any known car park changes within this newsletter.

At all other times, you can visit our Traffic Management Events Calendar and our Twitter page (@unikent_travel), which are updated regularly.

This section of the newsletter also includes ‘Other Traffic Management News’, to highlight any information that may be of importance to drivers.

Car Parking Changes:

Canterbury Campus

Start Date	End Date	Location	Number of Bays	Reason	Requested By
07/01/20	09/01/20	Rutherford Car Park	70	KMMS Interviews	KMMS
10/01/20	10/01/20	Sibson Car Park	21	Kent Business Summit	Kent Business School
		Chipperfield Car Park	39
		Oaks Car Park	Closed
		Pavilion Car Park	50
16/01/20	16/01/20	Giles Lane behind Woolf	30	Applicant Day	Enrolment Management Service
22/01/20	24/01/20	Central Visitors Pay and Display	30	Theatre Performance	Gulbenkian
23/01/20	23/01/20	Giles Lane behind Woolf	30	Applicant Day	Enrolment Management Service
25/01/20	25/01/20	Sibson Car Park	20	Applicant Day	Enrolment Management Service

Medway Campus

There are currently no known car park disruptions at the Medway campus.

Other Traffic Management News

Park Wood Car Parks:

Please note that on Friday 10 January 2020, 300 extra cars will be on campus during the Kent Business Summit. These cars will only have parking permits for the Park Wood car parks. Therefore, parking in Park Wood may be busier than usual. Please see our interactive parking map for alternative parking locations.

Stagecoach release further Unirider discounts

For those who missed out on the discounted Unirider tickets in September, or who have just started at Kent, you are in luck. Stagecoach are releasing a further discounted Unirider ticket on 11 January. Their Term 2 and 3 Unirider ticket runs from 11 January 2020 to the 14 June 2020 and costs £195. That works out at just 79p per day!

As well as allowing you to commute from Canterbury to campus, the Unirider ticket covers the whole of Kent and East Sussex- so you can explore all the region has to offer.

To purchase a Unirider ticket, either visit the Stagecoach website or the Travel Shop at the Canterbury bus station.

Campus Car Parks and Road Updates (26 November – 10 December)

At all other times, you can visit our Traffic Management Events Calendar and our Twitter page (@unikent_travel), which are updated regularly.

This section of the newsletter also includes ‘Other Traffic Management News’, to highlight any information that may be of importance to drivers.

Car Parking Changes:

Canterbury Campus

Start Date	End Date	Location	Number of Bays	Reason	Requested By
Monday 13 May 2019	Tuesday 31 December 2019	Pavilion Car Park	9 bays reserved	To replace the Tennis Courts	Estates on behalf of Hospitality
Monday 18 November 2019	Sunday 1^st December	Estates Car Park	12 bays	Foul drainage works	Estates
Monday 25 November 2019	Monday 25 November 2019	Pavilion Car Park	Whole car park closure	To assist with large delivery	Estates on behalf of Hospitality
Thursday 28 November 2019	Thursday 28 November 2019	Giles Lane Car Park (Behind Woolf)	30 bays reserved	Applicant Day	Recruitment and Admissions Office
Wednesday 4 December 2019	Wednesday 4 December 2019	Giles Lane Car Park (Behind Woolf)	20 bays reserved	Applicant Day	Recruitment and Admissions Office
Thursday 5 December 2019	Thursday 5 December 2019	Giles Lane Car Park (Behind Woolf)	30 bays reserved	Applicant Day	Recruitment and Admissions Office
Saturday 7 December 2019	Saturday 7 December 2019	Giles Lane Car Park	50 bays reserved	Applicant Day	Recruitment and Admissions Office
Saturday 7 December 2019	Saturday 7 December 2019	Sibson Car Park	20 bays reserved	Applicant Day	Recruitment and Admissions Office
Monday 9 December 2019	Monday 9 December 2019	Giles Lane Car Park (Behind Woolf)	40 bays reserved	Topping Out Ceremony	Kent & Medway Medical School

Medway Campus

There are currently no known car park disruptions at the Medway campus.

Other Traffic Management News

The University Landscape & Grounds Management team have already been out gritting the campus roads and car parks during last week’s frost, and will continue to do so throughout the winter months. Despite their best efforts, car parks, paths, and roads may still be slippery around campus, so please take care when commuting.

The Stagecoach Express M2 service: another way to travel

Stagecoach, in partnership with Megabus, are now providing a new Stagecoach Express service along the M2. Running from Canterbury Bus Station, the service stops at Medway (Chatham and Gillingham) before terminating at North Greenwich Underground Station in London.

