Replacing Service 9 (and Service 12 Updates)

During the Summer, Stagecoach withdrew service 9 in Hull. The 9 linked Hull Paragon Interchange with James Reckitt Avenue (Garden Village), Ings Road, Cavendish Road, Sutton Road, Leads Road, Midmere Avenue, Bransholme North Point Shopping Centre, Honiton Road, Wawne Road, Kingsbury Way, Richmond Lane, Kingswood Health Centre, Runnymede Lane and Kingswood Retail Park. Off peak alternate services operated as variant 9a via Lambwath Road rather than the eastern part of James Reckitt Avenue and Ings Road. The frequency was half hourly combined across the 9 and 9a Monday to Saturday daytimes. I think the service was due to be withdrawn in Stagecoach's cancelled April changes, but it kept going a bit longer, including a brief period running between Paragon Interchange and the Ings Road area only.

Replacing the 9/9a in Garden Village is service 12 variant 12a. Pre-pandemic the 12a was an evening and Sunday variant to service 12, the 12 operating between Paragon Interchange, Holderness Road, Summergangs Road, Gillshill Road, Sutton Village, Noddle Hill Way and Wawne Road and North Point, whilst the 12a diverted to the edge of North Point on Barnstaple Road in between serving Sutton Village and Noddle Hill Way, then after serving Noddle Hill Way diverted to Kingswood Retail Park. Now the 12a is a Monday to Saturday daytime variant serving Garden Village rather than Holderness Road and Summergangs Road.

Since 30th August, the 12 and 12a have each operated half hourly Monday to Saturday daytimes for a combined 4 buses per hour, and the 12 additionally half hourly Sunday daytimes and hourly daily evenings. That has maintained the half hourly Monday to Saturday daytime service for Garden Village compared to service 9, but at the expense of Garden Village's Kingswood link, a less frequent services for Summergangs Road, and from the service 12 route to the Holderness Road shops. Pre-pandemic the 12/old 12a variant had been operating every 15 minutes Monday to Saturday daytimes, half hourly Monday to Saturday evenings and Sunday daytimes and hourly Sunday evenings; so it's only Monday to Saturday evenings which still have a reduced frequency, rather understandable with the restrictions on the evening economy. 

The first service from North Point (Kingswood Sundays) pre-pandemic was at 0530 Monday to Friday, 0600 Saturday and 0750 Sunday, but is now 0455 Monday to Saturday and 0800 Sunday - an enhancement 6 days a week. From Paragon Interchange first services were 0647 Monday to Friday, 0717 Saturday and 0855 Sunday but are now 0610 Monday to Saturday and 0825 Sundays. Last service pre-pandemic was at 2330 daily from Paragon Interchange, but currently is 2310 Monday to Saturday and 2210 Sunday, whilst from Kingswood the last departure was at 2235 Monday to Saturday and 2155 Sunday but is now at 2245 Monday to Saturday and 2130 Sunday from North Point.

From Monday (2nd November) the 12/12a has a new timetable, with the Monday to Friday daytime frequency increasing to every 20 minutes each on the 12 and 12a, for a combined six buses per hour. That's a 50% increase for Garden Village and for the combined 12/12a route compared to pre-pandemic, presumably influenced by the need for social distancing. Weekend and evening frequencies remain unchanged.

Turning to the eastern section of James Reckitt Avenue, with the withdrawal of the 9, this is left with the East Yorkshire operated Monday to Saturday off peak service 50 only, though one side of the road is East Park and part of the other side a school, so the 50 may suffice here. Parts of Ings Road, Cavendish Road and part of Sutton Road are left only with the Cranswick Foods workers service 677, and Lambwath Road becomes unserved. For some passengers, a short walk to Gillshill Road for the 12 and 12a maybe an option. Also left unserved is Leads Road between Sutton Road and Midmere Avenue; here passengers will need to either walk to the 2 on Sutton Road or the 8 and 11 on Midmere Avenue. The 8 and 11 give Midmere Avenue a service every 10 minutes to Paragon Interchange and a service every 20 minutes to Kingswood Retail Park, so the loss of the 9/9a is not significant here.

Honiton Road is now covered by revised service 7, of which more in a future post, but retains a half hourly Monday to Saturday daytime off peak service to Paragon Interchange, whilst loosing it's peak time service. The section of Wawne Road that the 9 served is also covered by the 12/12a, so the main loss here is the Kingswood Retail Park link.

Turning to the Kinsgwood estate and Kingsbury Way is now served by service 11, retaining links to Hull City Centre, Holderness Road, North Point and Kingswood Retail Park and operating every 20 minutes Monday to Saturday daytimes rather than the 9/9a's half hourly service, albeit via a longer route to the City Centre. Richmond Lane is served by the 6 and 11, whilst as noted in a previous post, the half hourly 6 is now the only service for Runnymede Lane with the link to North Point lost.

Linking the Boothferry Estate and North Bransholme

Stagecoach services 2 in West Hull and 10 in North Hull had been two separate routes in Stagecoach's city network - a period of early morning 2's continuing as a service 10 at Paragon Interchange aside - until earlier this year. Quite early on during the COVID-19 outbreak the 2 and 10 merged as a cross city service under the service 2 number, providing a through service from Hull Royal Infirmary to Bransholme and North Bransholme. Since Stagecoach's most recent changes on Sunday 30th August, the 10 is back in addition to the 2 in North Hull.

Pre-pandemic the 2 linked Hull Paragon Interchange and the Boothferry Estate in West Hull via Hull Royal Infirmary, Anlaby Road and Anlaby Park Road, and at the Boothferry Estate operated as a through route with service 1 between Paragon Interchange and the Boothferry Estate via Hessle Road. Some 2S variants did not begin as/continue as service 1, but instead extended beyond the Boothferry Estate a short distance to Hessle Sainsbury's. Monday to Friday daytimes the 2 and 2S each operated every 15 minutes for a combined 7-8 minutes frequency and on Saturday daytimes, the 2 and 2S each operated every 20 minutes for a combined frequency of every 10 minutes. Service 2 operated every half hour Monday to Saturday evenings and Sunday daytimes, and every hour Sunday evenings.

The 2S variant didn't last beyond March and since then all journeys have been operated as service 2 (or 2A following the same route in West Hull). The current service 2 frequency in West Hull is every 10 minutes Monday to Saturday daytimes, half hourly Sunday daytimes and hourly daily evenings. This provides the same frequency compared to pre-pandemic on Saturday daytimes and all day on Sundays, the weekday daytime service remains frequent and the evening reductions are understandable given current restrictions. There are more frequent Monday to Saturday journey opportunities to/from Hessle Road via the service 1 through service, though no more links to Sainsbury's (a variant only introduced last November).

