Additional Buses to Run in East Sussex

There will be more public buses that will run in East Sussex this week as coronavirus lockdown limits begin to ease throughout the country.

Since the beginning of April, emergency bus timetables were available to facilitate healthcare professionals and other key workers get to and from work plus other essential journeys.

The firm said that from today, bus routes in the Hastings and Bexhill sections will be improved with more bus services expected for other parts of the county. It seeks to bring bus services back to 70% of what they’ve been before the coronavirus pandemic.

Following the UK Government’s introduction of a new bus, tram and light rail re-start scheme, Stagecoach has announced plans for a phased improvement on their bus services as even more people return to work while some would go back to the normal aspects of their everyday lives.

More engineers have been ushered to go back working to make sure that the buses are ready to handle the acceleration in services.

Buses that were parked in previous weeks will all be properly washed and will be subject to stringent inspections before going into operation.

The maintenance plan of Stagecoach requires at least routine washing of all buses with a government-recommended sanitizer, with special emphasis on main touchpoints, and advanced cleaning services where possible.

New Travel Guidelines

The bus operator said that it has instituted extensive enhanced steps, keeping buses clean, and while securing the safety of the passengers and the staff.

All buses will have a protective screen that provides a protective physical barrier between the driver and the passengers.

Face masks will be provided to the drivers and, following the government’s advice, Stagecoach encourages passengers to wear a face cover.

Social distancing measures are already in place for all bus services, which means that each bus now has about 25% of the regular seating capacity.

Working closely with the Government

Stagecoach collaborates with the East Sussex County Council (ESCC) to help make sure that the bus fleet is dispatched where it is most needed.

Edward Hodgson, managing director of Stagecoach South, said, “We will continue to coordinate with the government and the local authorities to ensure that we can deliver services where they are most wanted.”

“The safety and wellbeing of our staff and customers continue to be our primary concern. With the thorough steps that we have taken and the help of our commuters, they are being assured that our buses will be clean, safe, and suitable to go.

Another Managing Director of Stagecoach, Joel Mitchell, said: “I am immensely proud of the great work of all our coworkers over the last few weeks.

“The company’s key workers have made an enormous contribution to the national effort and we would like to commend each of them and our customers for their support understanding.

“Buses will continue to play a vital role in the future recovery of the country. Aside from helping to restart our economic activity, it is essential to take normality back to the many parts of people’s everyday lives.

“The Stagecoach family is proud to represent our communities in East Sussex and we are very excited to continue to enhance our services.

“We continue to work with ESCC to guarantee that we can focus on providing bus services where they are most needed and we are grateful for their guidance for the provision of bus services as a key aspect of the region’s recovery.

Bus Service Operations

The early phase of the service upgrade will take effect from now on, with more bus services to Hastings town routes 7, 20, 23, 27 as well as 347, to double the frequency of Route 26/26A buses, extra buses on Route 98 between Conquest Hospital and Bexhill, and also Hailsham and Bexhill plus doubling the travel frequency of Route 99.

Rural routes will also be covered by 254, 304, and 305 services linking Hastings with Hawkhurst & Tunbridge Wells and route 312 and 313 in the Rye, Tenterden, and Northiam locations. Route 349 has also been increased.