Threat to Bluewater buses lifted after TfL and Kent settle ‘bus tax’ row

Buses from Woolwich will still serve the Bluewater Shopping Centre and Darent Valley Hospital after a row between Transport for London and Reform-run Kent County Council was resolved.

Two weeks ago The Greenwich Wire revealed that TfL was reviewing services on route 96 and two other buses because Kent wanted to impose a “significant increase” on charges to use a bus-only road leading to the giant mall – leading to MPs branding it a “bus tax”.

But the two sides have come to an agreement and TfL now says there are no plans to change the three services.

The 96, which runs from Woolwich through Plumstead, Welling and Bexleyheath, has served Bluewater since it opened in 1999, along with the 428 from Erith and the 492 from Sidcup.

Since 2017 the 96 has been allowed to use a road reserved for Fastrack, a network between Dartford and Gravesend which was set up by Kent County Council, meaning buses can skip the queues of traffic between the A2 and the shopping centre. TfL pays a fee to Kent to access the busway.

Minutes from a council meeting in Dartford held in March suggested that all TfL buses would be completely cut east of the town, affecting not just shoppers but SE Londoners who use and work at Darent Valley Hospital.

While The Greenwich Wire established that this was no longer the case, a political row broke out after TfL told this website on June 10 that it could still run fewer buses because of the hike in fees. 

Abena Oppong-Asare, the Labour MP for Erith & Thamesmead, joined with her colleagues Daniel Francis (Bexleyheath & Crayford) and Jim Dickson (Dartford) to brand the proposed hike a “bus tax” on social media.

But a compromise appears to have been reached. A TfL spokesperson told The Greenwich Wire on Friday: “Kent County Council charges TfL for the use of the Fastrack busway between Darent Valley Hospital and Bluewater. Kent recently asked TfL for a significant increase in that contribution. 

“Following discussions, TfL has reached an agreement with Kent County Council to secure continued access to the Fastrack busway for buses on route 96.  There continues to be no current plans to change the structure of TfL bus routes 96, 428 or 492.”

Oppong-Asare said on social media that the development was “brilliant news”, while Dickson said that Kent had “decided to protect [the 96] instead of causing it to be cut”.

In Dartford, Reform members who sit on Kent County Council said that it and TfL had  “reached a deal that protects local services while also working for Kent and Dartford taxpayers”.

Kent County Council has not responded to a request for comment.

Comment: Keeping the buses on track

While The Greenwich Wire regularly reports from council meetings covering transport in Greenwich – we know it is a big topic for a our readers – there is no equivalent publication in Dartford, a growing borough with its own travel issues (writes Darryl Chamberlain, editor).

So when three-month-old minutes from a committee meeting at Dartford Borough Council emerged on a bus enthusiasts’ forum at the start of June, it was soon clear that no journalist had actually attended the meeting concerned – and nobody had checked whether the minutes described the current situation.

Having had to use this bus link daily for two months last year when a family member was in Darent Valley Hospital, I knew this would be a worrying time for people who rely on the 96, many of whom will come from Woolwich or Plumstead. This also came amid a background of other TfL buses being reduced in our area.

To clarify matters, I travelled to Dartford for that committee’s next meeting, where a Kent officer said there was no longer a threat to services. But upon checking with TfL, we were told that it was considering reducing services instead.

Our story led to local MPs starting a campaign on social media – although, unfortunately, they did not tell us – and a follow-up story from Kent Online, the county’s major outlet. Our friends at Kent Current, the independent outlet for the county, also featured our story.

The trail went quiet until Wednesday afternoon, when Reform’s Kent councillors representing Dartford – who sit on the committee I attended – started posting on social media that a deal had been reached. Confirmation finally came from TfL on Friday lunchtime.

It is very easy for people to post about old council committee meetings on websites and quickly jump to conclusions, but providing real local news involves getting out, speaking to people and trying to get to the bottom of what’s going on. If you ever support local news with contributions, please remember this. I hope The Greenwich Wire played a small role in keeping these vital buses on the road. 

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