The cost of a single bus journey has been capped at £2 on most Stagecoach and Arriva routes has now been extended until the end of June.
The Bus Fare Cap scheme is a Government funded scheme introduced on most single bus journeys across England from the 1st January 2023.
These tickets can be purchased on the bus apps or on board.
For more information please visit the Stagecoach webpage for Canterbury buses or the Arriva webpage for Medway buses.
There are some disruptions to Southeastern train and Arriva bus services planned for October which may affect your travel to Canterbury and Medway Campuses, details of which are provided below.
If you are travelling during this time, we advise that you plan your journey prior to travelling and check our Campus Travel updates page.
Southeastern have announced that there will be strike action taking place on the rail network on: Saturday 1 October, Wednesday 5 October, and Saturday 8 October. For full details please visit the Southeastern strike action webpage.
Train Strike Days:
Saturday 1 October and Wednesday 5 October: No Southeastern train services will be operating. Please do not attempt to travel by train on this day. For alternative transport options visit Traveline.
Saturday 8 October: A limited service will be operating and some routes will be closed. Southeastern have advised to only travel if absolutely necessary and if you are travelling to expect severe disruption and plan your journey ahead of travelling.
Days following the train strikes:
Sunday 2 October: Some trains will not run before 07:00.
Thursday 6 October: Southeastern expect a normal service to operate.
Sunday 9 October: Services will operate later in the morning, with no trains running before 07.00.
Arriva bus company have announced that there will be further industrial action taking place across Northfleet, Gillingham, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells on the 6th, 7th, 10th and 11th of October.
Update (11/10/2022): Arriva have announced another 13 days of industrial action taking place on the 19th, 20th, 21st, 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th and 28th October, as well as, the 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th of November.
Please visit the Arriva Kent industrial action webpage for full details on the Arriva bus disruptions during this time.
M20 closure between junction 10A and 11: This closure will be in place from 21:00 on Friday 7th October until 06:00 on Monday 10th October. There will be a diversion route in place using the A20, A261, A259 and A2070 to go London bound and the same roads in reverse order to go coast bound.
3 way road works on the junction of University Road/St Thomas Hill: At peak times there may be some delays and we encourage you to plan your journey prior to travelling.
St Stephens Road Closure, Canterbury: This closure will be in place from 22:00 on Thursday 20th October until 06:00 on Monday 24th October.
Following the announcement of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral on Monday 19 September 2022, which will also be a bank holiday, some travel providers have amended their services. Therefore, if you are travelling on the 19 September 2022 we advise that you plan your journey prior to travelling and check our Campus Travel updates page.
Stagecoach Bus – Canterbury:
On Monday, Stagecoach will be operating on the normal term-time Sunday bus timetables. This means the Uni1 service between the Canterbury campus and city centre will operate every half hour, supplemented with Triangle bus services every 20 minutes to and from Keynes bus stop. We highly recommend that you download the Stagecoach Bus App, where you can view real time tracking of buses.
Arriva Bus – Medway:
On Monday, Arriva will be operating on the normal term-time Sunday bus timetables. Further information can be found on Arriva’s website.
National Express:
National Express have stated that on Monday there will be major road closures in central London and London Victoria Coach Station will be out of use. However, if you are still planning on booking a ticket to or from London and travelling via Wembley Stadium, you will need to select Victoria Coach Station in our journey planner. Please see National Express service updates page for further details.
Train:
South Eastern rail are encouraging people to plan their journey if travelling on Monday as they expect busier services. There are likely to be changes to normal routes in and around stations in order to manage queuing and demand. The Elizabeth line will run a special service with 12 trains per hour and London underground will run as usual. All planned engineering works from Wednesday 14 to Monday 19 September have been cancelled.
Eurostar:
All UK rail strikes have been cancelled, as such the Eurostar have been able to reinstate cancelled trains for the 15, 16 and 17 September. Eurostar will be operating on a full timetable with a few alterations. Further details can be found at Eurostar service updates page.
International:
The Transport Team are not aware of any changes affecting ferries, flights or airports on Monday.
