A commuter coach company is cutting the number of services run from the county to London in a bid to keep prices down.

Chalkwell is reducing its number of departures from Medway and Swale from six a day to five, saying it “reflects what the consumer wants”.

The Sittingbourne-based firm has carried passengers from the area to the capital for 21 years.

It is adding three refurbished vehicles to its fleet and says it aims to improve the quality of the commute with its new buses.

Each new coach is wheelchair accessible and has USB charging points and free wifi. They also have restrooms and full leather seating.

Services from Maidstone are unaffected by the timetable changes.

Operations manager Andy Bates said: “We have a better spread of services for our customers.

“Rather than having a lot of coaches which carry a little, we can condense the coaches down and make the timings more appropriate to what people want.

“This has allowed us to keep the fares the same with no increases to customers’ journeys since April 2013.

“Whilst rail fares have gone up considerably over that period – by as much as 20% – we have maintained much lower fares.”

The timetable changes are due to come into effect from Monday, August 4. Details at www.chalkwell.co.uk.

The company is running a free trial offer for customers who call 01795 423982.