Stagecoach South East is set to close its Folkestone depot in September. The operator says that viability of the base has been impacted by rising costs, falling passenger numbers and traffic congestion.
Around 60 buses are currently operated from the site in Cheriton area of the town. Most services and the “vast majority” of the 160 employees there are expected to be retained under the change.
Operations from Folkestone are to be transferred to depots at Ashford and Dover, although Stagecoach South East says that it is in discussion with Kent County Council about the future of “a small number” of routes “that fail to recover their running costs.”
While the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the Folkestone depot, Stagecoach adds that such an impact served only to accelerate its declining viability. “Rising costs, a downward shift in passenger numbers and the impact of traffic congestion have combined to force changes,” the operator says in a statement.
Discussions have opened with affected employees and their trade union about options for redeployment.
Stagecoach South East Managing Director Joel Mitchell accepts that the business has been “forced to consider some very difficult options, which we know will have a significant impact on a number of our colleagues in Folkestone and potentially affect some parts of the communities [that] we serve in the area.”
Mr Mitchell adds that a “challenging environment” for bus operation in Folkestone has been present for a number of years. It has left the operator with “no alternative but to make changes.” Doing so will leave what he describes as a strong base for future provision in the Kent town “from which we can expand when circumstances allow.”