Alternate Monday to Saturday daytime journeys are through services between North Bransholme and the Boothferry Estate with journeys from North Bransholme not serving Bond Street, Albion Street or Paragon Interchange in Hull City Centre, instead using Carr Lane. The other journeys in West Hull are 'shorts' that start at Paragon Interchange and operate the City Centre loop via Carr Lane. Evenings and Sundays all services from North Bransholme do serve Paragon Interchange, but not Carr Lane. All journeys from Boothferry Estate serve Paragon Interchange, but at the expense of Carr Lane (at least on through journeys to North Bransholme). 

The first journey from Hull Royal Infirmary (there is no City Centre timing point on journeys that don't serve Paragon Interchange) is at 0513 Monday to Saturday compared to 0430 Monday to Friday and 0615 Saturday pre-pandemic from the Interchange. From the Boothferry Estate the first departure is 0510 Monday to Saturday compared to 0502 Monday to Friday and 0628 Saturday. In the evenings the last service from Paragon Interchange is at 2320 Monday to Saturday compared to 2330 and from the Boothferry Estate at 2300 compared to 2350. This is perhaps a good time to note that the last service of the day Monday to Saturday from Paragon Interchange, previously numbered N2 and before that N62, is presently not extending beyond the Boothferry Estate to Hessle, North Ferriby and Brough. The Stagecoach website calls the N62 'suspended', which would indicate it hasn't been given up on entirely, though I imagine it has no chance of resuming until at least the night time economy is significantly more opened up again.

On Sundays the first service from the Paragon Interchange is at 0900 compared to 0745 pre-pandemic and at 0757 from the Boothferry Estate compared to 0800 pre-pandemic. Last service is at 2200 from Paragon Interchange compared to 2330 and from the Boothferry Estate at 2157 compared to 2325.

Turning to North Hull and pre-pandemic the 10 linked Paragon Interchange, Cleveland Street, Stoneferry Road, Leads Road, Sutton Road, Holwell Road, North Point Shopping Centre, Bude Road, Bodmin Road and North Bransholme, with some journeys continuing to the East Riding village of Wawne. Between Paragon Interchange and North Bransholme, the 10 operated every 15 minutes Monday to Saturday daytimes, half hourly Monday to Saturday evenings and Sunday daytimes and hourly Sunday evenings. Wawne was served hourly daily daytimes with some weekday peak extras and the last two services from Paragon Interchange (one on Sundays) also extending to the village. All evening and Sunday services operated as service 10a serving Kingswood Retail Park, Runnymede Lane (now covered by the 6), Richmond Lane and Kingsbury Way (now covered by the 11) whilst some weekday morning peak services from Paragon Interchange operated as service 10x via Sutton Fields Industrial Estate. Finally some early morning services Monday to Saturday from North Bransholme served Hull Royal Infirmary and Smith and Nephew.

Since 30th August the arrangements are a bit unusual with both service 2 and service 10 operating between Hull City Centre and North Bransholme, but to an un-coordinated timetable. The 10 also misses out Leads Road and Sutton Road, adopting a faster route via the southern-most section of Holwell Road (an old service 10 route). 

Looking at service 2 first, all North Bransholme services operate to/from the Boothferry Estate via Hull Royal Infirmary. There is a 2X variant for some morning peak services via Sutton Fields Industrial Estate to replace the 10x, whilst evening and Sunday services operate as 2A via Sutton Park which has lost most of it's evening services via Beverley Road to Paragon Interchange and otherwise has only an hourly, rather than half hourly pre-pandemic, Sunday daytime service. Frequency is every 20 minutes Monday to Saturday daytimes, half hourly Sunday daytimes and hourly daily evenings.

Compared to the 10 pre-pandemic, first departure from North Bransholme on service 2 is at 0425 Monday to Saturday and 0815 Sunday compared to 0435 Monday to Friday, 0550 Saturday and 0800 Sunday. From Paragon Interchange the first service is at 0540 Monday to Saturday and 0820 Sunday rather than 0525 Monday to Friday, 0612 Saturday and 0810 Sunday. Last service from North Bransholme is at 2230 Monday to Saturday and 2115 Sunday as opposed to 2253 daily, whilst from Paragon Interchange it remains at 2330 Monday to Saturday and moves from 2330 to 2220 on Sundays.

Overlaid on top of this is service 10, which extends beyond North Bransholme to Wawne. Service 10 operates half hourly Monday to Saturday daytimes, with some college day afternoon gaps. This gives Wawne double it's pre-pandemic Monday to Saturday daytime service, but no Sunday daytime or late evening service.

Overall frequency between Paragon Interchange and North Bransholme is therefore five buses an hour Monday to Saturday daytimes, an increase from four pre-pandemic,, but not on a co-ordinated every 12 minute frequency, instead two separate 20 and 30 minute frequency services. Sunday daytimes remain every half hour and Sunday evenings remain hourly, with Monday to Saturday evenings reduced from half hourly to hourly.

The improved access to Hull Royal Infirmary is a clear positive, and there are other smaller gains such as Wawne Monday to Saturday daytimes. However the un-coordinated five buses an hour to North Bransholme is messy, as are the routing arrangements in Hull City Centre westbound, especially with westbound journeys having different routes Monday to Saturday daytimes compared to evenings and Sundays.

Hull Service 6 becomes 'independent'

Stagecoach service 6 in Hull has become 'independent', at least in the sense that it no longer operates as a circular with service 7. I can't recall exactly when this change was implemented over the Summer, but this alteration has been in place since at least Stagecoach's Sunday 30th August changes. 

The service 6 route is largely unaltered compared to pre-pandemic when it was linked with service 7. From Hull Paragon Interchange it continues to operate direct via Beverley Road to Kingswood Leisure Park, then serves Kingswood Retail Park and the residential areas of Kingswood before using Pioneer Way to North Bransholme. It's North Bransholme where there has been a slight change, in that rather than changing to/from a service 7 here, the 6 now provides a one way loop around Pennine Way and Wawne Road, to maintain the North Bransholme to Kingswood and Beverley Road link (service 7 no longer serves North Bransholme, more on that in a future post). 

