747 goes 7 days a week

Starting on Sunday 5th November, the East Yorkshire operated tendered service 747 between Pocklington, Stamford Bridge and York gains services on Sunday daytimes plus Friday and Saturday evenings, thanks to East Riding of Yorkshire Council's Bus Service Improvement Plan Plus funding. 

The 747 currently provides three services into York Monday to Saturday daytimes and four from York, providing commuting links into York, shopping links into Pocklington and York as well as access to Full Sutton Prison during early afternoons, presumably for visitors. The 747's route includes the villages of Bolton, Fangfoss, Full Sutton and Murton on all current journeys, plus Meltonby, Bishop Wilton and Yapham on off peak journeys. 

The new Friday and Saturday evening journeys comprise an 1830 from Pocklington to York, serving all the villages on the off peak route except for Murton. There is then a 2000 from York to Pocklington via the peak time route and also excluding Murton. Finally there is an 'unbalanced' 2245 from York to Pocklington via the off peak route but again excluding Murton. Overall this provides a basic 'evening out in York' service and the 2000 from York may attract those wanting to visit York for the day/afternoon then have a meal or drink before returning home. 

On Sunday daytimes there is a more straight forward timetable of three services in each direction - operating every three hours - all via the Monday to Saturday offpeak route, but excluding Murton. 

This is a fantastic development for the villages served only by the 747, and hopefully their residents take advantage. It's a shame the Monday to Saturday timetable is so messy though. Ignoring the Prison diversion, and the morning peak variation within York City Centre, there are four different variations:

• Via all villages (Monday to Saturday off peak)
• Via all villages except Murton (Friday and Saturday 1830 from Pocklington and 2245 from York, plus Sundays)
• Via all villages except Meltonby, Bishop Wilton and Yapham (Monday to Saturday peak)
• Via all villages except Meltonby, Bishop Wilton, Yapham and Murton (Friday and Saturday 2000 from York)

The omission of Murton on the new journeys is odd. Yes the village comes under the City of York, not the East Riding of Yorkshire, but as I will cover soon, another East Riding enhancement will not be taking the direct route within another authority (the new Sunday Goole to Scunthorpe service operating as a 361 via Crowle in North Lincolnshire rather than a shorter 360 via Amcotts), so omitting a minor diversion via Murton on the 747, which has plenty of layover, seems odd.

To end, some trivia. Meltonby, Bishop Wilton and Yapham will have a better Sunday service than Monday to Thursday. Monday to Thursday the villages have three services to Pocklington and two from York, whereas Sundays will be three in each direction.