{"id":128738,"date":"2026-11-13T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-13T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/?p=128738"},"modified":"2026-11-13T12:48:59","modified_gmt":"2026-11-13T12:48:59","slug":"national-express-cuts-two-london-routes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/national-express-cuts-two-london-routes\/","title":{"rendered":"National Express Cuts Two London Routes, Putting Jobs and a Depot at Risk"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

National Express<\/strong> will withdraw two long-distance coach routes connecting Kent with London from December 7, 2026<\/strong>, putting employees at risk of redundancy and raising the possibility of a depot closure near Dover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The decision affects passengers in several Kent towns and follows a review of declining demand, rising fuel costs, and the financial sustainability of the services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two Kent-to-London Coach Routes Will End in December<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to Bus & Coach Buyer<\/a><\/strong>, National Express is withdrawing its 007 and 022 services<\/strong>, both operated by partner company The Coach Travel Group (CTG)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 007 connects Dover, Folkestone, and Canterbury with London<\/strong>, while the 022 serves Ramsgate, Margate, Canterbury, and London<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both routes are scheduled to cease operating from December 7, ending two direct coach connections between the Kent coast and the capital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

National Express said its decision followed an assessment of passenger <\/a>numbers, operating expenses, and the routes’ longer-term commercial prospects. Falling demand, combined with higher fuel prices, has made continued operation financially unsustainable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neil Collins, Director of Coach Network Planning at National Express<\/strong>, explained the company’s position:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cWe have carefully considered the options available, but with rising operating costs and declining passenger demand, these routes are no longer commercially viable and we must make responsible decisions to protect our business and the wider coach network.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

This is a shame. National Express cutting all services between London and Kent which means no more coaches from Elephant &amp; Castle, Lewisham or Eltham to the coast.\n\nhttps:\/\/t.co\/MOEzOMJ7zk<\/p>— Murky Depths (@TheMurkyDepths) November 12, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\n

Coach Workers Face Redundancy as Depot Closure Is Considered<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The withdrawal has created uncertainty for employees at The Coach Travel Group<\/strong>, which operates both services on behalf of National Express.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Staff assigned to the affected routes have been placed at risk of redundancy<\/strong>, although the company has not confirmed how many positions could be lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CTG has begun a formal consultation process with affected employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cWe recognise the uncertainty this creates for those affected and our immediate priority is supporting our colleagues through a formal consultation process,\u201d a statement from CTG said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The company is also discussing the potential closure of its Eyethorne depot, near Dover<\/strong>, following the decision to discontinue the routes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No final depot closure decision has been announced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CTG emphasized that its other operations remain unaffected and will continue running normally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funding Discussions With Kent County Council Failed to Save the Services<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before confirming the withdrawals, National Express explored whether public financial support could help preserve the two routes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The operator held discussions with Kent County Council<\/strong> about possible subsidies, but no funding arrangement emerged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collins said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cWe recently engaged in constructive discussions with Kent County Council regarding potential subsidy options. However, given their focus to prioritise resources on socially-necessary local bus services, public funding is regrettably unavailable to subsidise scheduled coach services.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The council gave a different perspective when contacted by Bus & Coach Buyer, explaining that long-distance coach services fall outside the areas in which local authorities are involved<\/strong>. It therefore declined to comment on the services themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The exchanges underline the distinction between publicly supported local bus networks and commercial long-distance coach operations, which depend on operators’ assessments of financial viability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Happens to Passengers With Tickets After December 7?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The cancellations will affect passengers planning journeys between London and the Kent destinations served by the 007 and 022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

National Express has confirmed that customers who have already purchased advance tickets for travel beyond December 7, 2026<\/strong>, will be contacted directly about the changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Refunds will be arranged where applicable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For employees, the next stage is CTG’s formal redundancy consultation, while discussions about the future of the Eyethorne depot remain ongoing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

National Express has confirmed that both the 007 and 022 services will terminate from December 7, 2026, while CTG’s remaining operations will continue as normal.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

National Express is preparing to withdraw two coach services in Kent this December, putting jobs at risk and raising questions about the future of a local depot as rising costs and falling passenger demand force difficult decisions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":128750,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-128738","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=128738"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128738\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":128754,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128738\/revisions\/128754"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/128750"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=128738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=128738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=128738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}