Angry parents have branded a bus company “irresponsible” after it axed a service used by “herds of children”.

The 908 travels between St Anselm’s Catholic School in Canterbury and the Herne Bay area.

Ben Edwards’ 11-year-old son uses the route and the dad was shocked to discover the afternoon transport would be cancelled as of Monday.

Instead, children will need to get a connecting service - or walk 30 minutes - to the city centre bus station to catch services home.

Furthermore, Stagecoach did not notify school bosses, mums or dads of the change, and they were instead informed by one eagle-eyed parent who spotted it on the company’s website.

Mr Edwards, 42, who lives in Sturry, told KentOnline: “My son’s just started Year 7 and he will have to stand around in Canterbury bus station.

“That's not what I want, especially when it's dark already at 4pm.

“The crime rate in Canterbury is going up. I’m a concerned parent and I'm not the only one.

“I want to make sure that they're safe and know where they are.”

The morning service, arriving at St Anselm’s at 8.25am, has not been affected.

Stagecoach claims low usage forced the decision, with the 908 operating at 60% capacity after school.

But parents say the bus - which also picks up children from the nearby Simon Langton Girls Grammar - is packed every day.

Mr Edwards, who also has a daughter in Year 11, said: “If they can bring kids to school on a school bus, they have the responsibility to take them home again.

“What they have done is so irresponsible and unprofessional.”

Liz Silk’s daughter, who is also in Year 7 at St Anselm’s, is autistic and can be overwhelmed by crowded spaces or unfamiliar environments.

Ms Silk says the youngster will not be able to cope with the new procedures.

The 41-year-old explained: “The reason we get the 908 is it's organised.

“They all line up on the playground in bus number and then when theirs arrives, the teacher calls them through and the kids are kept safe.

“Then it goes straight from school to where I pick her up from the bus stop.

“If you ask her to get into town, there's going to be a whole load of different letters and numbers of stops.

“It's loud, it's crowded, it's completely overwhelming for her because she just can't deal with loud noises.

“It's only got to take one tyre pop or a kid screaming, and she will completely shut off and won't be able to work out how to get home.”

The Herne Bay resident has also seen the service packed with youngsters.

She said: “There’s a massive herd of kids getting on here before the 908 goes to Simon Langton and then into town.”

Ms Silk says the shuttle from St Anselm’s to the bus station is “just too busy”.

“There's no way they - on top of all the kids that have to get into town already - will fit on one bus,” she said.

Parents pay up to £560 a year per child for a Kent County Council travel pass.

Ms Silk added: “We’re effectively paying for a one-way service.

“Now we've got to drive into Canterbury to pick them up to bring them home, which defeats the object of having a bus pass in the first place.

“We’ve got to fudge our hours round just to accommodate this poor service.”

Stagecoach has apologised for not informing St Anselm’s of the changes.

A spokesman said: “The afternoon 908 bus from the school to Broomfield and Herne Bay operates at just under 60% capacity with about half the students on board travelling only as far as Sturry.

"It will no longer operate from Monday, but there are a range of frequent buses from Canterbury Bus Station with capacity to carry everyone to where they need to go.

"We've been very clear with the school about what these options are and we're providing a shuttle from outside the school to the bus station in good time to meet onward connections.”

He says many pupils already change at the bus station which is “very busy with school children at peak times”.

The spokesman added: "We're sorry we weren't able to get the information to the school before the Christmas holiday and we've apologised to them for that.

"The school has been very supportive in communicating with students and their families about the new arrangements and we will have an inspector on hand to help students find their bus when the new arrangements begin next week."