The half hourly Monday to Saturday daytime frequency provided pre-pandemic is also provided in the current (30th August) timetable, though the option of two additional services per hour via the longer service 7 route is no longer available for Kingswood residents. First services remain at similar times. The 6 is now the only service for Runnymede Lane in Kingswood, following the withdrawal of the 9 (again more in a future post). 

Due to these changes, Runnymede Lane and Pioneer Way no longer have links to North Point Shopping Centre. 

Service 6 has also gained an hourly evening and Sunday service, however it does partially replace other services. Along Beverley Road, compared to pre-pandemic, the 4 no longer has an evening service and has been reduced from half hourly to hourly on Sunday daytimes. The half hourly Monday to Saturday evening and Sunday daytime, and hourly Sunday evening 7A has been replaced with an hourly service 8 Monday to Saturday early evening and Sunday daytimes only. In Kingswood, the 6 replaces the 7A and 10A, the latter had also been operating half hourly Monday to Saturday evening and Sunday daytime, and hourly Sunday evening. As such the new evening and Sunday service 6 isn't as much of an enhancement as it might superficially appear, though it does at least simplify the Kingswood network. 

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).

Stagecoach along Hessle Road

Stagecoach haven't returned to pre-Covid-19 service patterns or overall frequencies along Hessle Road in Hull, though for some customers, frequencies have actually improved compared to the start of the year.

Service 1 between Hull Paragon Interchange, the Thornton Estate, Hessle Road and the Boothferry Estate, where it operates as a circular with service 2, was reduced in frequency last November in favour of a rerouted service 20 Priory Park Park and Ride along Hessle Road. This meant the weekday daytime frequency dropped from every 10 to every 15 minutes and on Saturday daytimes the frequency reduced from every 15 to every 20 minutes. Since 30th August the Monday to Saturday daytime frequency of service 1 is every 10 minutes, reversing last year's weekday change and more than reversing the Saturday change. For the Thornton Estate and travellers between the Boothferry Estate and Hessle Road in particular this is an enhancement.

Looking at the rest of the service 1 timetable, Monday to Saturday evenings are currently hourly rather than half hourly pre-pandemic; Sunday's remain half hourly daytimes, hourly evenings. The weekday early morning 1K variation that saw journeys from Boothferry Estate to Hull City Centre extend to Kingswood Retail Park via Stoneferry Road and Sutton Fields Industrial Estate has been withdrawn, and the number of 1W variations via Smith and Nephew rather than the Thornton Estate has been reduced.

The first journey from Paragon Interchange is at 0510 Monday to Saturday and 0830 Sundays, rather than 0435 Monday to Friday, 0600 Saturday or 0730 Sunday. From the Boothferry Estate, the first journey is now at 0433 Monday to Saturday and 0820 Sunday rather than 0500 Monday to Friday, 0642 Saturday and 0815 Sunday. Positives, especially on Saturdays, and Negatives. Last journeys in the evening are understandably mostly earlier at the current time; 2235 rather than 2330 Monday to Saturday and 2130 rather than 2300 Sunday from Paragon Interchange; 2338 rather than 2330 Monday to Saturday and 2220 rather than 2355 Sunday from the Boothferry Estate.

Priory Park Park and Ride service 20 has reverted to using the A63 Clive Sullivan Way en-route between Priory Park, Hull Royal Infirmary and Hull City Centre, rather than Hessle Road. The service frequency has been reduced to every 20 minutes rather than every 15 minutes pre-pandemic. This is pushing the limits of 'turn up and go', but again an understandable cut in the current environment. The first departure from Priory Park is at 0700 rather than 0730. Early Evening variation 22 via Askew Avenue and the KC Stadium is not operating, with journeys remaining as service 20 instead (though service 22 remains on the Stagecoach Hull bus map). 

For Hessle Road compared to pre-pandemic, with the 20 rerouted away, Stagecoach are down from eight to six services per hour Monday to Friday daytimes and from seven to six per hour on Saturdays. Still frequent, still 'turn up and go'. 

East Yorkshire Buses: (Almost) Back to Normal Since July

East Yorkshire Buses returned to normal timetables across most of the Humber Region on 5th July. Coastal services 129 and 130 remained on their winter timetables until 19th July, but have been operating as normal for the time of year since then.

The Bridlington Beachcomber Open Top Service did not operate this year as far as I'm aware, and Hull nightbuses 106 and 107 understandably remain suspended. Also, due to the 2200 mandatory closing for pubs and restaurants, since Friday (2nd October), the Friday and Saturday only 2300 journey from York to Holme on Spalding Moor on service 18 now departs at 2230 'until further notice'.

On the positive side, the Summer service 12/13 Coaster timetable between Bridlington and Scarborough has been extended to Sunday 29th November this year, rather than reverting to a Winter timetable in early November as normal. This means the Bridlington to Scarborough frequency will be half hourly rather than hourly for an extra month.

Thornes 1 Re-routed

Following the withdrawal by Arriva of service 4 between Goole, Howden, Hemingbrough, Cliffe, Osgodby and Selby at the end of August, Thornes Independent have re-routed their service 1 via Hemingbrough, Cliffe and Osgodby, to provide a limited off peak service to these villages on Monday and Friday. The 1 links Holme on Spalding Moor (Monday Only), Bubwith and North Duffield to Selby with one journey morning journey to Selby and an afternoon return, though with the new route and timetable, Thornes have added a one-way additional Selby to Hemingbrough morning 'short' at 1020. Afternoon return times from Selby have been consolidated at 1300, rather than 1215 Friday and 1345 Monday.

Arriva Changes in the East Riding

From Bank Holiday Monday, 31st August, Arriva are making some extensive changes to their Selby area services. Arriva's services into the East Riding of Yorkshire are included in these revisions, as detailed below.

The biggest change is the withdrawal of service 4, and associated college variant X4, with only the X4 being replaced. Service 4 links Goole Town Centre, Goole Hospital and Howden with the North Yorkshire villages of Hemingbrough, Cliffe and Osgodby, before terminating in Selby. Monday to Friday the 4 offers an off peak service of three journeys from Goole to Selby, two from Selby to Goole and a single additional service in each direction between Hemingbrough and Selby. The X4 (pre COVID-19 suspension) provided an additional service between Goole and Selby in each direction on college days only. Service 4 also operates on Saturdays, with four return journeys between Hemingbrough and Selby only.