Roadworks:
Please be aware there are 3 way road works on the junction of University Road/St Thomas Hill. At peak times there may be some delays and we encourage you to plan your journey prior to travelling.
Following the updated Government guidance in response to the new Covid-19 variant, there are some changes to the rules in the UK.
From Today (Tuesday 30 November 2021):
University of Kent Links:
Useful Transport Links:
The following links explain what the travel providers are doing to keep their services COVID-friendly and what is expected from passengers during this time to ensure that you can travel in confidence.
Government Guidance Links:
It is important to plan your journey, especially at the moment to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Here are some tips from the University’s Transport Team.
If you are travelling via public transport, it is important to ensure that you are familiar with what is required to travel with the service provider. For example, you are required to wear a face covering (if you can) when travelling on public transport or Campus Shuttle service. Some travel services may request card payment only and/or bookings only.
The travel providers have published some guides to explain their journey planning, social distancing and how to pay for travel:
For more information, please visit the COVID-19 travel webpage and the coronavirus information webpages.
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.
With evenings getting darker, adverse weather on the horizon, and temporary road closures, knowing the best way to travel can be tricky. Whatever the situation, the Transport Team’s Planning your Journey page has been developed to help plan your commute.
Travel Advisors update the page regularly with new apps, webpages, and social media links that give up to date information on road, rail, bus, and bicycle travel.
Now that winter is looming, we are updating the Transport web pages with the latest adverse weather information, and we will also endeavor to update you on our twitter page if there are any travel disruptions on or around our campuses.
Remember that weather can change at any time. Be prepared for this before you start your journey, no matter the mode of transport.
Driving
Ensure that you and your vehicle are prepared for driving in adverse weather conditions. Read some top tips to prepare for driving during the winter and don’t forget to plan your journey before you leave so you are aware of any disruptions.
Public transport, cycling and walking
Arriva (West Kent area)
Catch the Arriva Sapphire 700 bus to Bluewater Shopping Centre from Chatham rail station. Bluewater has over 300 shops, over 50 places to eat and even ice skating over the Christmas period! Arriva 700 bus timetable.
Take the 132 Arriva bus to Hempstead Valley Shopping Centre from Chatham rail station. Hempstead Valley has over 50 shops, restaurants and cafes. Arriva 132 bus timetable.
Don’t forget- if you already have the Arriva student or staff bus ticket, the above bus journeys are already included.
Follow @ArrivaKent on twitter for service updates or download the Arriva app to plan your journey and view live bus times.
Stagecoach (East Kent area)
Canterbury city centre has plenty of shops and restaurants to explore. Catch the Uni1 or Uni2 Many shops in Canterbury. Stagecoach unibus usual timetable (until 15 December 2018). Unibus winter break timetable (16 December 2018- 12 January 2019).
Or you can catch the number 8 ‘Breeze’ service from Canterbury to Westwood Cross shopping Centre in Broadstairs. Westwood Cross has a large range of shops and restaurants to choose from. 8 Breeze timetable.
If you have a Unirider bus ticket or staff South East Megarider ticket, these journeys can be taken for free within your bus ticket.
Follow @StagecoachSE on twitter for service updates or download the Stagecoach app to plan your journey and view live bus times.
Did you know that Stagecoach and Arriva have bus apps with live bus updates and mobile ticketing? Stagecoach buses operate in Kent and East Sussex (including Canterbury campus) and Arriva buses operate in Medway, Kent and East Sussex (including Medway campus).
Features of the Stagecoach bus app
See the Stagecoach bus app webpage for more information.
Features of the Arriva bus app
See the Arriva bus app webpage for more information.
For students at our Medway campus, the cheapest way to commute to university is our Arriva Student Annual ticket. This ticket allows travel on any Arriva bus throughout Medway, Kent and East Sussex for the entire year.
The Universities at Medway work with Arriva to provide highly discounted bus tickets for both students and staff. Because of this, the student annual ticket is only £145. This works out as only 39p per day for travel all around the region!
This discount is available for students at both campuses. For information on how to apply, and the exclusive University of Kent promotional codes, please visit our Medway bus webpage