Stressed parents have been left with a logistical nightmare after being told their children’s school bus is to stop running.

Parents of pupils at Longfield Academy, in Main Road, Longfield have only just found out about plans to cancel the S1 service, which runs from Gravesend to Longfield via Greenhithe and Swanscombe.

Run by Brian Jones Coaches Ltd, the service provides morning and afternoon transport to and from Longfield Academy for its pupils.

But the service will cease operating from May 3 as the company said there is a lack of demand.

Sally Starr’s son Jake is in Year 10 at Longfield Academy and has caught the S1 from Swanscombe since starting in Year 7.

She said the cancellation of the route would be a logistical nightmare for her family.

Sally said: “My husband works full time, and I have two younger children to get to school in Swanscombe. I can't be in two places at once.

“That bus is the only way for him to get to school. If it stops he will need to get into Gravesend, which is extremely hard with Galley Hill Road being closed, then get another bus at 7.30am.

“I really don't see how we are going to be able to get him to school.”

Parents only found out about the cancellation via a text from the school on April 15 but a proposal to cancel the bus has been found dated March 2024 on the government’s traffic commissioner’s website with an appeal date of April 15, which they say they were not told about.

Sally’s husband Peter Dumont added: “To be told by a single text message from Longfield Academy that our only route to our child's school has been cancelled has been horrendous.

“Parents have been told there are other services. However, none of these serve Swanscombe, Greenhithe or Stone.

“On top of this, apparently somebody has suggested this bus route doesn't have a lot of demand. However, the bus is full daily.

“The stress it has caused on us and so many others with only three weeks to find alternative arrangements is incomprehensible.

“There will be children who are unable to get to school unless they travel all the way to Gravesend, which the way local bus services are currently will be impossible, to get to the correct stop to get a different school bus route on time.

“Having no communication from the bus company or further information regarding other closer routes means a lot of people have no idea how children will be attending after May 3.”

Peter said he felt sympathy for the parents of children starting in September who are not even aware of the issue.

He said: “Pupils who applied to Longfield this year thinking they would have a dedicated bus route may now not know they will have to make alternative arrangements come September as they won't have been notified as we have.”

Nikita Luckins’ daughter is starting at Longfield Academy in September.

Living in Swanscombe, she said she chose the school because of the transport link.

She said: “We were going to be relying on the bus to get her home as we can get her there in the mornings.”

‘To be told our only route to our child's school has been cancelled has been horrendous’

She said she is trying not to think about how she will cope now the bus has been stopped.

“I’m just hoping that Kent County Council (KCC) arranges something else,” she said.

Leigh Academies Trust, which runs the school, has said it will be submitting a formal complaint over the cancellation.

Spokesman Richard Taylor said: “During half-term, Longfield Academy was notified about the impending cancellation of the S1 bus service, which is operated by Brian Jones Coaches.

“This vital service, catering to the daily commute of our students from Gravesend and Ebbsfleet, will cease operations effective May 3, 2024.

“The discontinuation of this service, due to a decline in passenger numbers, is a significant concern for our academy community as accessible transportation plays a crucial role in educating our students who travel in from surrounding towns.

“In response to the cancellation, Longfield Academy is formally submitting a complaint to address the withdrawal of this essential service and is actively engaging with Kent County Council and Brian Jones Coaches to explore possible solutions.

“We believe that the service will recommence in September 2024 but in the meantime we are diligently working to identify and implement alternative transportation options to mitigate the impact on our students for the remainder of this academic year.

“Updates will be provided to parents as more information becomes available and discussions with the service provider progress.”

Richard Roper, from Brian Jones Coaches Ltd, said the decision to cancel the route was based on numbers.

“The service was cancelled due to passenger numbers dropping, meaning it was costing us lots of money to run the service,” he said.

“There is going to be a change to an existing service, to incorporate the cancelled run, but I am unable to give out details as I have to wait for the Traffic Commissioner to confirm that we can go ahead.”

A KCC spokesperson said: “We have been informed by the operator of the S1 service, that they will be withdrawing the service as of May 3.

“KCC does not have funding available to provide a direct replacement of the S1, but our officers will work with the operator to see where alternative arrangements could be put in place in line with our commitment to encourage people to use public transport.”