Stagecoach Services 3, 4 and 14 in Hull

Like most routes, services 3, 4 and 14 were impacted by Stagecoach's changes in Hull on Sunday 30th August. 

The 3 and 4 link Orchard Park, Hull City Centre and Greatfield via different routes, and since the Simplibus relaunch had, on most journeys, operated as a through service from one route to another at Greatfield Grange Road - not any more though. Now the 3 continues via Amethyst Road, replacing the 4, to perform an anti-clockwise loop around Barham Road and Staveley Road in Bilton Grange, with the 4 also using this loop to terminate rather than extending to Grange Road. 

Service 3 is currently operating every 10 minutes Monday to Saturday daytimes, half hourly Sunday daytimes and at varying intervals between 30 and 65 minutes daily evenings. Compared to pre-COVID-19, this maintains the Monday to Friday and Sunday daytime frequency, reduces the Monday to Saturday evening frequency from half hourly all evening and increases the Saturday daytime frequency from every 15 minutes and the Sunday early evening frequency from hourly.

Looking in more detail, the first departure from Orchard Park is now at 0425 Monday to Saturday and 0745 Sunday compared to 0500 Monday to Friday, 0530 Saturday and 0800 Sunday pre-pandemic; from the new Bilton Grange terminus, the first departure is at 0440 Monday to Saturday and 0750 Sunday compared to 0430 Monday to Friday (to Paragon Interchange only), 0555 Saturday and 0745 Sunday from Greatfield. Mostly positive changes. 

At the end of the day the last service from Paragon Interchange to Orchard Park is at 2325 Monday to Saturday and 2230 Sunday, compared to 2330 daily; from Orchard Park the last departure is now at 2250 Monday to Saturday and 2150 Sunday compared to 2300 Monday to Saturday and 2230 Sunday. To Bilton Grange the last departure from Paragon Interchange is currently at 2320 Monday to Saturday and 2225 Sunday rather than 2330 Monday to Saturday and 2300 Sunday. From Bilton Grange the last departure is presently at 2250 Monday to Saturday and 2155 Sunday as opposed to 2237 Monday to Saturday and 2257 Sunday from the old Greatfield terminus. Not too bad considering the restrictions on the evening economy now in place.

The weekday off-peak half hourly extensions from Orchard Park to Bransholme North Point Shopping Centre via Sutton Park have not been resumed, leaving Cheltenham Avenue in Sutton Park unserved and no through bus from Orchard Park to Ennerdale Leisure Centre and Sutton Park (North Point has an indirect through service via routes 5 and 11). Also not resumed is the daily evening 3A variant, replaced by reinstating service 14's evening service, of which more later; instead all evening services now run as service 3. This simplification does have the effect of removing the evening only service from Hopewell Road in Greatfield however.

Service 4 has a couple of further route changes in addition to the new Bilton Grange loop; Marfleet Lane is no longer served, with services now routing between Holderness Road and Bilton Grange via Diadem Grove, and in Orchard Park, the 4 now follows the 5's route between Ellerburn Avenue and Tesco via the western part of Orchard Park Road and more of Hall Road, instead of taking the quicker route via the eastern part of Orchard Park Road. 

The service 4 daytime frequency remains every 15 minutes Monday to Saturday compared to pre-COVID-19, but drops from half hourly to hourly on Sundays. The first service from Orchard Park is currently 0550 Monday to Saturday and 0807 Sunday compared to 0608 Monday to Friday, 0555 Saturday and 0810 pre-pandemic. From Bilton Grange services start at 0655 Monday to Saturday and 0805 Sunday compared to 0610 Monday to Friday, 0605 Saturday and 0730 Sunday from the previous Grange Road terminus.

Evening services had been operating pre-COVID 19 as service 4A, omitting the Orchard Park Estate in favour of a direct routing from Orchard Park Tesco to Hull City Centre via Beverley Road, whilst in East Hull the 4A omitted parts of Holderness Road and Marfleet Lane to serve Portobello Street. The 4A operated half hourly Monday to Saturday and hourly Sunday. Now though, apart from some early evening Monday to Saturday journeys operating as service 4, the evening service has been withdrawn.

It is worth noting that for travel to/from Hull City Centre, the 4 duplicates other services for the vast majority of it's route, especially now the 3 serves Bilton Grange. 

Turning finally to service 14 between Hull Paragon Interchange and Greatfield Falkland Road, the daytime frequency is back at it's pre-pandemic 15 minute frequency Monday to Saturday, but is hourly rather than half hourly Sundays. First departures are 0555 from Greatfield Monday to Saturday and 0835 Sunday, compared to 0555 Monday to Friday, 0700 Saturday and 0805 Sunday pre-COVID-19. From Paragon Interchange the 14 presently starts at 0720 Monday to Saturday and 0800 Sunday compared to 0720 Monday to Friday, 0715 Saturday and 0830 Sunday.

As already mentioned, the 14 has it's evening service restored, replacing the 3A and 4A variations and simplifying the network, albeit hourly daily rather than half hourly Monday to Saturday and hourly Sunday. Falkland Road, which was and is now only served by the 14, regains an evening service. (I say the 14's evening service has been restored, but pre-pandemic Monday to Saturday there was a solitary 2330 departure from Paragon Interchange).