Press releases

A bus scheme that has persuaded 19 per cent of its passengers to switch from the car to the bus has scooped two national awards.
 
Fastrack, the bus rapid transit (BRT) system in North Kent, operated by Arriva on behalf of Kent County Council (KCC) and Kent Thameside, picked up awards for both its Infrastructure and Innovation at the annual UK Bus Awards held in London last week.

Since its launch in March 2006 the Fastrack system has carried over three million passengers, with surveys showing that one in five passengers have switched from using the car. The BRT system, also awarded the ‘Bus’ award at the UK’s National Transport Awards back in July, has a key role to play in the regeneration and development of Kent Thameside and provides an award-winning alternative to the car for local journeys.

In addition, the scheme was also named runner-up in the ‘Street Transit Award’, and highly commended in the award category of ‘Winning New Customers’.

Kevin Hawkins, commercial director for Arriva Southern Counties, said: “These awards are a fantastic testament to the hard work of all the partners involved in Fastrack, and to the dedication and commitment of Arriva staff that operate Fastrack day in, day out. We would also like to thank our customers for using Fastrack and making it so successful.”

David George, project manager – Fastrack, said: “These national accolades really are the icing on the cake. We are particularly delighted to have won both awards which underline that Fastrack really is the leading UK example of an innovative bus rapid transit system that can attract people from the car. Much more than a bus, this is exactly what the Fastrack bus rapid transit system is designed to do.”