The main loss from the cancellation of the 4 is in North Yorkshire, with Hemingbrough, Cliffe and Osgodby set to be without an off peak or Saturday bus service. For the East Riding, Howden no longer has a bus link to Selby (college service excepted) and there are set to be slightly less services between Goole and Howden (link maintained by East Yorkshire services 155/X55) and Goole and Selby. Arriva state "unfortunately the number of customers using this route has been in decline for some time, and the service is no longer financially viable".

Service X4 is replaced largely by new service 3 between Thorne, Moorends, Rawcliffe Bridge, Goole Hospital, Hemingbrough, Cliffe, Osgodby, Selby College and Selby Bus Station. The 3 will operate on college days only at 'peak-time'. I cannot currently find a timetable but Arriva note there will be a morning bus to Selby and a return bus in the afternoon. It is also worth noting that Thornes Independent operate service 4A between Hemingbrough, Cliffe, Osgodby, Barlby and Selby Monday to Friday, with a 0750 departure from Hemingbrough and 1610 return from Selby Bus Station; on schooldays this also serves Selby schools.

For Howden the X4 is replaced by new service 2 between Newport, Gilberdyke, Eastrington, Howden, Airmyn, Camblesforth, Selby College and Selby. There is also a new (for Arriva) service 1 between Market Weighton, Holme on Spalding Moor, Bubwith, North Duffield, Selby College and Selby. Like the 3, I can't currently find an available timetable, but Arriva state they are both peak time college day only services. The 1 does provide a little extra flexibility from Holme on Spalding Moor, Bubwith and North Duffield to Selby alongside Thornes Monday and Friday service 1.

Arriva's main route into the East Riding will remain the 401 between Goole, Rawcliffe, West Cowick, Snaith and Selby, which continues to operate hourly Monday to Saturday daytimes but to a revised timetable. The Monday to Friday service 400 variation via Goole Hospital and Airmyn, which operated at peak and college times, is withdrawn in favour of all services running as route 401; the new services 2 and 3 provide a replacement for Selby College passengers and Airmyn retains a Monday to Friday off peak service on East Yorkshire service 88. So far I can only find the new 401 timetable on bustimes.org, but it seems the Monday to Friday 0702 Rawcliffe to Selby 'short' is withdrawn (first service from Rawcliffe now at 0718), as is the 1810 Selby to West Cowick 'short'  (last service now at 1745 weekdays or 1717 Saturdays) and the Monday to Friday 1823 Goole to Selby (last service now at 1740).

Blog Notice

When bus services started to be cut in March due to COVID-19, I decided not to try to follow all the changes in the Humber region. It would have been very time consuming and not particularly enjoyable for someone who wants to see buses thrive. Now that the situation is moving back more towards normality, it's time to start covering developments again, or at least those which look to be permanent or non-COVID-19 related.

80 reroute in Hessle

From Monday 6th April, East Yorkshire will be rerouting service 80 between Hessle and Beverley within Hessle. Currently the 80 operates between Beverley Road and First Lane via Richmond Road and Seaton Road, along which it is the only service. Due to this route "frequently being blocked by badly parked cars", the 80 is to be rerouted via the parallel Sunningdale Road and Cottesmore Road (the service 66 route). There are no timetable changes associated with this.

Bridlington to Scarborough Changes

East Yorkshire commence their Summer timetable on the 12 and 13 'Coaster' branded services between Bridlington, Filey and Scarborough on Saturday 7th March - Summer on these routes running for 8 months of the year. Times of many journeys are changed slightly compared to the 2019 Summer timetable, with the more significant alterations covered below. The 'core' daily daytime service remains 1 service 12 per hour, 1 full route service 13 per hour and 1 service 13 'short' per hour between Scarborough and Filey, creating a 20 minute combined frequency between Filey and Scarborough, and two buses per hour between Bridlington and Scarborough (half hourly from Bridlington, 20/40 minute spacing from Scarborough). All comparisons are between the Summer 2019 timetable, and the East Yorkshire website timetable for the 7th, 8th and 9th of March 2020.

The Monday to Friday only service 119 from Primrose Valley (south of Filey) to Scarborough via Eastfield Industrial Estate (south of Scarborough) is replaced by a Monday to Friday only 0630 service 12A from Bridlington to Scarborough via Eastfield Industrial Estate. This provides an arrival from Bridlington into Scarborough nearly an hour earlier than previously available.

The daily evening timetable is enhanced for travel between Bridlington, Filey and Scarborough, and for passengers to/from the various holiday villages along the coast served by service 13, though is reduced for passengers on service 12 which focuses on the villages between the towns rather than the holiday centres. The 2020 service 12 and 2050 service 13 departures from Bridlington Bus Station are replaced by service 13 departures at 2000, 2100 and 2200; the last service 12 departure from Bridlington is now at 1930. Leaving Scarborough the 1845 service 13 and 1945 service 12 departures are replaced by service 13 departures at 1840, 1940 and 2040, plus a 2140 from Scarborough to Reighton Sands Holiday Village; the last service 12 departure from Scarborough is now at 1810. (The service 12 last departures are in line with the winter timetable).

Nightbus 106 Changes

East Yorkshire are amending Saturday nightbus 106 from 29th February. The first three journeys at 2330, 0030 and 0130 from Hull Old Town to Cottingham via the University remain unaltered. However the 0225 from Spiders Nightclub on Cleveland Street to Cottingham via the City Centre is replaced by two journeys from Spiders to Hull University only, at 0215 and 0245. The 0215 will operate year round but the 0245 only during University Term Times. These two 'shorts' have no timing points between the George Street/Charlotte Street stop (on the edge of Hull City Centre) and the Beverley Road/Trafalgar Street stop so would appear to operate via Freetown Way, omitting most of the City Centre.

East Yorkshire's announcement states 'Our Late Night Service 106 is proving so popular that we're adding an extra journey', and for travel during university term times between Spiders, The Welly Club and Hull University that is true. The change does represent a cut though for anyone travelling from the majority of Hull City Centre and/or to Cottingham, whose last service will be an hour earlier. To have a nightbus at all though is a rarity these days sadly, and it should be noted The Lawns student accommodation in Cottingham closed last year, so a reduction in Cottingham demand would not be surprising.  

New Wren Kitchens Commuter Bus

Stagecoach will be introducing new Monday to Friday service 255 from Hull Paragon Interchange to the Wren Kitchens HQ in Barton on Monday 3rd February. Departures will leave Paragon Interchange at 0605, 0805, 1425, 1630 and 1730, and Wren Kitchens at 1550, 1720 and 1810. The 255 will follow the 250 Humber Flyer route from Paragon Interchange via Anlaby Road, Boothferry Road and the Humber Bridge to Ferriby Road in Barton and then operate via the Market Place and Barrow Road to Wren Kitchens.

