Fastrack

Kent Thameside

Construction work on the Fastrack network in Kent Thameside began on 23 September 2004. The network commenced operations on 26 March 2006 with the introduction of Fastrack B between Temple Hill and Gravesend.

On 3 June 2007, Fastrack A commenced operations in order to serve the new development at The Bridge in Dartford. The route is part-funded by Prologis, the developers of The Bridge.

From 19 November 2007 following the opening of Ebbsfleet International railway station, Fastrack B was diverted to serve the station in order to connect with Eurostar and Southeastern High Speed services.

Following the completion of the Everards Link Phase 2 on 10 December 2012, Fastrack B was rerouted via a new section of busway linking Ingress Park with Greenhithe railway station. Fastrack B began serving the whole of the Ingress Park development from 2 September 2018.

From 2 August 2020 following the opening of the Springhead Bridge, Fastrack B was rerouted between Ebbsfleet International railway station and Gravesend to serve the new Springhead Park development.

On 23 August 2021, Fastrack AZ commenced operations in order to serve the Amazon LCY3 distribution centre in Dartford. The route was initially operated by Go-Coach but transferred to Arriva Southern Counties on 3 April 2022 with Fastrack A being modified to serve the LCY3 distribution centre at the same time.

In June 2023, it was announced that Go-Ahead London had been awarded a 15 year contract to operate the Kent Thameside network, starting in November 2024. On 10 November 2024, the Kent Thameside network was taken over by Go-Ahead London. On the same day, Fastrack E commenced operations, initially running from Gravesend to Castle Hill in order to serve the Castle Hill and Cable Wharf developments.

From 16 August 2025, following the opening of the Whitecliffe busway, Fastrack E was extended to serve Bluewater.

Kent Thameside

The vehicles used on the Fastrack routes, including Volvo B7RLE Wright Eclipse Urban, Wright StreetLite and Alexander Dennis Enviro200 MMC, are tagged in order to allow them to use the various bus priority measures across the network. This allows them to enter segregated bus lanes and change traffic light sequences to give the buses priority over other vehicles.

The buses are also marketed with a number of features to improve travel experience, including free WiFi, USB charging points and next stop announcements.

Between 21 March and 9 May 2018, the first Volvo 7900 electric bus was introduced to the Fastrack network in Kent Thameside network as part of a trial period.

Following the takeover of the Kent Thameside network by Go-Ahead London on 10 November 2024 and the introduction of the Dover service on 17 November 2024, Fastrack is planned to be the first fully electric bus network in Kent, with the first new Irizar ie tram electric buses entering service during 25 April 2025 and 22 January 2026.