Stagecoach along Hessle Road

Stagecoach haven't returned to pre-Covid-19 service patterns or overall frequencies along Hessle Road in Hull, though for some customers, frequencies have actually improved compared to the start of the year.

Service 1 between Hull Paragon Interchange, the Thornton Estate, Hessle Road and the Boothferry Estate, where it operates as a circular with service 2, was reduced in frequency last November in favour of a rerouted service 20 Priory Park Park and Ride along Hessle Road. This meant the weekday daytime frequency dropped from every 10 to every 15 minutes and on Saturday daytimes the frequency reduced from every 15 to every 20 minutes. Since 30th August the Monday to Saturday daytime frequency of service 1 is every 10 minutes, reversing last year's weekday change and more than reversing the Saturday change. For the Thornton Estate and travellers between the Boothferry Estate and Hessle Road in particular this is an enhancement.

Looking at the rest of the service 1 timetable, Monday to Saturday evenings are currently hourly rather than half hourly pre-pandemic; Sunday's remain half hourly daytimes, hourly evenings. The weekday early morning 1K variation that saw journeys from Boothferry Estate to Hull City Centre extend to Kingswood Retail Park via Stoneferry Road and Sutton Fields Industrial Estate has been withdrawn, and the number of 1W variations via Smith and Nephew rather than the Thornton Estate has been reduced.

The first journey from Paragon Interchange is at 0510 Monday to Saturday and 0830 Sundays, rather than 0435 Monday to Friday, 0600 Saturday or 0730 Sunday. From the Boothferry Estate, the first journey is now at 0433 Monday to Saturday and 0820 Sunday rather than 0500 Monday to Friday, 0642 Saturday and 0815 Sunday. Positives, especially on Saturdays, and Negatives. Last journeys in the evening are understandably mostly earlier at the current time; 2235 rather than 2330 Monday to Saturday and 2130 rather than 2300 Sunday from Paragon Interchange; 2338 rather than 2330 Monday to Saturday and 2220 rather than 2355 Sunday from the Boothferry Estate.

Priory Park Park and Ride service 20 has reverted to using the A63 Clive Sullivan Way en-route between Priory Park, Hull Royal Infirmary and Hull City Centre, rather than Hessle Road. The service frequency has been reduced to every 20 minutes rather than every 15 minutes pre-pandemic. This is pushing the limits of 'turn up and go', but again an understandable cut in the current environment. The first departure from Priory Park is at 0700 rather than 0730. Early Evening variation 22 via Askew Avenue and the KC Stadium is not operating, with journeys remaining as service 20 instead (though service 22 remains on the Stagecoach Hull bus map). 

For Hessle Road compared to pre-pandemic, with the 20 rerouted away, Stagecoach are down from eight to six services per hour Monday to Friday daytimes and from seven to six per hour on Saturdays. Still frequent, still 'turn up and go'.