East Yorkshire Mostly "Temporary" Changes

Today - Sunday 23rd February - East Yorkshire are introducing timetable changes in the Hull area. Almost all of the changes are "temporary" for an undefined period due to "staffing shortages". An open letter to customers also mentions a "shortage of spare parts".

Service 44 between Hull Paragon Interchange and Cottingham Road is almost entirely withdrawn on a temporary basis, apart from the two evening services in each direction. The 44 was only introduced in November and the temporary change leaves the University/Cottingham Road with half hourly service 45 Monday to Saturday daytimes, down from every 10 minutes across the 44/45 Monday to Friday and every 15 minutes on Saturdays.

Service 51 between Hull Paragon Interchange and Wymersley Road is reduced on Saturday daytimes from every 20 minutes to half hourly on a temporary basis. It is perhaps worth noting that the 51 also spent two weeks over Christmas and New Year reduced to every 20 minutes; the every 20 minute frequency on Saturdays returned on Saturday 11th January and operated for the last time - for now - on Saturday 22nd February. 

Similarly the 56 and 57 between Asda Bilton, Hull and either Castle Hill Hospital (56) or Hessle (57) are reduced on Saturdays only on each route from every 20 minutes to half hourly on a temporary basis. Again this also happened for two weeks over Christmas and New Year. The common section of route has a 15 minute frequency with the temporary timetable.

Service 58 from Hull Paragon Interchange to Hessle is temporarily reduced from every 15 minutes to every 20 minutes Monday to Saturday daytimes. This is a much better compromise than reducing to half hourly as occurred over Christmas/New Year.

Finally on a positive note, on a "permanent" basis, the 26 from Hessle to Beverley gains a 'part route' 0715 journey from Hessle to Castle Hill Hospital Monday to Saturday, as well as retiming afternoon services. The 0715 fits in between the 0630 and 0930 full route services and appears to be aimed at anyone needing to be as Castle Hill for 0800. Presumably this extra journey can be done with no extra drivers, using a driver and vehicle that would otherwise run 'dead' to Castle Hill or Cottingham?

Proposed new East Yorkshire Buses Depot and Park & Ride in Dunswell

There is currently a live planning application with East Riding of Yorkshire Council for a new East Yorkshire Buses depot and Park and Ride at Dunswell - reference 24/03336/STPLF - occupying the space of land between Raich Carter Way, Beverley Road and the Hull built up area. Restaurants and a petrol station are also proposed.

I won't comment on the non-bus elements of the proposal, nor on the local concerns raised. However there are a lot of interesting aspects as far as buses in the region are concerned. 

The new East Yorkshire Buses depot is proposed to replace both the existing Anlaby Road and Elloughton depots. The planning application covering letter states the new depot will "be more efficient, better for staff and allow the company to expand its routes and make it easier to introduce electric buses". The Planning Statement refers to Anlaby Road and Elloughton depots as making "vehicle maintenance and movement difficult", "difficult to make up to date" and "not well located for staff". The Planning Statement also notes the potential for the new depot to "reduce operating costs through savings in utility bills".

The argument being made in favour of the new depot being more modern, cheaper for utilities and easier to service electric buses is logical and easy to understand; Anlaby Road and Elloughton are old depots on constrained sites. Presumably there are also some economies of scale from combining two depots into one.

Is it the right location though? Firstly there isn't going to be much choice for East Yorkshire Buses. Hull doesn't have much industrial development land within the City Council boundary, hence the big push when Smith & Nephew said there were leaving the city to ensure their current site remained in commercial use, not redeveloped for residential. Within the East Riding of Yorkshire Council area, options aren't great. The Saltend area is earmarked for energy and port related developments, Melton would be rather remote from most of the Hull area East Yorkshire Buses network. I'm not saying it would be impossible to find another site, but neither would it be easy.

Dunswell is in a good location to serve both Hull and Beverley from one location. The flipside though is the significantly increased distance from Paragon Interchange compared to Anlaby Road depot. It won't be as easy or quick to move staff or vehicles between the two. A five minute journey becomes around twenty minutes. 