The new service 255 journeys come at the 'expense' of some of the 250 Humber Flyer 'shorts' between Hull, Barton and Humberside Airport, but I'm not sure this will be a huge issue as I often see the 'shorts' arriving and departing Humberside Airport empty, or almost empty. Service 250 journeys withdrawn, all Monday to Friday only, are the 0645 from Paragon Interchange to Barton Market Place, the 0825, 1425, 1630 and 1730 from Paragon Interchange to Humberside Airport and the 1525, 1740 and 1840 from Humberside Airport to Paragon Interchange.

Reviewing in more detail the changes and their impact on the overall Hull to Barton service, the first service from Hull to Barton will be 15 minutes earlier than at present with the 0605 service 255, but there will be a 35 minute gap between the 0620 and 0655 service 350 departures from Hull to Barton - probably not a significant issue at that time of day. The new 0605 presumably works 'onto' the 0723 Barton Market Place to Hull service 250. The replacement of the 0825 255 with the 0805 250 is a very slight worsening of the Hull to Barton service at this time of day, which fits in between the 0755 and 0840 service 350 departures from Hull to Barton, but again probably not a significant issue at this time of day heading out of Hull. The 0805 service 255 presumably works 'dead' upon on arrival at Wren Kitchens to Humberside Airport to 'pick up' the 0925 service 250 from the airport to Hull.

In the afternoon, the 1425, 1630 and 1730 departures from Hull Paragon Interchange becoming a 255 rather than 250 means they will not serve the Interchange, Butts Road or Pasture Road in Barton, which is unfortunate and does slightly undermine the afternoon every 15 minutes service from Hull to these areas of Barton. Three buses an hour is still very good though. Likewise replacing the 1525 service 250 from Humberside Airport with the 1550 from Wren Kitchens not serving Pasture Road, Butts Road and Barton Interchange, and also serving the opposite side of the Market Place to other 'Hull-bound' journeys, does 'spoil' the 'headline' 15 minute service, but in this direction at this time of day, I don't think it's a major issue. 

The replacement of the 1740 and 1840 service 250 journeys from Humberside Airport with the 1720 and 1810 service 255 from Wren Kitchens is actually an improvement between Barton and Hull however, as between Barton and Hull these 250 journeys had been leaving at the same time as service 350 journeys, but will no longer do so.

Last year Wren Kitchens received approval for a new factory adjacent to their Barton HQ which will generate an initial 525-535 extra jobs, potentially rising to 1260-1285 extra positions. The planning application economic impact assessment noted that in April 2019, Wren Kitchens employed 1551 people at Barton, with 807 (52%) living in a HU (Hull and East Riding) postcode. There is an existing market for Stagecoach to serve here, and one that will grow significantly when the new factory opens. With largely concentrated shift start and end times, it seems ideal for commuter bus services, and any reduction in cars travelling through Barton Town Centre is very welcome on air quality, congestion and safety grounds. On an anecdotal basis, my personal observations are that there is a near constant flow of vehicles coming off the Humber Bridge through Barton to Wren Kicthens around 0630-0640 each morning. There is also a lot of vehicles leaving the site around 1730.

Hopefully the 255 will provide some useful 'contraflow' traffic to the overall Hull to Barton service and help ensure the success of Stagecoach's increase of the Barton to Hull service to four departures an hour Monday to Saturday daytime.

The 250 Humber Flyer journeys serving Grimsby and Cleethorpes are unaffected, as is the Saturday service.

Transport for the North Proposals for the Humber

I never got round to covering this at the time, but last year (2019), Transport for the North released various reports containing suggestions for how to improve the north's transport network. Below are some of the ideas covering the Humber area and I have tried to leave out those which are already confirmed as going ahead. Not much in the way of detail or timelines though and then there is the issue of funding the ideas.

New Station Between Habrough and Barnetby

The suggestion that caught my attention the most was the idea of a new station between Habrough and Barnetby, listed under the outcome of "Improve access to International Gateways in the Southern Pennines SDC". That could indicate the new station is meant to serve Immingham Docks, but Habrough does that and Immingham Docks is only an international gateway for freight, or it could be a reference to the Cleethorpes to Manchester Airport TransPennine Express (TPE) service calling at the potential new station. The other option though is that the new station would be sited near Humberside Airport.

Leaving Humberside Airport aside for a minute, there probably is not the need for a new station if it wasn't for the constraints on expanding parking at Barnetby station. Barnetby is ideally sited as a parkway station being close to the A15, A18, A180 and M180; however there is limited room for extra parking and access involves travelling through parts of the residential area of the village and then up a narrow lane to the station. Making more use of Habrough station, which started last month as almost all TPE services now call there, can potentially help if all Immingham area passengers now use Habrough rather than Barnetby, but Habrough is very unlikely to be attractive for potential users from say Brigg or Caistor.

So long term there maybe a need for a new station. Unless a new station is built at Wrawby Junction with a new access road from the A18 which would be very expensive, then there will be a need to look east of Barnetby, or accept that a new station could not serve the Lincoln and Brigg lines. Taking the latter option, which it does not seem is under consideration in any case, where the Wrawby Junction to Scunthorpe line crosses the A18 between Wrawby and Barnetby could be a potential new station location, but the railway is in a cutting here from what I recall, so again a new station would be expensive. Elsham station could be reopened, but road access would not be good from the likes of Caistor.

East of Barnetby the logical location to me would be where the railway crosses the A18, which happens to be in the vicinity of Humberside Airport. Such a location could form a parkway station not only for local villages but even for customers as far away as Louth who could travel on the A16/A18 to access the station. There could also be very limited commuter use for the airport business park and Singleton Birch at Melton Ross. It's not perfect though; the airport terminal would be slightly beyond walking distance, not that the airport would likely generate many rail passengers, and any traffic from the west (e.g. Brigg) would have to travel through Melton Ross village on the A18 to access the site. As such I expect any new station would be a reliever for Barnetby, not a replacement.

Services between Hull and Doncaster

For future services between Hull and Doncaster the following is suggested:

• 1 per hour Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) fast service via Selby
• 2 per hour 'conventional' fast services via Selby
• 1 per hour stopping service via Goole

At present there are two services an hour via Goole and some hours a further service via Selby (mostly provided via Hull Trains). The extra services between Hull and Doncaster are welcome, but what about Goole that currently has a fast service every hour as well as the stopping service? The idea could be to add a Goole to Doncaster stopping service and/or have a regular Hull-Goole-Pontefract-Leeds service, which could mitigate for the loss of the current fast service via Goole, but that is just speculation on my part.

