Furious parents paying hundreds of pounds for bus passes say their children are being left stranded at stops with no choice but to walk along busy main roads to get to school.

Some claim they receive phone calls from their children worried about being late after being turned away from packed buses travelling on route 17 from Bridge to schools in Canterbury.

They argue they should not be paying large amounts for a bus pass when they end up having to drive them into the city themselves or they have to walk.

A young person’s annual travel pass is £290 and £400 for 16+.

Parish councillor Steve Fawke, who often has to drive his son to school, is taking the matter up with bus operator Stagecoach.

“The trouble is the bus travels from Folkestone through Elham, Barham and Kingston before reaching Bridge - we’re at the end of the line and the buses are full when they get here,” he said.

“We’re seeing more single decker buses so the kids can’t fit on. Parents are having to round them up and drive them in.”

He says “gaggles of kids” are also often seen crossing the busy A2050 to get to school after being left stranded.

"We’re at the end of the line and the buses are full when they get here...” Steve Fawke

Reverend Estella Last, from Bridge, pays £190 each for six-month passes for two children.

She says while she appreciates things can go wrong, the problems are a regular occurrence.

“There have always been extraordinary cases which have contributed to buses either not showing up or showing up full and and not stopping,” she said.

“The occasional extraordinary case is understandable, but what we have seen in the last couple of weeks is becoming more frequent,” she said.

“The bus pass has a significant cost to it and parents therefore have an expectation that when their children leave the house, notwithstanding the occasional incident, they can travel safely into Canterbury.

“When this doesn’t happen, anxiety is raised for the children and the parents who have to keep an eye open for any messages or phone calls in case they haven’t got on the bus. You don’t get that peace of mind when they leave the house for school.

“I think there is a lack of robustness in the system so if just one or two things go wrong it has a knock on effect.”

“We need to find ways to help the bus company improve this.”

Stagecoach spokesman Rebecca Day says the company knows of no issues on route 17 in the mornings.

“Three double decker buses are used on this route in the morning,” she said.

“We will however arrange some additional loading checks in Bridge, keeping an even closer eye on the capacity.”

Thom Morris, spokesman for KCC, which issues travel passes, added: “We are sorry to hear parents and their children are having a problem with accessing bus services in Bridge and we will raise this with Stagecoach.

“KCC has no direct control over the majority of buses that operate but does take up concerns with bus operators on behalf of parents and students.”