As for services within the Elloughton/Brough area, Dunswell is poorly located. Dunswell to Elloughton is half an hour at best (discounting roads not suitable for buses). Dunswell to Goole is forty five minutes. Some services could be worked from the Hull 'end' of the route, but otherwise dead mileage is set to increase. However Elloughton is a small depot, so maybe the savings generated by depot consolidation outweigh the dead mileage? It's also worth noting that extensive dead mileage doesn't seem to be off-putting for operators these days, especially on tendered work.

For the staff it will largely depend on where they currently live. Any East Yorkshire Buses staff in the Elloughton area for example face a significantly longer commute. Orchard Park, notably shorter.

As for the park and ride, the application proposes diverting existing services via the site, which to be fair can be done with a limited time penalty. Given the low usage of Hull's existing Park and Ride at Priory Park, it seems a sensible approach to finally deliver the long talked about Northern Park and Ride with low operating costs. It's also in a reasonable location for a Beverley southern Park and Ride. The application also talks about being used as a hospital Park and Ride - though there is currently no service past the site to Hull Royal Infirmary and an unattractive hourly frequency to Castle Hill Hospital.

Overall I'm a bit 'on the fence'.

New Barton to Hull Summary Timetable

The Humber Transport Summary Timetable page now contains a Barton to Hull summary timetable; Stagecoach used to produce one but stopped including it with their 250/350 pdf timetables last year.

Better Buses for Scawby

In recent years Hornsbys X4 between Scunthorpe and Brigg via Lakeside Retail Park and Scawby had become a primarily positioning service, albeit one that did give Scawby a peak time service to/from Brigg - with a 0750 departure from Scunthorpe to Brigg and a 1745 from Brigg to Lakeside Retail Park Monday to Saturday.

Since Thursday 2nd January, Monday to Friday the X4 has been significantly increased and has become a lot more useful, offering a direct Scawby to Scunthorpe service (as opposed to travelling via Brigg on the 4/94) as well as improving the Scawby to Brigg service. It also reinstates an 'all day' service for Brigg Road in Scunthorpe. New journeys depart Brigg at 0810, 0910, 1210, 1410 and 1540, Scunthorpe Bus Station at 1115, 1315, 1515 and 1715, plus a Greetwell Crossroads to Brigg 'short' at 0855. The 1515 and 1540 omit Scawby, instead operating direct between Scunthorpe, Lakeside Retail Park and Brigg, what the X4 did when first introduced.

It should be noted the new journeys, funded by North Lincolnshire Council, are a trial, initially to 31st March 2025.

Between Brigg and Scawby the X4 is fairly well co-ordinated with the 94 - the 94 departs Brigg at 0940. 1140, 1340 and 1540. From Scawby the X4 departs the Church at 0809, 0857, 1132, 1332 and 1732, with the 94 departing Mill Lane at 1029, 1229, 1429 and 1629.

Co-ordination with the 4 between Brigg and Scunthorpe is also good; the 4 departs Scunthorpe Bus Station at 45 minutes past the hour and Brigg Cary Lane at 40 minutes past the hour, so in the hours the X4 operates it will give half hourly departures (although there is a 1540 4 and 1540 X4 from Brigg).

The 0750 X4 from Scunthorpe was however cutback to depart Lakeside Retail Park at 0800; this journey and the 1745 continue to operate Monday to Saturday.

Hornsby 399 Changes

Hornsbys amended service 399 between Scunthorpe, Epworth and Doncaster on 2nd January, with the main changes falling into two distinct parts.