Other Rail Possibilities

Other ideas mentioned, all of which sound positive:

• Gauge enhancements and journey time improvements between Hull Docks and Selby for railfreight
• Hull to Scarborough journey time and frequency improvements
• Hull to York service improvements (further details not specified)
• An 'additional NPR service' between Cleethorpes, Doncaster and Sheffield. Does that imply the current TPE service between Cleethorpes and Manchester Airport will be part of NPR (hopefully so), hence a second service between Cleethorpes and Sheffield being an additional NPR service? 
• Journey time and capacity improvements between Cleethorpes and Doncaster - this is listed under 'before 2027' in the proposed investment programme (table 3)

Road Suggestions

I don't usually cover road schemes on here, but quickly some of the road schemes suggested for the Humber area:

• A63 relief route
• A63 technology improvements
• A63/A1033 junction improvements (unspecified as what the improvements would be)
• New M62 junctions between Goole and Selby (locations not specified)
• A1079 Hull to York improvements (unspecified)
• Dualling the A164 between the Humber Bridge and Willerby - this would then link up with the existing dual carriageway between Willerby and Castle Hill Hospital.
• A180 upgrade (unspecified) 
• Grimsby western relief road
• 'A15 junctions (A63 to M180) including A1077 improvements' - presumably something is being worked up for the section of the A15 between the Humber Bridge and Barnetby Top, as well as for the A1077
• A15 improvements (unspecified) between the M180 and Lincoln

Links

Central Pennines Strategic Programme Outline Case

Investment Programme

Passenger Rail Strategic Programme Outline Case

Southern Pennines Strategic Programme Outline Case

For The Record

For the record, Stagecoach have operated the 260 Barton Villager to a normal weekday timetable on Friday 27th December, today Monday 30th December and will do so tomorrow Tuesday 31st December. This is contrary to their online publicity which states a Saturday service is being provided, and Stagecoach do not operate the 260 on Saturdays.

As such this post from earlier in the month is now void. However it does raise a new issue - why are Stagecoach advertising a Saturday service with no exceptions listed when there is an exception?

Dents Coaches Brigg to Lincoln service to be withdrawn

On Friday, Dents Coaches will operate their Friday only Brigg to Lincoln service for the final time, after running the route since 1998. The service departs Brigg at 0920, serving Scawby, Hibaldstow and Redbourne in North Lincolnshire en-route as well as Waddingham and various other villages in the Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) area. Arrival in Lincoln is at 1050, returning at 1345. The route has been subsidised by North Lincolnshire Council and LCC but Dents Coaches are cancelling it due to 'economic reasons' (handed back the contract?). One councillor has "quoted survey figures showing low passenger numbers from Brigg" and another said the times were "not very user-friendly" (not long enough in Lincoln?).

A replacement service numbered 162 between Waddingham and Lincoln commences every Wednesday from the 8th January, operated by Stagecoach. Passengers from Brigg, Scawby, Hibaldstow and Redbourne to Lincoln will need to use the 94 or CallConnect to connect onto the Stagecoach 103 at Kirton in Lindsey, or use CallConnect to access the train to Lincoln at Barnetby station.

It is disappointing to see the link from Brigg to Lincoln lost after many years; I think a bus service has been provided since World War 2, starting in New Holland in the days of the Humber Ferries. However the 162 ensures the LCC area communities retain a Lincoln link, whilst all the communities in North Lincolnshire retain bus services six or seven days a week. A Brigg town councillor calling the service a 'lifeline' seems a bit excessive to me when the town has a good range of shops, daily buses to Scunthorpe for anyone wanting an alternative and also a Saturday train to Grimsby and Gainsborough.

It is a shame though the 162 is not also serving Brigg, but I suspect the 162 could be worked around a Market Rasen De Aston School service, along with the 25 and 161 (the former operates on a Friday which maybe why the 162 operates on a Wednesday?). Trying to do Market Rasen-Brigg-Lincoln and vice versa in between school times whilst still serving en-route villages and providing a reasonable amount of time in Lincoln wouldn't be possible.

Getting the Short Straw this Christmas

UPDATE 30/12/19. Stagecoach have been providing a normal weekday service on route 260 on Friday 27th and Monday 30th, and will do so on Tuesday 31st. I am unsure about service 10. As such most or all of the below post can be considered void. However it does raise a different question as to why Stagecoach's publicity is incorrect.

-

When an operator provides a Saturday service between Christmas and New Year, usually any Monday to Friday only routes not aimed solely at commuters will operate as normal on the normal weekdays between Christmas and New Year, to avoid leaving routes unserved for over a week. Likewise any less than five day a week services will usually operate as normal on the non-Bank Holidays. For example East Yorkshire Monday to Friday service 88 operates as normal on Friday 27th/Monday 30th/Tuesday 31st, and Tuesday and Friday only service 197 operates as normal on the 27th/31st, despite East Yorkshire operating a Saturday service on the vast majority of it's network. Stagecoach are operating most if not all of their Lincoln depot Monday to Friday/'certain day of the week only services' on 27th/30th/31st despite otherwise providing a Saturday service (with some extra early morning journeys).

So what would you expect the service level to be between Christmas and New Year for the following two tendered services in North Lincolnshire, operated by Stagecoach who are providing a Saturday service on their commercial network?

• Service 10: Scunthorpe Town Service, operates Tuesday, Thursday and Friday only with two journeys into Scunthorpe/Ashby and one return.
• Service 260: Barton Villager, operated by Stagecoach Monday to Friday with seven circular services Mon/Tue/Wed/Fri and six on Thu. (A CallConnect 'timetabled' service provides a single Saturday return service).

For service 10 I would have expected a normal service on Friday 27th and Tuesday 31st. For the 260 I would have expected a normal service on the 27th/30th/31st, or at the very least CallConnect to operate a Saturday 'timetabled' service.

However what will be provided on both routes on the 27th/30th/31st is no service at all. With regards to service 10, this means no 'timetabled' bus service to Burringham for two weeks, none to Ashby Parkland for nine days, nor along Brumby Wood Lane in Scunthorpe.

