New Sunday Town Services for Scunthorpe

For around two decades, the only dedicated town service in Scunthorpe on a Sunday has been a 'round-the-houses' circular, operating in both directions - currently numbered 1A. Out of town routes provided some additional services for local travel within Scunthorpe, notably along Ashby Road (services 4 and 350) and Frodingham Road (service 350), but at uneven intervals. Sunday buses in Scunthorpe have existed, but at a rather basic level.

Things got better on Sunday 5th May as three extra Sunday town services were introduced, all operated by Stagecoach and funded by North Lincolnshire Council's Bus Service Improvement Plan Plus funding.

Firstly the 6, between Scunthorpe Bus Station, Ashby Road, Ashby High Street and Ashby Manifold Road. The 6 runs four times an hour Monday to Saturday daytimes, half hourly each by Hornsby and Stagecoach (departing every 15 minutes from Scunthorpe Bus Station, but the even interval is lost later on as they each have different timing points and running times). However despite being 'turn up and go' Monday to Saturday daytimes, there is no evening service and was no Sunday service. Along Ashby Road Monday to Saturday daytimes, as well as the 6 four times an hour along the Southern section, there is also hourly services 3, 4 and 100, plus the two hourly 103 - i.e. 7-8 buses per hour. Sunday daytimes however had just been the 350 on a frequency of every one to three hours, and the 4 on a frequency of every 90 to 120 minutes. So as can be seen, relative to the Monday to Saturday daytime service, the Sunday service was very poor.

Now there is an hourly service 6 Sunday daytimes, departing Scunthorpe Bus Station between 0900 and 1700. This fills a gap in the Manifold Road, Grange Lane South and Everest Road areas of Ashby, and provides an improved service for Ashby Road. Hopefully the Sunday 6 is a success.

Next up are the interworked services 7 and 8 in North Scunthorpe. Each service operates hourly Monday to Saturday daytimes between Scunthorpe Bus Station, Scunthorpe Hospital and Skippingdale Retail Park, each via different routes between the Hospital and Skippingdale. With the new Sunday service, each route operates every two hours, with the 7's to Skippingdale returning as an 8 and vice versa. The 7 and 8 gaining a Sunday service isn't such an obvious addition to the Sunday network, compared to the 6, but they are the only option to improve Sunday daytime buses in Scunthorpe without either duplicating or changing the 1A (which could then lead to a different route between Sunday daytimes and daily evenings - not ideal).

However rather unfortunately, the 7 and 8 leave Scunthorpe Bus Station at the exact same time each hour as the only other direct service to Scunthorpe Hospital on Sundays - the 1A. What could have been a half hourly frequency between the three routes remains an effective hourly service.