In the morning peak a service 399 had previously operated year round from Westwoodside to Scunthorpe, extended to the Scunthorpe Colleges on College Days, supplemented by a college day only 499 from Misterton to Scunthorpe via the Isle of Axholme, but omitting Westwoodside. The same provision was also provided late afternoon from Scunthorpe, albeit with the colleges served as an en-route diversion rather than route extension. Now though these services have been consolidated into a year round 399 from Misterton to Scunthorpe via Westwoodside with no service 499; in Westwoodside these journeys 'skirt' the eastern end of the village and don't serve the Pond. The associated 'positioning journeys' from Scunthorpe in the morning and return in the evening peak are amended to run to/from Misterton rather than Westwoodside, giving two services between Scunthorpe and Misterton in each direction. It will be interesting to see if there will be any demand to/from Misterton during College Holidays. This change restores a timetabled college holiday bus service on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to the village of Graizelound, as well as over the North Lincolnshire-Nottinghamshire border.

Elsewhere Hornsby service 399 journeys to Doncaster - which operate Monday to Friday - now serve the Yorkshire Wildlife Park. The equivalent Stagecoach operated journeys on a Saturday have not been amended to do the same.

Barton Town Service alteration

The 254 Barton Town Service was revised on 3rd January 2025 with an addition and a removal from the route. The service is operated by Hormsby Travel under contract to North Lincolnshire Council and with a financial contribution made by Barton Town Council. The 254 remains a Monday, Wednesday and Friday service operated hourly around the town in the morning and every 45 minutes in the early afternoon.

First though an extract from the Barton Town Council Environment Committee Minutes in October 2024, that provides some useful background:

North Lincolnshire Council Bus consultation is taking place.  Members were not happy that the  Leisure Centre stop will be removed, however it is evidenced that it is not used enough.  Members queried whether the stops are advertised enough.  It was agreed to request a stop at the Interchange as although there is one at Tesco, the Interchange would also be popular.    

It is important that advertising the service is widespread.   The service that is being offered is the same service but operating in a different way. 

Cllr L Bennet Proposed and Cllr N Pinchbeck Seconded. To remain with the current route and add a stop to the Interchange and clearly sign the bus stops. Unanimous 

Barton Town Council's suggestion to re-add Barton Interchange to the 254 was accepted and introduced as part of the January change. I doubt there will be much demand personally as the 254's limited operational hours mean the 254 cannot be used a connecting service for a trip 'out of town' in both directions. However the time penalty for serving the Interchange is minimal.

Sadly the double run along Brigg Road to Baysgarth Leisure Centre has been removed, presumably due the low usage mentioned in the Town Council minutes. The Leisure Centre is also home to the town library - it was the relocation of the library to the leisure centre that first saw the 254 amended to serve the leisure centre. 

New Pocklington Market Day service 594

Back on 3rd December 2024, a new Tuesday (market day) service was added to Pocklington - the 594 from Fridaythorpe. Operated on behalf of East Riding of Yorkshire Council and funded from it's Bus Service Improvement Plan allocation, the 594 is operated by York Pullman. The service departs Fridaythorpe at 0945 and Pocklington at 1230 taking 27 minutes in each direction and serving Millington en-route. Both Fridaythorpe and Millington were served by the Summer weekend service 200 'Wolds Explorer' between Pocklington and Thixendale last year, whilst Fridaythorpe also has a year round service to Driffield every Tuesday and Thursday.

New Barton-New Holland-Goxhill Bus/Rail Combined Summary Timetable

The Humber Transport Summary Timetable page now contains a combined bus and rail summary timetable for travel between Barton, New Holland and Goxhill.

North Lincolnshire Community Bus Service Updates

The 'Isle Shopper' service 97, operated directly by North Lincolnshire Council, became the 97A on Tuesdays and Fridays from 12th November. Service 97 continues Monday, Wednesday and Thursday between Sandtoft, Wroot, Westwoodside, Haxey, Epworth, Belton, Ealand, Crowle, Eastoft, Luddington and Garthorpe.

Service 97A departs Sandtoft at 0945 (as off 4th February) and operates per the 97 to Belton, before then routing via the A18 to Gallagher Retail Park on the western edge of Scunthorpe. From here it then operates to Crowle (effectively a positioning service), down to Epworth as per the 97 route, back to Gallagher Retail Park and back to Sandtoft. Following a lunch break, the 97A then operates from Epworth to Crowle, Gallagher Retail Park and back a final time to Epworth. Overall the main 'traffic objectives' seem to be Epworth and Gallagher Retail Park.