Service 260 doesn't go a week without service, as the usual Saturday CallConnect 'timetabled' service operates on Saturday 28th. However as CallConnect has a weekday service on the 27th/30th/31st, there is no 'timetabled' 260 provided to replace the Stagecoach 260. Essentially the service is ''caught in between' the two differing service levels. The day of the week with the lowest service level (apart from Sunday with no service at all) becomes the only day with a service for a week.

It is worth noting that the demand responsive CallConnect service is available on the 27th/30th/31st in rural areas, that Barrow on the 260 route will have the 450 operating and that New Holland and Goxhill on the 260 route do also have the train. However this service provision remains bizarre and disappointing.

It gets even more bizarre though. Whilst Stagecoach are providing a Saturday service on their North Lincolnshire Council (NLC) tenders on the 27th/30th/31st, Hornsby Travel are providing a normal weekday service (with early finish on the 31st) on their tenders and commercial services. So the tendered Barton Town Service operates as normal on the 27th and 30th, and the X4 and 94 operate as normal on the 27th/30th/31st rather than the 'basic' Saturday only C4. There is no consistency between different NLC tenders. It appears to this observer as if tendered service levels are being aligned with the operator's commercial service level. If Hornsby operated the 10 and 260 would they have operated as normal between Christmas and New Year? If Stagecoach operated the Barton Town Service would it not operate at all between Monday 23rd and Friday 3rd?

Plus if Traveline East Midlands is correct, the Black and White Coaches operated morning peak 252 from Goxhill to Barton is operating on the 27th/30th/31st. So Goxhill and New Holland get a morning peak service to Barton, but no daytime service on service 260 and no return bus service from Barton on these days.

It's one thing Stagecoach operating a Saturday service on the 27th/30th/31st on service 60 for example, a Monday to Saturday NLC tender with slightly less journeys on a Saturday. However the communities on the 10 and 260 have been dealt a very short straw between Christmas and New Year, whether it be by NLC, Stagecoach or a combination of both.

Christmas and New Year Bus Services 2019/2020

It's time for the annual summary of Christmas and New Year bus services around the Humber region, covering the following operators services:

• Arriva Yorkshire
• Black and White Coaches (information via Traveline East Midlands)
• CallConnect services in North Lincolnshire
• Dents Coaches
• East Yorkshire
• Grayscroft Coaches
• First South Yorkshire
• First York
• Hornsby Travel
• Isle Coaches
• Stagecoach

Services provided by these operators outside of the region are not covered. If anyone has information for other operators, please post a comment and I will update this post. Please check exact details before travelling as this is only a summary, and in some instances different sources provide conflicting information, as explained below.

POST UPDATED 17TH DECEMBER FOLLOWING UPDATES TO THE TRAVELINE EAST MIDLANDS WEBSITE REGARDING SERVICES 260 AND 350. FURTHER UPDATED 22ND DECEMBER FOLLOWING UPDATES TO THE TRAVELINE EAST MIDLANDS WEBSITE REGARDING SERVICES 10 AND 60. FURTHER UPDATE 30TH DECEMBER REGARDING SERVICE 260.

Monday 23rd December:
Normal Service, except for First South Yorkshire who will be providing a Saturday service (the only impact on the Humber region is the 0710 57F from Epworth to Doncaster will arrive four minutes earlier than usual), and First York who will be providing a Saturday service with additional early morning journeys.

Christmas Eve:
Normal Tuesday service finishing around 2000, except for First South Yorkshire who will be providing a Saturday service, and First York who will be providing a Saturday service with additional early morning journeys.

Christmas Day:
No Services.

Boxing Day:
Special daytime services will operate on certain routes in Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire only. New for 2019 is the welcome provision by East Yorkshire of limited services on long distance interurban routes.
 
East Yorkshire:
12: Bridlington-Filey-Scarborough - 2 hourly (NEW for 2019)
34: Hull-Willerby - Hourly
56: Hull-Longhill-Asda Bilton - Hourly
63: Hull-Cottingham-Castle Hill Hospital - Hourly
66: Hull-Hessle - Hourly
75: Hull-Hedon-Withernsea - 5 journeys each way, 2 hourly with extra morning journey to Hull and afternoon return (NEW for 2019)
104: Hull-Avenues-Cottingham-Castle Hill Hospital - Hourly (circular with service 154)
121: Hull-Beverley-Driffield-Bridlington - 2 hourly (NEW for 2019)
154: Hull-Willerby-Castle Hill Hospital - Hourly (circular with service 104)
X46: Hull-Beverley-Market Weighton-Pocklington-York - 2 hourly (NEW for 2019)
X47: Pocklington-York - 2 hourly, hourly combined with X46 (NEW for 2019)
Stagecoach:
1: Hull-Boothferry Estate - Hourly
2: Hull-Boothferry Estate - Hourly
3: Orchard Park-Hull-Greatfield - Half Hourly 
4: Orchard Park-Hull-Bilton Grange - Hourly
5: Hull-Orchard Park-Kingswood - Half Hourly (circular with service 11)
8: Hull-Sutton Park-North Point - Hourly
10a: Hull-North Point-Kingswood-North Bransholme - Hourly 
11a: Hull-North Point-Kingswood - Half Hourly (circular with service 5) (was hourly last year, but service 13 also operated hourly over much of the route)
12a: Hull-Kingswood - Hourly 
14: Hull-Greatfield - Hourly


Friday 27th:
Predominately a Saturday service will be provided, but with the following exceptions:

• Black and White Coaches, CallConnect (including timetabled services 55, 58 and 59), Dents Coaches, Hornsby Travel and Isle Coaches will operate a normal Friday service. For CallConnect, this is an improvement on last year when a Saturday demand responsive service was provided between Christmas and New Year, and the usual Friday/weekday timetabled services on routes 55 (Santon-Appleby-Scunthorpe), 58 (Isle of Axholme local service) and 59 (Wroot-Blaxton) did not operate. This will be the last day of operation for Dents Coaches Friday Brigg to Lincoln service. For Black and White Coaches, this means the 252 (Goxhill-Barton) will operate it's usual solitary weekday school holiday departure from Goxhill at 0750.
• East Yorkshire services 88 (Goole-Rawcliffe Bridge), 183 (Hessle Town Service), 197 (Pocklington Town Service) and 360/361 (Goole-Scunthorpe) will operate as normal. A Saturday service would leave the 88, 183 and 197 unserved.
• East Yorkshire services 106 (Sat only Hull to Cottingham nightbus) and 143 (Mon/Wed/Sat North Ferriby-Brough-Beverley service) will not operate. As per the East Yorkshire online timetables, the usually Saturday only 173 (Withernsea-Hull) will operate.
• As noted on Stagecoach publicity leaflets, Stagecoach service 25 (Market Rasen-Grimsby) will operate as normal. A Saturday service would leave the 25 unserved.
• Contrary to Stagecoach publicity leaflets, Stagecoach service 260 (Barton Villager) operated as normal.
• First York will be operating additional early morning journeys compared to their normal Saturday timetable.

