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.