Taking just over an hour, the O2 service is the perfect option for commuting between campuses when the Campus Shuttle is not running in the holidays. Or, if you fancy a trip to London, North Greenwich is the home of the O2, and just a short tube ride from central London.

The buses come equipped with free WiFi, contactless payments, power sockets, air conditioning, and disabled access, making for a comfortable and easy commute.

See the table below for a list of the prices, or you can get a weekly commuter ticket for just over £5 a day.

	Single			Return
	Pre-Booking (Plus a £1 booking fee)	Pay on Coach	Pay on Coach (Student)	Pre-Booking (Plus a £1 booking fee)	Pay on Coach	Pay on Coach (Student)
Canterbury to/from London	£7.50	£10.00	£8.00	£15.00	£17.00	£12.00
Medway to/from London	£6.00	£8.00	£6.50	£12.00	£13.50	£10.00
Canterbury to/from Medway	£5.00	£7.00	£6.00	£10.00	£12.00	£9.00

For more information, and to view the full service timetable, please visit the Stagecoach website.

#GettingHomeForChristmas

There are only three weeks left of term (!) which means that it is time to start thinking about your journey home for the holidays. Whether you’re flying, driving, or taking a sleigh home, we’re here to offer some handy tips.

1. By bus:

Stagecoach express

Stagecoach, in partnership with Megabus, is now providing a new Stagecoach Express service along the M2. Running from Canterbury Bus Station, the service stops at Medway (Chatham and Gillingham) before terminating at North Greenwich Underground Station in London. North Greenwich is just a short tube journey from central London and its many National Rail train stations.

Unirider bus passes cannot be used on this service, however, students are entitled to a discount on walk on tickets, or you can book in advance and receive further discounts.

National Express

The National Express 022 from Canterbury to London Victoria stops at the Keynes bus stop six times a day. From London Victoria, you are able travel to many other UK destinations.

If you need to catch a flight, fear not, National Express provides cheap transfers to many airports, including; Gatwick, Heathrow, Stanstead, and Luton. For more information, check out their dedicated Airport Transfers page.

Students are entitled to the Young Persons Coach card, which offers a third off journeys for just £12.50 a year. This means that a single from Canterbury to London can cost as little as £5!

National Express also offer other discounts to their customers; please see their offers and cheap ticket pages for more details.

2. By train

National Rail

For Canterbury students, the South Eastern rail high speed from Canterbury West takes under an hour to transport you to St Pancras International in central London.

For Medway students, there are two train stations near the campus: Chatham and Gillingham. Both of these run the high speed service, and will get you to St Pancras in around 40 minutes.

From St Pancras, you can catch a train to hundreds of destinations throughout the UK, or catch a tube to one of the other stations serving National Rail across London.

St Pancras has a direct line to Gatwick and Luton airports, via the ThamesLink service. For all other airports, take a look at the TFL guide to London airports.

All full time students, regardless of age, are entitled to a 16-25 railcard from National Rail. The railcard costs just £30 for the year and saves you a third on all journeys.

Eurostar

We are very lucky to have quick links to Europe from our campus. From Ashford International, Ebbsfleet International (both on the high speed line to St Pancras) and St Pancras International, you can take the Eurostar to destinations in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

3. By car

Car Share

Car share is not just for commuting, but can be used for single journeys, like getting home for Christmas. Why not see if you can find someone travelling the same way as you and share the costs with another student. You not only save money, but also the environment.

The University of Kent has worked alongside the University of Greenwich and Canterbury Christ Church to create a Liftshare page dedicated to university staff and students: Unishare South East. Unishare allows you the peace of mind to travel with other university staff and students. Simply follow the link to create an account.

Taxis

Travelling to a London airport from Canterbury or Medway campuses, costs in the region of £75 – £125. The cost will vary depending on which London airport you need to travel too. Try and find other students going to the airport, by using the car share database, so that you can split the cost.

If you need to get a taxi, remember to book in advance. Speak to a couple of taxi firms for quotes so you can get the best deal.

The University uses the services of the following taxi companies:

Canterbury: Cab Co, Cab Line 6 Ltd, Canterbury Galaxy Taxis, Canterbury Taxis, Croft Cars, Longley’s Private Hire, Longport Taxis, Wilkinson Taxis Ltd

Medway: ABC Taxis, Computer Cabs, Express Travel , HWS Taxis, Vokes Taxis

Transport News

This blog is used for broadcasting information about transport and parking at the University of Kent.