Back to School 2026
Back to school, sorted.
Term starts Tuesday 1 September
New timetables, new route numbers and four ways to pay. Here's everything you need before the first morning.
Key dates
- First day — Wednesday 2 September
- Term 1 ends — Friday 16 October
- Spot a school bus — the route number starts with a letter
Some route numbers change on 1 September
Most services move to new timetables for the new term, and four routes are renumbered. If you caught one of these last year, they'll be looking for a different number at the stop.
| 408 → S9 | West Kingsdown to Sevenoaks |
| 234 → TW2 | Langton Green to Skinners' Kent Academy |
| 477S → D77 | Dartford to Swanley |
Two more things worth knowing. Routes T3 and TW6 now start at Badgers Mount Roundabout, running via Badgers Mount, Halstead and Knockholt to school. Route 477 gains extra morning trips.
To see the new times, go to Routes & Times and pick any date from 1 September.
Every school bus we run starts with a letter
That letter tells you where the bus is heading: S for Sevenoaks, TW for Tunbridge Wells, T for Tonbridge, D for Dartford. Lettered services run on school days only, with their own flat fare.
Our all day routes 208 and 477 also have journeys serving schools
S — Sevenoaks Schools - Knole and the Wildernesse campus
| S2 | Wildernesse Campus to Shoreham |
| S3 | Orpington to Sevenoaks, via Polhill and Knockholt |
| S4 | Plaxtol to Sevenoaks, schools and town |
| S5 | Wildernesse Campus to Sevenoaks Weald |
| S6 | Sevenoaks to Kemsing |
| S7 | Sevenoaks to Westerham |
| S8 | Sevenoaks to Westerham |
| S9 | West Kingsdown to Sevenoaks (was route 408) |
| S10 | Swanley to Sevenoaks Schools |
| S12 | Swanley to Sevenoaks Schools |
| S32 | St Paul's Cray and Orpington to Sevenoaks Schools |
| S34 | Knockholt to Sevenoaks Schools |
| S41 | Sevenoaks to Edenbridge |
TW — Tunbridge Wells schools
| TW1 | Kemsing to Tunbridge Wells |
| TW2 | Langton Green to Skinners' Kent Academy (was route 234) |
| TW3 | Swanley to Tunbridge Wells |
| TW4 | Westerham to Tunbridge Wells |
| TW6 | Tunbridge Wells to Knockholt (now starts at Badgers Mount) |
T — Tonbridge
| T3 | Tonbridge to Knockholt (now starts at Badgers Mount) |
D — Dartford
| D77 | Dartford Schools to Swanley (was route 477S) |
| D29 | Dartford to West Kingsdown |
| D30 | Dartford to West Kingsdown |
Full stop-by-stop timetables for every service are on Routes & Times. Many pupils also travel on our daytime routes — those carry the standard network flat fare.
Find the services for your school
Each page lists the GoBus services that serve that school, with times and stops.
- Bennett Memorial
- Dartford Grammar School
- Dartford Grammar School for Girls
- Knole Academy
- Leigh Academy Dartford
- Leigh Academy Wilmington
- Sir Geoffrey Leigh Academy
- Skinners' Kent Academy
- The Skinners' School
- Tonbridge Grammar School
- Tonbridge School
- Trinity / Wildernesse
- Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys
- Weald of Kent Grammar — Sevenoaks
- Weald of Kent Grammar — Tonbridge
- Wilmington Grammar School for Boys
- Wilmington Grammar School for Girls
Four ways to pay for the school run
Every option below is valid across all our lettered school services. Buy as you go, or pay once and forget about it for the term. Card is significantly cheaper than cash on the bus, so it pays to tap.
Pay on the bus — single flat fare
£4 with a contactless card, £5 with cash
One flat fare on every school service — no zones, no distance pricing. Pay the driver by cash or card. Card is significantly cheaper than cash
In the app or on bus with a card — Scholar 7 Day
£38
A rolling week for pupils who travel some days but not others.
- Valid 7 days from activation
- Activate within 3 months of buying
In the app - Scholar Term 1
£227
Covers the whole of Term 1 — Tuesday 1 September to Friday 23 October.
- One payment, no daily fares
- Ready on their phone from day one
Works out at around £5 a school day.
Buy once — Academic year
£1,250
1 September 2026 to 21 July 2027, the whole year in one go.
- Cheapest option for five-day travel
- Nothing to renew at half term
Buy a school ticket in the GoBus app.
A Travel Saver can halve what you pay
The KCC Travel Saver is a bus pass that saves up to 50% on the cost of getting to and from school. It's well worth checking whether your child qualifies before term starts.
Travel Saver — Years 7 to 11
For young people living in Kent. Free travel on our services on weekdays between 6am and 7pm, except in August. An application fee applies.
16+ Travel Saver — Years 12 to 14
For 16 to 19 year olds at a participating school, college, work or apprenticeship provider. Free travel on our services at all times, including August. An application fee applies.
Pass holders are asked to follow the KCC Travel Saver Code of Conduct.
Five minutes now saves a stressful first morning
- Check the new times. Pick a date from 1 September on Routes & Times — most services have changed.
- Check the route number. Four services are renumbered. Make sure your child knows which one to look for.
- Sort the ticket. Buy a term or annual pass in the app, or apply for a KCC Travel Saver.
- Download the app. Live times, stop maps and tickets in one place, on their phone.
- Do a dry run. Walk to the stop together and check which side of the road the bus goes from.
Still not sure? Get in touch and we'll help you work out the right bus and the right ticket.