A bus driver took matters into his own hands after Arriva failed to tell passengers about its contingency plans during road closures.

The number 6 bus runs between Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells but recent road closures have disrupted the service.

Commercial Road, Maidstone Road and Station Road in Paddock Wood have been closed since Friday, February 9 for SGN to carry out gas works. They are due to finish on March 11.

Church Lane in East Peckham, which is also part of the route, was also closed last week.

But passengers and bus drivers have not been told about changes to the service and temporary bus stops by the company in charge.

In response, Arriva employee, Scott Miller, 21, has taken it upon himself to put up posters and share diversion updates online to help confused passengers.

Scott, of Maidstone Road, Paddock Wood, said: “I have done everything in my power to ensure everyone in Paddock Wood and the surrounding areas are aware of the closure.

“I believe there has been no communication put out on Arriva’s website, app or any of their social media platforms. This is the reason I decided to produce the Facebook posts and put posters on bus stops.”

Arriva claim the correct messages were delivered in East Peckham but admitted this had not been done in Paddock Wood.

Since sharing the updates with residents, Scott, has received an outpouring of gratitude from passengers online with many telling him.

One of those impacted was mother-of-two Sophie Kemp, 26, who attempted to catch the number 6 bus from the Police Station stop in Paddock Wood on Monday, February 12, but was told by a member of the public the bus may not stop due to the closure of the railway bridge.

She said: “There were no signs to say the buses would not be stopping or a temporary bus stop.”

The next closest stop was Chantler’s Hill bus stop half a mile away, but there was no footpath for her to get to it safely.

Instead, she walked with her Mum and another member of the public from the bus stop on Maidstone Road to the entrance of Mascalls Academy and flagged down the bus with another passenger.

The mother, of Dumbrell Drive, Paddock Wood said: “There were two drivers on the 12.49pm number 6 bus and they complained to us that we shouldn’t have stopped where we stood.

“We explained it’s dangerous to walk to the best possible bus stop so did what we could.”

Another parent, who did not want to be named, has spoken of the anxiety caused to her daughter who “hasn’t had a clue on where to catch the bus.”

The mother, from East Peckham, said: “There have not been any temporary bus stops, or information on what route it is taking and if the times are the same.”

She has had to drive her daughter to school so that she doesn’t miss college because of the problems.

“She’s waited at the petrol station and it’s either not arrived or driven past,” she added.

The mother has praised Scott Miller who had joined the East Peckham Residents page to share travel updates, calling him “very helpful”.

Scott has now joined several Facebook groups to spread the word to passengers.

When asked why he was helping, he said: “It is for one reason and that’s to do Arriva’s job for them and keep their passengers informed.

A spokesman for Tonbridge and Malling Borough council stressed the importance of bus routes like the number 6 and called for Arriva to improve its communication to passengers.

Matt Boughton, leader of Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council, said: “Children have been left at bus stops waiting for a bus which hasn’t turned up and some have missed school.

“Arriva need to put in place urgent plans to better get the message to people about changes to their bus services.”

A spokesperson from Arriva said: “The usual course of action is that, when traffic is diverted, we send out service alerts to customers via the web, social media and app.

“This was done in the case of East Peckham, but it would appear that Paddock Wood was missed out and we’re sorry about that.”

The transport company also urged customer experiencing issues to call its customer services team.