EYMS Cottingham and Willerby Service Changes

Following up to Monday's VOSA entries, EYMS have issued a press release summarising most of their February service changes. These include a number of changes in the Willerby and Cottingham areas.

Firstly service 109, introduced in August linking Bricknell Avenue, Cottingham and Castle Hill Hospital will be axed (unless new council funding is found). This service duplicates part of Stagecoach service 110, though St. Margarets Road in Cottingham will loose almost all it's service as a result (the exception being a morning peak journey on service 61). As I mentioned back in August, maybe service 110 could be routed via St. Margarets Road?

Service 154 between Hull City Centre, Willerby, Castle Hill Hospital, Cottingham Green and Cottingham Station will be curtailed to terminate at Castle Hill Hospital but shall be interworked with service 115 between Castle Hill Hospital, Cotttingham Green, Endike Lane and Hull. This shall preserve links from the 154 route to Cottingham Green, plus create new links from Willerby to Endike Lane and Hull University. However it shall mean Cottingham Station shall no longer have a bus service, which EYMS says currently sees little custom.

Furthermore service 154 shall gain a new hourly Sunday service, matching it with service 115's hourly Sunday service. The Monday to Saturday daytime and early evening service on routes 115 and 154 already match, both operating every 20 minutes in the daytime with a limited early evening service.

Route 64 between Hull, Setting Dyke, Cottingham Green, Castle Hill Hospital and Willerby shall terminate at Castle Hill Hospital from February. Cottingham, Castle Hill Hospital and Willerby currently have 5 buses an hour (services 64/154/180), and the reduction to 4 an hour (115/154 every 20 minutes and 180 hourly) is probably not a major issue Monday to Saturday daytimes. However evening links will be lost, except for limited early evening 115/154 journeys. Sunday daytimes shall be covered the the new 154 Sunday service (see above).

Route 64 currently continues as service 47 at Willerby into Hull via Kingston Road, Willerby Road and Spring Bank, which shall now loose their link to Castle Hill Hospital and Cottingham. The Willerby Road corrdor shall also see other changes, which do simplify the current complex network, but lead to some reductions.

Currently services 44, 45 and 47 link Hull and Willerby every 15 minutes Monday to Saturday daytimes but shall be simplified to just service 44 from February, albeit running every 20 minutes. Changes to service 35 shall retain 4 buses an hour from Willerby to Hull via the Willerby Road corridor. EYMS also mention that combined with service 154, Hull to Willerby shall have a service every 10 minutes, so maybe the 44 and 154 will be co-ordinated from February?

The 47 runs the same route as service 44, with the separate number indicating that it continues as a service 64 to Castle Hill Hospital. But with the 64 no longer serving Willerby (see above), the variation is no longer required. The 45 additionally serves Willerby Parkway and Well Lane but shall be replaced by changes to service 35 (see below).

Wold Road and Wymersley Road currently have a bus every 15 minutes into Hull City Centre, Monday to Saturday daytimes. The 33 operates via Spring Bank West and the 35 via Albert Avenue and Hull Royal Infirmary. From February Wold and Wymersely Road's shall retain 4 buses an hour into Hull City Centre. The 33 shall be increased to run every 20 minutes, with the 35 reduced to hourly. Like Willerby, the current even spread of buses shall be lost.

The 'new' 35 shall start in Willerby and operate via Well Lane, Willerby Parkway, Kingston Road, Wymersely Road, Wold Road, parts of Spring Bank, Albert Avenue and Hull Royal Infirmary into Hull City Centre. It's reduced hourly frequency shall mean a reduction in service for Albert Avenue, and less buses from Wold Road to Hull Royal Infirmary, but opens new links to Hull Royal Infirmary from parts of Willerby.

Another effect of these changes is that there shall be a service every 10 minutes from Hull to County Road South via Spring Bank on routes 33 and 44. Currently it is every 7/8 minutes on services 33/44/45/47, but with some 15 minute gaps when service 35 operates. So a gain at some times, a loss at others.

Indeed that seems to be the case overall. Some benefits, some losses. Apart from St Margarets Road in Cottingham, and links between Cottingham and Willerby in the evening, I can't see any major complaints about this package of changes. Most of the service reductions appear, to me at least, to be inconvenient, rather than a major loss of service. Though maybe those affected will think otherwise?

Overall the Willerby changes save 2 buses. Full details will be made available in January when new timetable are released. Other changes affect services 1C and 41. And as some comments have pointed out, I incorrectly stated that EYMS would no longer have any commercial services wholly within Hull after February. I of course forgot the 33, 62 and 700. So thanks for pointing that out.