insideKENT Magazine Issue 88 - July 2019 | Page 70

VISITKENT
JOEL MITCHELL, MANAGING DIRECTOR AT STAGECOACH SOUTH EAST,
LAUNCHING THE NEW STAGECOACH EXPRESS SERVICE THAT WILL LINK KENT AND LONDON.
NEW LOW-COST LINK BETWEEN
KENT AND LONDON
STAGECOACH SOUTH EAST IS LAUNCHING A NEW COACH SERVICE THAT
WILL ENABLE PEOPLE TO TRAVEL BETWEEN KENT AND LONDON, WITH PRE-
BOOKED SINGLE TICKETS STARTING AT JUST £7.50 FROM CANTERBURY
AND £6 FROM CHATHAM.
The Stagecoach Express service, which begins
on Sunday 21 July, will link Canterbury Bus
Station with North Greenwich underground
station, which is adjacent to The O2. The M2
route has pick-up points at Hempstead Valley,
Chatham Bus Station and Chatham Maritime.
Joel Mitchell, Managing Director at Stagecoach
South East, said: “This is the first time we’ve
launched a coach service in the region and we
are very excited about the possibilities it will
bring to commuters, students and day trippers.
Passengers will be able to travel in comfort, have
a guaranteed seat when they book in advance,
work or surf on the go with free wifi and mains
charging sockets – and all at very low cost. The
cheapest option for passengers is to pre-book
via the Megabus website but you can also buy
a ticket on board for those last minute trips.”
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Kent residents looking to enjoy a day out at The
O2 will be able to catch the last coach around
11pm, after concerts finish. Alternatively, if
passengers want to enjoy a day in London they
can easily access the Capital on the Jubilee line
from the nearby North Greenwich tube station.
David Panayiotou, Head of Transport at The
O2, said: “The O2 welcomes the introduction
of the new Stagecoach Express services linking
the residents of Kent with our venue. The
new transport route will encourage our guests
to leave their car at home while still being able
to travel in comfort to one of our shows, as
well as experience all the venue has to offer
including Up at The O2, outlet shopping at
ICON, bowling, trampolining and our many
restaurants and bars.”
Each coach will also have air conditioning, an on-board
toilet, reclinable leather seats and individual reading lights.
The first coach will leave Canterbury Bus Station around
5am on weekdays, leaving plenty of time for commuters to
reach work.
The route will also provide new links for Canterbury Christ
Church University and the University of Kent staff and
students, while University of Greenwich students will be able
to easily travel between Chatham and Greenwich.
Fare information and a full timetable is available at
www.stagecoachbus.com/StagecoachExpressM2,
where passengers will find a link to book tickets on the
Megabus website. A £1 booking fee applies.