The thing that stands out to me most is the overlap with Hornsby service 399 that already links Westwoodside, Haxey, Epworth and Belton to Gallagher Retail Park. The only new link is that from the small villages of Sandtoft and Wroot to Gallagher Retail Park. 

As it happens, this week North Lincolnshire Council decided to put the 97/97A, and also the 96 between Barton and Brigg out to tender.

COMMUNITY BUS SERVICES IN NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE – SERVICES 96 AND 97/97a – The Director: Communities submitted a report seeking approval to tender the council’s Section 22 community bus services to external operators, effective from 1 April 2025.

 

Service 96 was a registered Section 22 community bus service operated by the council, running between Barton and Brigg via the Low Villages. The service was vital for connecting these communities, providing essential transport for residents. It currently operated from Monday to Friday and had successfully carried 5,560 passengers in the current financial year up to 30 November 2024.

 

Service 97/97a was another registered Section 22 community bus service operated by the council serving the Isle of Axholme. The 97a service ran from the Isle of Axholme to Scunthorpe Tesco (Gallagher Retail Park) on Tuesdays and Fridays, offering crucial access to shopping facilities for the local population. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, the service operated exclusively within the Isle of Axholme. The service had transported 742 passengers in the same period.

 

Both services had been well received by the public. However, there had been occasional issues with finding driver cover, which had impacted service reliability. Since spare drivers were typically home-to-school minibus drivers, they were unable to complete a full day of service. This limitation had sometimes resulted in reduced or even suspended services.

 

Placing these services out for tender could significantly enhance flexibility and reliability for customers.  By engaging external operators, more resources could be allocated, thereby improving service consistency and reducing the likelihood of service disruptions.

 

Resolved – That Option 2, set out in paragraph 3.2, that both services be placed out for tender by an external bus operator, be approved.

Looking at those usage figures the 96 is vastly more popular than the 97/97A. Using an overly simplistic assumption of 20 non-bank holiday weekdays a month, then between the start of April and the end of November (8 months), the 96 is carrying an average 34.75 passengers per day or 3.475 passengers per journey. The 97/97A is carrying an average 4.6375 passengers per day. As I am using an overly simplistic calculation those will not be precisely accurate averages, but should be close and therefore a useful indicator. 

That's an awful average for the 97/97A and indicates the service is a massive over-provision. There may well be non-economic arguments to support the service, but reducing to one or two days per week would seem more appropriate, ensuring Sandtoft and Wroot maintained a timetabled bus service and that a timetabled bus service remains between Crowle and Epworth - but at far less expense. 

That average may also explain the introduction of the 97A - trying something different to make the service work, and serving an important additional retail destination. However is such significant duplication with the 399 the best idea? If Sandtoft and Wroot do need a link to Gallagher Retail Park, does it need to be two days per week - would one suffice? Could the resource be better used to restore a Wroot to Doncaster service, or to increase the number of days per week the Isle of Axholme is linked to Gainsborough (currently Tuesday only)? Or even a link to Thorne one day per week? Or invest in improving the 399, for example filling the three hour gap in the afternoon from Scunthorpe? Personally I think it's time to think more beyond the 'concept' of a five day a week Wroot-Epworth-Crowle service.

Marfleet Community Minibus Service

A new 'Marfleet Community Minibus Service' launched in November 2024, operated by East Hull Community Transport. It is being run on a 'pilot' basis, initially until the end of March 2025 pending the 2025/26 Bus Service Improvement Plan funding and allocation being confirmed - in turn that will depend on "evidence of real demand through the number of passengers using them".

