A bus company is attempting to improve the reliability of it’s service and cut spiralling costs by reducing the number of bus services.

Arriva will be cutting many of its services in Maidstone in a bid to combat increasing operational costs and improve the punctuality of the service.

The cuts will come into force on July 23 and come just six months after cuts were made to 38 bus services across the county in February as Kent County Council (KCC) looked to balance its budget by cutting £2.2 million from subsidised routes.

A spokesman for Arriva said: “These services are being withdrawn due to the combination of a reduction in the concessionary reimbursement paid to us and lower patronage on the services.”

The services that are set to be cut:

- Withdrawal of 334 service

- Withdrawal of 8 service

- Withdrawal of 55 service

- Withdrawal of 79 service

- School bus on 9 to serve Downswood and Madginford and will no longer serve Bearsted (Downswood and Madginford will leave approx. 30mins earlier than current timetable and will have a longer running time after school time pick-up)

- School bus on 4 to cease, to be replaced by 9

- Service 5 to no longer serve Sandhurst and terminate at Hawkhurst Moor

- Some early evening journeys on Service 5 will no longer run

- Majority of service 12 journeys to no longer serve Headcorn Station forecourt

- Sunday 71 frequency reduced from 30 mins to hourly

- 85 Monday - Saturday frequency reduces from 12 to 15. Sunday reduces 20 to 30

- 82 Saturday frequency reduces 12 to 15. Sunday from 20 to 30

- 89 Sunday frequency reduces from 30 to 60

- 642 no longer serves Langley Heath