Noddle Hill Weekend Reductions; Early Morning Improvements

Starting today, Monday 1st September, Stagecoach have introduced changes to services 32 and 52 which serve Noddle Hill Way in Bransholme, as part of their package of changes across Hull. The 32 links Hull City Centre, Sutton, Noddle Hill Way and North Point Shopping Centre, while the 52 links Hull City Centre with Spring Cottage, Noddle Hill Way and Kingswood. As already mentioned the 52 has been diverted away from Holderness Road and parts of Bellfield Avenue to serve Garden Village and Savoy Road, replacing the withdrawn 53.

The other major change is a reduction in weekend frequencies on both the 32 and 52. The 32 is reduced from every 20 minutes to every half hour on Saturday daytimes, and from half hourly to hourly on Sunday daytimes. However despite this, Stagecoach's description on their website of the change is "Timetable simplified. Only minor changes". Seems a bit more than minor to me, especially the Sunday evening reduction when the gaps between services is doubled. The first service on Sundays from North Point becomes 0720 rather than 0750, though the last service becomes 2220 rather than 2250. There are other minor changes to times throughout the week and evening services will continue across Hull Interchange to the Avenues and back to Kingswood as service 16.

On service 52 the Saturday daytime frequency is also reduced from every 20 minutes to half hourly; combined with service 32, Noddle Hill Way goes from a service every 10 minutes to a service every 15 minutes to/from Hull City Centre. The half hourly Sunday daytime service is withdrawn entirely, leaving Noddle Hill Way with the half hourly service 32 and Spring Cottage with the half hourly 51.

The early morning service on the 52 from Kingswood is significantly improved, with a first departure at 0505 weekdays and 0607 Saturdays, compared to 0642 and 0832 previously. As part of the Workers+ network, the first four weekday journeys from Kingswood will operate via Cleveland Street (for connections to Stoneferry and Sutton Fields), Carr Lane, Hull Royal Infirmary, Rawling Way and Smith and Nephew on English Road en-route to Hull Interchange, providing much improved access to employment sites. On the negative side however the last journey from Kingswood becomes 1745 weekdays, 1707 Saturdays compared to 1837 weekdays and 1930 Saturdays previously. The first journey from Hull City Centre is earlier at 0908 weekdays, 0923 Saturdays, compared to 0935 previously. There are other minor changes to times throughout the week.  All journeys on the 52 will now serve Kingswood Retail Park, but not Kingswood Leisure Park.