There are fears people will miss vital hospital appointments, become isolated and be left waiting in the cold due to planned bus cuts.

Stagecoach’s proposals for Dover have been branded “disgraceful” and the company is being urged to go back to the drawing board amid mounting opposition - with the town’s MP among those raising concerns.

The “disastrous” cuts come with a change of timetable on November 17, when the long-awaited Fastrack rapid bus service is set to begin between central Dover and Whitfield.

The 64, going between the town centre and River via Buckland Hospital, is being reduced from a maximum of twice an hour to once.

A Save Our Buses campaign has been launched and co-ordinator Keith Sansum told KentOnline: “Imagine if you have an appointment at the hospital, you've got cancer and you have to wait for an hour for a bus. It’s horrific.

“Buses should be run for the public, not private shareholders.”

Ros Dalton, who lives in River and doesn’t drive, told us: “Many people, myself included, rely on the 64 to get to the Buckland Hospital outpatients department.

“One bus an hour will make this virtually impossible.

“Many elderly people use the service and in winter months - if they miss the bus or it is cancelled - will be waiting in the cold for an hour or more.”

She added that children travelling to school without parents would also be left waiting, along with those going to and from work.

Linda Walmesley, also from River, told KentOnline: “The 64 is a service which is used regularly. On three occasions recently I witnessed people in wheelchairs being turned away because the buses were too full.”

Ms Walmesley says bus services help the mental health of those who would otherwise stay at home, keep the elderly moving and warm, are greener than using cars - and support shops rather than people buying online.

Beccy Sawbridge, a Dover town councillor from Tower Hamlets who is also a pensioner and does not drive, said: “It’s already really difficult to get around town. If I want to go anywhere in the evening it’s a nonsense.

“Last Saturday (October 26) I went with others to a demonstration in London but because we were late coming back we missed the last bus from Whitfield and had to walk.

“The only other option would have been to take a taxi, which I couldn't afford and anyway it was going to have to be a two-hour wait.”

The 64, at present, goes between River and Aycliffe. In 2022, services between River and Dover town centre were cut from three times an hour.

The southern leg of the journey, from the town centre to Aycliffe, is being axed but replaced with a new service, the 65. Again this will run twice an hour at most.

From November, the No 12 Monday to Saturday route between Deal, Whitfield and Canterbury is also being cut from a maximum of two buses an hour to one.

However, several other services will not be any less frequent, such as the 15 between Dover and Canterbury.

Buses between Dover and Folkestone will continue to be up to four times an hour but there will be no more direct journeys from Dover to Romney Marsh.

The long 102 coastal route will be replaced by five shorter overlapping ones between Dover and Lydd or Lydd-on-Sea.

The 61, which also goes from Dover town centre to Whitfield, will continue to be up to twice an hour but now terminates at Whitfield Bus Garage, missing out the Forge Lane and Nursery Lane area in northern Whitfield. The new Fastrack will also miss this area.

Resident Sally Chamberlain told KentOnline: “I can no longer drive and have poor mobility and the loss of this bus service to the north of Whitfield is a disaster for many people.”

She says a new health centre planned for Whitfield will now be “virtually impossible” to reach for those who do not have a car.

Jeff Goodsell, chairman of Whitfield Parish Council, said: “This is a disgraceful decision. We will do all that we can to oppose and reverse it.

“This will isolate many of our older residents who depend on the service to travel to medical appointments, to do their shopping, visit friends and family and to get to all parts of the town.

“Our children will be faced with a long walk to catch busses to and from school.”

A petition was set up over the Whitfield bus by local man Jack Pile last Wednesday, which brought in 589 online signatures by Monday morning.

He said: “Our local bus link is a lifeline for many in our community. This service is essential for elderly residents, disabled individuals, and schoolchildren.

“For example, my 70-year-old nan relies on this service for her weekly shopping, hospital appointments, and maintaining her independence. Without it, she’d have to depend on family car trips, undermining her independence.”

Dover MP Mike Tapp met with bus operator Stagecoach on Monday morning and says he made it clear the cuts are “not acceptable”.

He told KentOnline: “I was slightly reassured that the new Fastrack buses will cover much of the ground in Whitfield that the number 61 does. However, I am concerned about the lack of service to those on Guilford Avenue, Forge Lane and a part of Sandwich Road.

“There is a part of the route 64 which I was told is unsafe for buses to use, due to the road and parking situation.

“I will continue to push for all services to be maintained and will be raising these issues with Kent County Council.”

Stagecoach says local town bus routes are changing to offer more direct and reliable journeys.

The operator stresses that changes to the 64 service were not to do with the arrival of Fastrack but purely from commercial decisions based on passenger levels.

A spokesperson said: "We've looked really carefully at the 64 service. Sadly the number of passengers using the buses between town and River is very small and does not support the cost of providing two buses an hour.

“By changing the frequency we're able to keep the service going because we know it provides an important link for people locally."

The company adds that for residents in the Forge Lane and Nursery Lane areas, access to Whitfield Tesco is available using the Stagecoach Connect (Demand Responsive Transport) minibus service.

Stagecoach says changes in coastal services linking Dover, Folkestone, Hythe and Romney Marsh are to improve reliability and punctuality.

New connections will link Romney Marsh, Hythe and Sandgate directly to Folkestone Central railway station.

In Folkestone, timetable alterations are to make services more resilient to the impact of delays from elsewhere on the network, Stagecoach says.

On top of this, buses will now serve Marine Parade at Folkestone Harbour Arm. This will provide a link to Folkestone Central every 30 minutes, in time for the Harbour Arm’s Christmas Market which starts on November 15.