Tuesday 27 July 2010

North Yorkshire Bus Cuts

North Yorkshire County Council have released a list of proposed cuts to tendered services from April 2011 for consultation. The axe is proposed mainly over evening and Sunday tendered services, with the cuts, totalling £600,000, being blamed on the "economic climate".

Some of the changes affect cross boundary services in East Yorkshire. The Monday to Saturday evening service on Arriva operated route 400 from Selby to Goole via Snaith and Goole Hospital is proposed to be withdrawn. The would lead to the 1910 and 2110 from Selby and the 2000 and 2200 return from Goole ending. The Selby-Goole service is already due to see early evening cutbacks from 31st August.

Also under threat is the daily evening service on EYMS operated route 121 between Scarborough and Hunmanby. While this section of route is wholly within North Yorkshire, East Riding of Yorkshire Council fund extensions to Bridlington Monday to Saturdays.

There are four probable outcomes here:
1. The cuts happen
2. The proposals are withdrawn, or the size of the cuts are reduced
3. East Riding of Yorkshire Council provide replacement funding and either the cuts do not take place, or are less severe
4. Some or all of the affected services are taken on commercially

However it must be rembered here the economic situation. While it is possible public pressure may see a slight reduction in the size of the cuts, more likely is that any 'saved' services will mean cuts to other services elsewhere. And while East Riding of Yorkshire Council could step in with replacement funding, they too are facing the same "economic climate". As are bus operators. These services are tendered in the first place for a reason.

EYMS's Scarborough and District operation also faces major cuts to the tendered services it operates in the evenings and on Sundays, while North Yorkshire County Council's contribution to the MoorsBus network is also under threat. This includes a service from Hull.

Comments on the proposed cuts can be sent by 31st October by letter or email. Contact details are on the first page of the detailed consultation document showing exactly what services are under threat across North Yorkshire. The level of detail and consultation is to be comended.

As a final thought, how long before tendered services budgets get cut at the four Humber region authoritie?. Marginal and loss making commercial services have been cut in the past two years across the region, and marginal or loss making tendered services have been surrendered. This has put increased pressure on council budgets. Now it is likely to be councils wielding the axe. And all against a background of uncertainty to the future of the bus service operators grant (BSOG).

Wednesday 21 July 2010

Stagecoach tender losses to Hornsby?

Hornsby Travel have today registered with VOSA services 16 and 94/95 from 31st August, both North Lincolnshire Council tendered services currently operated by Stagecoach. Stagecoach have not yet cancelled their registrations.

Service 16 operates Tuesday and Thursdays only to provide a link from the Parklands Caravan Site and Woodlands Crematorium to Scunthorpe Bus Station. Services 94 and 95 link Gainsthorpe (Mon-Fri) and Glentham (Saturday) to Brigg and Scunthorpe. They were extensively revised last Autumn as outlined here and if they have been lost by Stagecoach would mean a reduction in one of Scunthorpe depot's peak vehicle requirement. The Saturday service also receives some financial support from Lincolnshire County Council.

Hornsby have also registered to amend services 9 (Scunthorpe Hospital Shuttle) and 25 (Scunthorpe-Keadby-Amcotts) from 31st August

Wednesday 14 July 2010

September Service Changes

September is set to see many services in the region have alterations according to the VOSA website, mostly Stagecoach services. See the list below:

EYMS

Services 61/2
Services 151/2
Service 154
Willerby Road Services 33/34/44

Stagecoach Grimsby Cleethorpes

45 Group of Services
Humber Flyer

Stagecoach Hull

Services 1/2/N2
Service 10
Services 13/14 (and variants)
Service 15 (and variants)
Service 28
Service 30 (and variants)
Service 32 (and variants)
Services 41/2
Service 43 (and variants)
Service 51 (and variants)
Service 54

Stagecoach Lincolnshire - Scunthorpe depot

Services 101/601
Services 909/910 - it would appear that the remaining journeys on service 909 to Doncaster may be cancelled

Please note more than one service is sometimes on a single VOSA registration, so not all the services above may alter. Furthermore some changes maybe very minor.

Arriva 400/401 Changes

North Yorkshire Council report that Arriva will make changes to their 400/1 Selby-Goole services from 31st August.

Monday to Friday
The 1545 schools service from Snaith School will now divert via Drax
The 1720 service 401 Selby-Goole will terminate at West Cowick
The 1810 service 401 Goole-Selby will be withdrawn

Saturday
The 1705 service 400 Selby-Goole will terminate at West Cowick
The 1800 service 400 Goole-Selby will be withdrawn

Service 133 extra journey

Summer seasonal service 133, operated by Hutchinson's between Driffield and Malton, and new for 2010, gains an extra Saturday service from Malton at 1330 from July 17th according to North Yorkshire Council.

The full timetable is available here - Sunday and Bank Holiday journeys run between Driffield and Wharram Percy only.

Thursday 1 July 2010

Sunday Stagecoach Humber Flyer

The timetable for this year's Hull-Cleethorpes Summer Sunday service has been released. It will departs Hull at 0930 from 11th July to 5th September and return from Pleasure Island at 1715. This year the service shall divert into Barton, as the Monday to Saturday service now does, however Keelby, Laceby and Grimsby Town Centre are omitted from the Sunday service.