Back to the Past, to an extent

Hornsby Travel changed many of their services on Monday 2nd December, including service 9 between Scunthorpe Bus Station and Scunthorpe Hospital, service 35 between Scunthorpe Bus Station, Althorpe Station, Keadby and Amcotts, and service 90 between Scunthorpe Bus Station, Althorpe Station and Crowle.

Service 35 reverts to a timetable more akin to that it provided prior to being amended in June. Monday to Friday the service goes from a two hourly daytime off peak frequency between Scunthorpe and Amcotts to an hourly daytime off peak frequency between Scunthorpe and Keadby (all but one journey serving Queens Crescent in Keadby), with four journeys extending to/from Amcotts (one less service per day); these extensions result in some 45 and 75 minute gaps in the return direction between Keadby and Scunthorpe. One useful change from June that does remain is the diversion of all but one journey to operate via Scunthorpe Hospital.

The new 35 timetable, apart from the first journey in each direction, also applies on Saturdays. The June changes did not impact the Saturday service, so the main changes here are now serving Scunthorpe Hospital, and all journeys serving Queens Crescent in Keadby. The consistency between weekdays and Saturdays is also a major positive.

In June the 90 had begun serving Queens Crescent in Keadby off peak daytimes Monday to Friday, to compensate for the 35 being reduced in frequency. This diversion has now been withdrawn with the 35 increasing in frequency once again, resulting in daytime Crowle to Scunthorpe journey times being reduced from 41 to 35 minutes. Otherwise the service remains every two hours Monday to Friday off peak daytimes, more frequently at peaktimes.

The new timetable improves co-ordination with East Yorkshire service 361 between Scunthorpe and Crowle, reinstating a combined hourly frequency Monday to Friday off peak daytimes, rather than the 30 and 90 minute gaps that had existed since June. Co-ordination with the 35 is also excellent from Scunthorpe Bus Station to Althorpe Station; the 35, 90 and 361 together providing a half hourly service though in the other direction it's abysmal, with examples of two services operating at the same time from Althorpe into Scunthorpe.

The Saturday timetable on service 90 has also been amended, with five journeys each way continuing to be provided. The single afternoon service extension beyond Crowle to Eastoft and Luddington is withdrawn, leaving passengers in these two villages with service 361 or CallConnect. The 90 continues to serve Church Lane in Scunthorpe on Saturdays only, and is now the only Saturday service on Church Lane after Hornsby withdrew the Saturday service 9 as part of their changes this week. Monday to Friday service 9 is unaffected.