They’ve been waiting for the (electric) bus for a year.

A flagship rapid service, meant to start last autumn, has still not taken its first passengers and there is no explanation yet for the latest delay.

KentOnline has over the last month contacted officials at Kent County Council (KCC), one of the lead partners, for an update on the start of the £34 million Fastrack project.

The electric buses, with a new bridge over the A2 created for the route, are set to travel between the centre of Dover town and Whitfield.

The project’s website has provided updates almost every month since January 2022, but none for this July or August.

KCC insists details are being “finalised” on a potential start date - but residents are concerned about the repeated delays.

Dover town councillor Rebecca Sawbridge, 67, a non-driver and the holder of a disability bus pass, said: “People like me depend entirely on public transport.

“This new service is needed and would be a big help because trains are too expensive so some people have to rely entirely on buses. We also want non-polluting public transport like this.”

Cllr Sawbridge is in the Town and Castle ward, where the new bus service will leave Dover from.

Fellow town councillor Paul Verrill told KentOnline: “I could write on a postage stamp what I know about the situation. This was recently raised at a town council meeting.

“This project is at county council and Department for Transport level and we’re not being told on our level.

“If there is a delay they should go public and say so. I don’t understand why they don’t.”

The electric bus service was first advertised to begin last autumn and the start date was changed to early 2024 and then this July.

After the second hold-up, KCC explained in April that there had been delays in the supply chain and difficulties with seasonal conditions.

It was then the service was scheduled to start in July.

But KentOnline has made attempts to contact county council bosses again over the last week and there is no explanation so far as to why the service still has not begun.

KCC and Dover District Council (DDC) are lead partners in the project.

The route is to connect the ever-expanding village of Whitfield - where 6,000 new homes are planned - with the town centre and Dover Priory Station, with its HS1 train services to London. A one-way journey would take 25 minutes.

The buses will also go via Dover Castle, Dover District Leisure Centre in Whitfield and have the extra bonus of passing the small and remote community of Burgoyne Heights, which has limited public transport.

The project has also involved building a half-mile road and bridge for the route across the A2 at Whitfield. But that has caused months of disruption for motorists passing the area.

Despite it being advertised as Kent’s first zero-emission bus service, it was also revealed in April that it would have to start with diesel buses because purpose-built electric models would not be ready in time.

The infrastructure improvements involved are estimated at £23 million.

The near-£34 million bill is being paid for by Homes England contributing £22.9 million, the Department for Transport giving £9.5 million, and DDC adding £1.42 million.

The new electric buses themselves are supported by an £850,000 grant from the Department for Transport’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme.

Kent’s first ever Fastrack service began in Dartford and Gravesham in 2006, starting with diesel buses, later replaced by electric ones. KCC approved the Dover scheme in 2021 with the intention of using five fully electric buses from Stagecoach.

A spokesperson from Kent County Council said on Wednesday: "We apologise for the delays to the start of the Dover Fastrack service.

“We have a proposed start date we are working towards, and we aim to start service with an interim electric bus fleet.

“We are finalising the details and will update our website soon with the news."