Tag Archives: campus shuttle

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Planning your commute

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.

  • Plan all your journeys before leaving your house.
  • Make sure you bring a face covering (unless you are exempt) and hand sanitiser with you. The Government has also provided a useful checklist that includes questions to ask yourself and what
  • to take with you before leaving home.
  • Be prepared for travel disruptions. For example, due to lower capacity, the bus you were expecting to catch may be full and you may need to wait for longer than anticipated.
  • Ensure your vehicle/bicycle is serviced regularly.
  • Social distance and follow the travel providers’ rules.
  • Ensure you know what payment methods travel providers require.
  • Be familiar with and follow the Government travel guidance.
  • Avoid travel during busy times, if possible.
  • Keep up to date with the latest advice from your travel service provider. See the list below for up to date guidance on public transport.
  • Remember to be kind and support each other – there are health reasons that mean not everyone is able to wear a face covering or may need to use a particular route that others are not able to use.

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.

Campus Shuttle coach

Campus Shuttle Updates

The Campus Shuttle service will begin operating again on Saturday 19th September 2020. This is a free service between Medway and Canterbury campus that runs 7 days a week during term time and takes approximately 50 minutes. See timetable online.

During this time, some safety measures have been put in place to ensure you travel in confidence. This includes operating the service at 50% capacity to maintain social distancing. As a result, booking a seat on this service is essential and can be done at https://uok.mymobiletickets.com/webapp/login.aspx up to 30 minutes before you travel. If you are a student who requires a carer to sit next to you whilst travelling the Transport Team are available to assist with your booking.

If you are not travelling before the departure time please ensure you cancel your booking. This enables us to keep track of who has travelled on the service and allows others to book a seat at that time.

Face coverings must be worn at all times. All drivers are temperature checked prior to beginning their shift and all passengers are required to be temperature checked prior to boarding the Campus Shuttle. In the unlikely occurrence of a high temperature, please cancel your booking to travel (if possible) and contact Campus Security on 01227 823333.

Please check the @CampusShuttle twitter feed (which can also be seen on the Campus Shuttle webpage) for regular service updates.

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.

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.

Booking a Seat on the Campus Shuttle

The Campus Shuttle is an important service which connects the Medway and Canterbury campuses for staff and students, so we want to make it as efficient as possible. Therefore, The King’s Ferry are working with ‘Mobile Onboard’ to improve the booking system.

Due to a technical error with the shuttle booking system, it is currently unable to update the driver in real time with the number of seats booked for each journey. To combat this, we have implemented an interim solution.  We would like to inform those who did not see our tweets earlier this term, that currently it is necessary to book a seat by 4am on the day of travel.  This ensures a list of bookings can be given to the driver at the start of the day. Along with this,  the driver will request to see your ticket and Kent One card to validate your booking.

Booking a ticket is quick and easy. Please see our step by step guide on how to book and cancel tickets below, it only takes a minute!

To book your seat:

  1. Book a seat on My Mobile Tickets from your desktop, tablet, or mobile phone.
  2. Log in using your University of Kent details. The first time you register you will be asked to confirm your email and mobile number.
  3. Choose the direction of travel for your journey and press ‘Book’. Choose the date and time you wish to travel and press ‘Select’. Check your booking details are correct and press ‘Get Ticket Now (Free)’.
  4. On ‘Your Tickets’ page, click ‘Show Ticket’ to access your ticket for boarding.  You can either print your ticket, or show it on your smartphone when you board the shuttle. Please do not take a photo or screenshot of your ticket, as this can cause issues with the scanner and you may not be able to board.

Please remember to cancel your booking if you no longer require it, so we are able to offer the seat to another commuter. To cancel your seat:

  1. Go to ‘My Tickets.’
  2. Find the journey you need to cancel, and click on ‘Cancel Booking’.
  3. Confirm your decision and you will receive an email confirming the cancellation.

Please note that it is only possible to book a seat for journeys between Canterbury and Medway campuses. If there are spaces you are able to board the shuttle using your Kent One card to travel between any stops. You can also catch the 191 Arriva bus to travel between Medway campuses.

We are currently discussing with The Kings Ferry how to enable bookings between Medway stops in an effort to further improve the service for commuters.

Planning your journey for adverse weather

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

  • Plan your journey, check if there are problems on public transport or local roads
  • Delay your journey, if possible, to allow temperatures to rise and ice or snow to melt
  • Avoid footways in the shade. It takes longer for ice or snow to melt in the shade
  • Always wear appropriate footwear and reflective/bright clothing
  • Ensure that you have a torch or lights so motorists and others can see you when walking or cycling. Think Be Bright Be Seen.

 

 

Campus Shuttle Booking System

The Transport Team have become aware of an issue with the Campus Shuttle booking system, which has meant the drivers are unaware how many seats to keep free for Liberty Quays. We are working with Kings Ferry to find a permanent solution. In the meantime, Kings Ferry are implementing an interim solution to ensure that everyone who books a ticket can travel.

To guarantee a seat on the campus shuttle, you must book by 04:00am on the day of travel. This allows Kings Ferry to issue their drivers with a booking report confirming the number of tickets booked and a list of passenger names.  Any bookings made after this time will be subject to availability at the stop as the driver will be unaware that the booking has been made.

For a step by step guide on how to book a seat on the campus shuttle, please visit our website (https://www.kent.ac.uk/campus-shuttle/index.html). 

Campus Shuttle Running Dates

The last day the Campus Shuttle service will run this academic year will be Friday 14 June 2019. Thank you for travelling on the Shuttle service.

The Shuttle will start running Saturday 14 September 2019 for the start of Arrivals Weekend.

The free Campus Shuttle service between Medway and Canterbury campuses runs term-time only.

For more information visit the Campus Shuttle webpage

Campus Shuttle booking now available

Booking is now available for the Campus Shuttle. Book a seat online

If you are using the service to travel to exams, be sure to book a seat to guarantee your travel. Where possible, we recommend booking on an earlier service to ensure you arrive in plenty of time for your exams.

The Campus Shuttle starts running again Tuesday 7 May 2019 for the start of the summer term.

The Campus Shuttle is a free coach service between Medway and Canterbury campuses which runs during term-time only.

For more information visit the Campus Shuttle webpage or follow @CampusShuttle