Saturday 17 October 2020

Hull Service 6 becomes 'independent'

Stagecoach service 6 in Hull has become 'independent', at least in the sense that it no longer operates as a circular with service 7. I can't recall exactly when this change was implemented over the Summer, but this alteration has been in place since at least Stagecoach's Sunday 30th August changes. 

The service 6 route is largely unaltered compared to pre-pandemic when it was linked with service 7. From Hull Paragon Interchange it continues to operate direct via Beverley Road to Kingswood Leisure Park, then serves Kingswood Retail Park and the residential areas of Kingswood before using Pioneer Way to North Bransholme. It's North Bransholme where there has been a slight change, in that rather than changing to/from a service 7 here, the 6 now provides a one way loop around Pennine Way and Wawne Road, to maintain the North Bransholme to Kingswood and Beverley Road link (service 7 no longer serves North Bransholme, more on that in a future post). 

The half hourly Monday to Saturday daytime frequency provided pre-pandemic is also provided in the current (30th August) timetable, though the option of two additional services per hour via the longer service 7 route is no longer available for Kingswood residents. First services remain at similar times. The 6 is now the only service for Runnymede Lane in Kingswood, following the withdrawal of the 9 (again more in a future post). 

Due to these changes, Runnymede Lane and Pioneer Way no longer have links to North Point Shopping Centre. 

Service 6 has also gained an hourly evening and Sunday service, however it does partially replace other services. Along Beverley Road, compared to pre-pandemic, the 4 no longer has an evening service and has been reduced from half hourly to hourly on Sunday daytimes. The half hourly Monday to Saturday evening and Sunday daytime, and hourly Sunday evening 7A has been replaced with an hourly service 8 Monday to Saturday early evening and Sunday daytimes only. In Kingswood, the 6 replaces the 7A and 10A, the latter had also been operating half hourly Monday to Saturday evening and Sunday daytime, and hourly Sunday evening. As such the new evening and Sunday service 6 isn't as much of an enhancement as it might superficially appear, though it does at least simplify the Kingswood network. 

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