The service starts at David Lister Drive, which is in the middle of the area between Newbridge Road, Preston Road and Southcoates Lane in East Hull. It then serves Endeavour Crescent, just to the west of Marfleet Lane, Marfleet Village, Preston Road Aldi, Marfleet Group Practice Doctors on Preston Road, Bilton Grange (including Diadem Medical Practice) and Holderness Road Morrisons (also convenient for Kingston Health Centre). The service operates twice per day Monday, Wednesday and Friday, departing David Lister Drive at 0930 and 1150, and Morrisons at 1050 and 1400.

David Lister Drive and Endeavour Crescent are not served by the main Hull bus network, whilst Marfleet Village is only served on it's periphery by Hedon Road services, which don't then serve the local doctors surgeries, Aldi or Morrisons. As such the new community minibus service does offer some useful links. It is a rather convoluted route for anyone travelling 'end-to-end', but I suspect it's target market won't complain at that, instead being happy to have a direct bus service.

The full timetable is available in the Hull City Council press release, and doesn't appear to be on bustimes.org.

Can a reduced service be a better service?

Saturday 9th November 2024 might go down in local bus history as a notable day - the last day of East Yorkshire operating a share of the 350 between Hull, Barton and Scunthorpe. Since I think 1981 and the opening of the Humber Bridge, EYMS/East Yorkshire had operated a one bus share of the 350 every three hours Monday to Saturday daytimes, and for various periods in the evening as well, sometimes full route, sometimes just between Hull and Barton. For most if not all of this century, EYMS/East Yorkshire had also provided a one bus share of the Sunday service.

For reasons unknown East Yorkshire pulled of the 350, leaving the route entirely to Stagecoach. Whilst there was a few weeks of uncertainty after East Yorkshire's announcement, ultimately Stagecoach have replaced East Yorkshire's share of the route. Monday to Saturday this was done on a 'like for like' basis, with Stagecoach's Hull depot picking up an extra 'diagram' so that both Hull and Scunthorpe each provide three vehicles during the daytime. Sundays have been revised though.

Previously there were seven journeys each way on a Sunday between Hull and Scunthorpe, with most extending from/to Ashby High Street. Intervals between journeys varied between one hour, two hours and three hours. Stagecoach's Scunthorpe depot provided two vehicles, albeit one only needed until 1051, whilst East Yorkshire provided one.

Since Sunday 10th November, the Sunday 350 is exclusively the domain of Stagecoach's Scunthorpe depot with a new two hourly timetable providing six journeys each way (i.e. one less) using two vehicles and no Ashby extensions. The first service from Hull is notably later at 0940 rather than 0830, as is the last service from Scunthorpe, now at 1815 rather than 1955. There is no attempt to provide train connections at Barton.

That sounds like a poorer service, and for a small number of travellers it may well be. However I think the even interval two hourly frequency makes for a better service - the inconvenient three hour gaps are gone. Connections to a four month a year Summer rail service are no longer dictating the timetable, which I think was a case of the tail wagging the dog. I fully support bus-rail connections wherever possible, but at Barton they sadly seem little used whatever the day of the week. In contrast there are plenty of bus travellers between Barton and Hull and the potential to grow with a more attractive Sunday timetable.

It's also worth noting that the Ashby to Scunthorpe section had received substantially improved Sunday services in 2024, with a new Sunday service on route 6 and extra journeys on route 4. Maybe the Sunday 350 extensions lost their purpose?

For the record, the last remnant of service 355 from Scunthorpe to Barton Wren Kitchens ceased at the start of September; the 1710 departure from Barton. 

Back to Hourly between Hornsea and Hull

A positive change introduced as part of East Yorkshire's 10th November 2024 service changes was the restoration of the frequency of service 24 between Hornsea and Hull back to hourly Monday to Saturday daytimes. The 24 had been reduced to every 90 minutes Monday to Saturday daytimes back in September 2022. The restored hourly frequency has been funded by East Riding of Yorkshire Council's Bus Service Improvement Plan allocation.

Previously when the 24 was hourly, a half hourly frequency was provided with service 25 over the joint section of route between Hornsea and Leven. This time services operate a 10-50 minute interval from Hornsea and at approximately the same time per hour from Leven.