A bus company is axing a service that has been running for 30 years.

Nu-Venture has announced it is ending its number 78 from Queens Road into Maidstone town centre. The last bus will run on Friday, October 21.

A school-time service, the 578, will continue with one bus into town in the morning and one bus back in the afternoon. Both will run on school days only.

Currently the 78 provides five buses into town from Barming: four in the morning and one in the early afternoon, with two return trips in the morning and two in the afternoon from King Street.

Cllr Stuart Jeffery (Green Party) said: "This is very upsetting for a lot of people – especially the older people – who depend on this service.

"They are worried about how they will get into town now.

"I have asked Cllr David Brazier (Con) – KCC's cabinet member for highways and transport – to intervene to rescue the service, but have heard nothing so far."

An online petition has been set up calling on KCC to intervene to save the service. You can sign it here.

NuVenture said: "After 30 years of operation by Nu-Venture, and in the face of the ongoing national driver shortage, the 78 bus service linking Barming and Queens Road to Maidstone will lose its off-peak service from October 21, leaving only the school-times service remaining (Bus 578 towards secondary schools in the morning and home after school).

"Patronage has been poor in recent years and did not recover from the Covid period, when government messaging told people to avoid public transport.

"Nu-Venture is very grateful for the support given by passengers in the past. Should the availability of drivers improve in the future, we will review the situation."