Pentagon Bus Station
Encyclopedia
Pentagon bus station is the main bus interchange in Chatham, Kent, England
. It is an integral part of the Pentagon Shopping Centre
. As a result, 80% of local services start, terminate or pass through the Centre.
The Pentagon bus station is arranged as a two-lane, one-way, ring road around the outside of the Pentagon Shopping Centre at the upper level. The station has 18 bays, all on the inside of the road around the irregular 5 sided building. Buses access from street level via one street level ramp and exit via the same or a second ramp as appropriate.
The Pentagon bus station is leased by Arriva Southern Counties
from Medway Council until 2018, by virtue of Arriva
having taken over Maidstone & District Motor Services Ltd
, the previous incumbent. Access to the station by other operators has been a cause of historical controversy. The issue was placed within the scope of a 1993 Competition Commission
inquiry into The supply of bus services in Mid and West Kent . As a result of the inquiry, M&D were required to undertake to provide equal access at reasonable rates and conditions.
Other bus operators in the area locate their pick-up and set-down stops in Military Road directly outside the centre. A Saturdays Park & Ride service from Horsted also makes its Chatham stop in Military Road.
As part of the redevelopment plans for central Chatham, the Pentagon bus station will be replaced in Spring 2011 by a Dynamic Bus Facility on Globe Lane, adjacent to Military Rd, with the space currently occupied by the bus station used instead to expand the Pentagon Shopping Centre.
The new bus shelters will have living roofs (mainly sedum
s).
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is an integral part of the Pentagon Shopping Centre
Pentagon Shopping Centre
The Pentagon Shopping Centre is a shopping centre in Chatham in Kent. The shopping centre is located next to the Pentagon bus station, which 80% of services use. The shopping centre features over 70 shops, many high street names in fashion, homeware and food stores...
. As a result, 80% of local services start, terminate or pass through the Centre.
The Pentagon bus station is arranged as a two-lane, one-way, ring road around the outside of the Pentagon Shopping Centre at the upper level. The station has 18 bays, all on the inside of the road around the irregular 5 sided building. Buses access from street level via one street level ramp and exit via the same or a second ramp as appropriate.
The Pentagon bus station is leased by Arriva Southern Counties
Arriva Southern Counties
Arriva Southern Counties is a bus operator in London, Surrey, West Sussex, East Sussex, Kent and Essex in England. It is a regional division of Arriva.- History :...
from Medway Council until 2018, by virtue of Arriva
Arriva
Arriva plc is a multinational public transport company owned by Deutsche Bahn and headquartered in Sunderland, United Kingdom. It has bus, coach, train, tram and waterbus operations in 12 countries across Europe, employs more than 47,500 people and services over 1.5 billion passenger journeys each...
having taken over Maidstone & District Motor Services Ltd
Maidstone & District Motor Services Ltd
Maidstone & District Motor Services Ltd was a bus company based in Maidstone, Kent. The company operated bus and coach services in Mid and West Kent and East Sussex from 1911 until 1998. The company's surviving operations were absorbed into Arriva Southern Counties.-Early years:In 1908 a hired...
, the previous incumbent. Access to the station by other operators has been a cause of historical controversy. The issue was placed within the scope of a 1993 Competition Commission
Competition Commission
The Competition Commission is a non-departmental public body responsible for investigating mergers, markets and other enquiries related to regulated industries under competition law in the United Kingdom...
inquiry into The supply of bus services in Mid and West Kent . As a result of the inquiry, M&D were required to undertake to provide equal access at reasonable rates and conditions.
Other bus operators in the area locate their pick-up and set-down stops in Military Road directly outside the centre. A Saturdays Park & Ride service from Horsted also makes its Chatham stop in Military Road.
As part of the redevelopment plans for central Chatham, the Pentagon bus station will be replaced in Spring 2011 by a Dynamic Bus Facility on Globe Lane, adjacent to Military Rd, with the space currently occupied by the bus station used instead to expand the Pentagon Shopping Centre.
The new bus shelters will have living roofs (mainly sedum
Sedum
Sedum is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Crassulaceae, members of which are commonly known as stonecrops. It contains around 400 species of leaf succulents that are found throughout the Northern Hemisphere, varying from annual and creeping herbs to shrubs. The plants have...
s).
.