Tag Archives: sustainability

Campus Shuttle Service: Reduced Timetable

As the Campus Shuttle service only operates during term time and the last day of term (Friday 7th April 2023) is a Bank Holiday there will be a reduced service operating until 19:15pm.

The start of term is also a bank holiday (Monday 8th May 2023), therefore a reduced service will resume at 7:35am. The service will operate to the usual timetable for the rest of the term from the 9th May.

The reduced service will be operating a 52 seater coach on the 7th April (Good Friday) and 8th May (Coronation Bank Holiday). The reduced timetable for both of these dates is displayed below. The Kings Ferry are currently in the process of updating the booking system and online time timetable to reflect this.

Please note you will still be required to book a seat on these services. For any service updates please follow the @CampusShuttle twitter feed.

reduced timetable

 

Campus Shuttle New Booking System & Tracking

There is a new Campus Shuttle booking system for our free coach service between Canterbury and Medway campuses. Booking a seat on the service is essential for travel Tuesday 7 February 2023.

You will need to claim your annual travel pass, then you can book your seat(s) up to 2 weeks prior to travelling and up to 30 minutes before you travel. The bookings are applied to your annual travel pass. This can be accessed from the ‘my tickets’ section (the wallet icon if on a mobile). Select ‘View ticket’ and a QR code will appear for the drivers to scan as you board.

To book a seat on the Campus Shuttle Service visit the booking system. For more information on how to book a seat, please read the booking guide.

To track the Campus Shuttle service there is a new app called ‘University of Kent Travel’ which allows you to track the services in live time and is available from the Apple App store and Play Store for androids.

Find out more about the Campus Shuttle. Follow @CampusShuttle on twitter.

Travel Plan Survey

It is that time of year where the Transport Team are working on developing a New Travel Plan and we want to hear from staff and students about your commute to and from the University and travel within the local area.

By completing the survey, you help us plan our future transport strategies, understand what current services are working well, what improvements or changes Staff and Students would like to the current transport options provided, and help us with our carbon emissions research.

Plus complete the survey for the chance to win £150, £75 or £50 added to your KentOne card.

The survey has been extended to 11:59pm on Monday 21st November 2022.

Students Survey:www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/VJXA2S/  Staff Survey: www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/YVTNS2/

E-scooter on campus

Powered Transport: Electric Scooters

 

We have noticed that there has been an increase in the number of private electric scooters using University of Kent land.

We would like to remind everyone:

  • All Powered Transporters (including e-scooters) are illegal to use on the public highway, except those that are part of the trial of the Department for Transport’s rental e-scooters scheme (also recognised as a Powered Transporter).
  • The University of Kent does not give permission for any person to use a Powered Transporter (this includes e-Scooters) on its land, with exception of the Department for Transport rental E-scooters scheme, which here in Canterbury the Kent County Council have contracted to the company BIRD and those that are used to help individuals with restricted mobility.

We have also recently updated the University Regulations for the Management of Traffic to encompass the term ‘Powered Transporters’ and the sanctions that apply.

If you have a personal e-scooter please do not bring this to campus, to ensure that you are not using it illegally or in contravention of the University of Kent Regulations of the Management of Traffic and/or campus accommodation contracts.

University of Kent are pleased to be supporting the Department for Transport and Kent County Council E-Scooter rental trial scheme; to help establish if E-scooters could become a new legal form of greener transport in the UK, similar to e-bikes, in the future. During the rental trial period, however, e-scooters will continue to be classed as motor vehicles, meaning requirements to have insurance and the correct type of driving licence will continue to apply for those that are using BIRD e scooters.

The Bird rental E-Scooters are all GPS connected and the speed can be set remotely depending on where they are. Visit our Commute Smarter page to find out more on how and where you can use the Bird E-scooters.

28 January 2022: The words ‘and those that are used to help individuals with restricted mobility.’ were removed to avoid any confusion that may lead to a person misreading the article to suggest that Mobility Scooters and Wheelchairs are classed as ‘Powered Transporters’,

COVID-19 Update (30/11/21): The UK rules have changed

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): 

  • Face coverings are a legal requirement in shops and on all UK public transport. You must wear a face covering throughout your journey, unless you have medical exemptions. This is the law.
  • On campus, face coverings will be expected in all teaching spaces and communal areas. In shared offices and other spaces, face coverings should also be worn where social distancing cannot be maintained, unless you have medical exemptions.
  • International Travel – you must follow the rules for international travel. You should not travel to countries or territories on the red list.
  • If you are planning to travel to England, you should follow the guidance on entering the UK and find out which list the country you are travelling from is on and what you need to do.
  • If you are travelling to the UK from abroad, you will need to take a PCR test, regardless of whether you have symptoms.

University of Kent Links: 

  • COVID-19 Travel Page – regularly updated with COVID-19 travel information.
  • Coronavirus Page – University of Kent Coronavirus page has useful links and detailed information on the University’s response.

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:

social media competition

Social Media Competition

We would like to encourage our students and staff to interact with @unikent_travel on social media. Therefore, we have created a Transport competition with prizes.

The prizes include vouchers for various food outlets on Canterbury campus and the winner will be announced on Friday 17 December 2021.

To enter the competition:

  • Get a picture – this can be a photo you have taken or one that you have created.
  • Think of a good caption – either promoting road safety or sustainable travel home for Christmas.
  • Post the image and caption – you can post this on Twitter and/or Instagram.
  • Tag @unikent_travel in your post to enter the competition.

Cycle to Work Scheme

Cycling is good for health and fitness; it’s beneficial to the environment and is a quick, cheap mode of transport in urban areas.

The Staff Cycle to Work Scheme offers employees the opportunity 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.

In order to qualify, you must use the bike for at least 50% of your journeys to and from work. To find out if you are eligible visit the staff finance page.

The cycle scheme provided by www.cyclescheme.co.uk means the purchase hire value has been extended above the previous £1,000 limit. This change in scheme enables employees to continue enjoying the benefits of a cycle to work scheme arrangement with the opportunity to hire a bicycle plus relevant safety equipment up to the value of £3,000 as a tax-free benefit, through a salary sacrifice arrangement; employees take a reduced gross salary during the hire period thus making savings by paying reduced income tax and national insurance contributions.

Some common FAQ’s can be found on the Employee answers – Cyclescheme Knowledge Base

Please also remember if you are cycling to, from, or around the campus be bright and be seen. Make sure you are visible to motorists. For more information, hints and tips check out the roadwise website.

Campus Shuttle coach

Campus Shuttle: the new booking system

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 have been working with ‘Mobile Onboard’ to improve the booking system.

You can now book a seat in advance. Booking a ticket to and from any bus stop, cancelling bookings, viewing all tickets and timetables is quick and easy. Please see our step by step guide on how to book, view 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 directions and the date of travel for your journey and select ‘Search Buses’.
  4. A timetable of the scheduled services will appear, click ‘select’ for the scheduled service in which you wish to book. Check your booking details are correct and press ‘Book Now’.
  5. On your checkout page, confirm that you agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website and press ‘Place order’.

To view your bookings and get mobile ticket:

  1. Go to My Mobile Tickets at the top of the page, next to the University of Kent logo, select the three horizontal lines and then select the option My Bookings’.
  2. A table will appear with all your bookings displayed, if you scroll across to the 6th column you will see the status of your booking.
  3. In the 7th column of the table, select ‘Get Mobile 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 bookings’ at the top of the page next to the University of Kent logo.
  2. In your bookings table, swipe across to the 7th (last) column titled ‘Action’ and select ‘Cancel Booking’.

Please note: You can also track the shuttle.