As a result of the above service levels, the 10 Scunthorpe Town Service will not operate at all between Christmas and New Year. The usually Saturday only late night Hull to Barton service 350 journeys will operate additionally on Friday 27th and Monday 30th as part of the Saturday service provision.

Saturday 28th:
Normal Service. 

Sunday 29th:
Normal Service.

Monday 30th:
Predominately a Saturday service will be provided, but with the following exceptions:

• Black and White Coaches, CallConnect (including timetabled service 59), Hornsby Travel and Isle Coaches will operate a normal Monday service.
• East Yorkshire services 88 (Goole-Rawcliffe Bridge), 143 (North Ferriby-Brough-Beverley) and 360/361 (Goole-Scunthorpe) will operate as normal. A Saturday service would leave the 88 unserved.
• East Yorkshire service 106 (Sat only Hull to Cottingham nightbus) will not operate. As per the East Yorkshire online timetables, the usually Saturday only 173 (Withernsea-Hull) will operate.
• East Yorkshire will not operate Friday and Saturday only evening journeys on routes 18, 75, 121 and X47; normal Monday evening services will still operate on the last three services.
• Contrary to Stagecoach publicity leaflets, Stagecoach service 260 (Barton Villager) operated as normal.
• First York will be operating additional early morning journeys compared to their normal Saturday timetable.

New Years Eve:
Predominately a Saturday service will be provided until around 2000 when services will finish, but with the following exceptions:

• Black and White Coaches, CallConnect (including timetabled service 59), Hornsby Travel and Isle Coaches will operate a normal Tuesday service.
• East Yorkshire services 88 (Goole-Rawcliffe Bridge), 197 (Pocklington Town Service) and 360/361 (Goole-Scunthorpe) will operate as normal. A Saturday service would leave the 88 and 197 unserved.
• East Yorkshire service 143 (Mon/Wed/Sat North Ferriby-Brough-Beverley service) will not operate. As per the East Yorkshire online timetables, the usually Saturday only 173 (Withernsea-Hull) will operate.
• As noted on Stagecoach publicity leaflets, Stagecoach services 25 (Market Rasen-Grimsby) and 398 (Belton-Gainsborough) will operate as normal. A Saturday service would leave these routes unserved. 
• Contrary to Stagecoach publicity leaflets, Stagecoach service 260 (Barton Villager) will operate as normal.
• The Grayscroft Coaches Tuesday service 28 (Sandilands-Mablethorpe-Louth-Grimsby) will not operate.
• First York will be operating additional early morning journeys compared to their normal Saturday timetable.

New Years Day:
No Services. (As usual the train will provide an alternative for some communities, with many services running near normal Wednesday timetables).

Thursday 2nd January:
Normal Services resume, except First South Yorkshire will operate a Saturday service on Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd January before resuming normal timetables.

A better, but still convoluted, mess

Monday, Wednesday and Friday only Barton Town Service 254, operated by Hornsby Travel, was amended on Monday 2nd December. Back when it was last amended in June to incorporate Baysgarth Leisure Centre, I commented how the service had become a convoluted mess. It still is a convoluted mess that would take a long time to fully explain, albeit now an improved convoluted mess. The main changes are the service now serving the town's Lidl store, and an extended period of operation - the 254 now operates between 0920 and 1424 as opposed to between 0915 and 1313.

Brigg Town Service Amended

The Hornsby Travel operated service 91 Brigg Town Service was revised from Tuesday 3rd December.

The Tuesday and Thursday 0908 from Churchill Avenue, in the eastern part of Brigg, to Cary Lane, in the town centre, was replaced by a 0910 from Springbank, in northern Brigg, to Cary Lane 'direct' service (i.e. not via Churchill Avenue). This gives the Springbank area a half hour earlier first arrival into Brigg Town Centre, but the Churchill Avenue area a 35 minute later first arrival.

The Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday 1045 circular from Brigg Cary Lane now starts at the town's Lidl store and after serving the Springbank area now returns direct to Cary Lane rather than operating via Churchill Avenue. Instead the former 1125 from Brigg Cary Lane to Springbank and return omitting Churchill Avenue now operates at 1115 and includes the Churchill Avenue area.

Finally the Tuesday and Thursday 1425 from Brigg to Cary Lane to Springbank and return 'direct' also now starts at the Lidl store. Brigg's Lidl is on the edge of the town centre and will be in walking distance for some, especially if not carrying lots of shopping. Maybe that is why two journeys start at Lidl but none terminate there?

Cutbacks and small improvements

On Monday 2nd December, Hornsby Travel revised service 4 between Scunthorpe and Brigg, service 12 between Scunthorpe and Ashfield, and service 13 between Scunthorpe and Lakeside Retail Park. For the most part the changes were sadly cutbacks.

Starting with service 4 the main 'headline' is that Monday to Friday daytime services now follow the Saturday daytime route between Ashby Broadway and Lakeside, serving Bottesford Road, Bottesford Lane and Timberland, rather than the more direct route via Ashby High Street and Queensway, which are still served early mornings and evenings (and by the Stagecoach Sunday service). This is to compensate for the almost total withdrawal of service 13 along Bottesford Road, Bottesford Lane and Timberland (see below). Daytime journey times from Scunthorpe to Brigg increase from 45 to 49 minutes and from Brigg to Scunthorpe increase from 45 to 47 minutes.

Also on weekdays the 1730 and 1830 from Brigg to Scunthorpe now terminate 'short' at the Hornsby Depot in Ashby, with the 1830 now omitting Town Hill and South View in Broughton as well; the last bus from Brigg to these parts of Broughton is now at 1730. There are now no buses from Broughton to Scunthorpe Town Centre between 1646 and 2101; for Brigg to Scunthorpe passengers the X4 is available as an alternative and there is also a 1915 service 4 from Brigg to Scunthorpe omitting Broughton.

The Saturday timetable has also been extensively revised. Rather than operate at totally different times to weekdays - the 4 had been departing both Scunthorpe Bus Station and Brigg at :30 past the hour Monday to Friday and at :00 past the hour on Saturdays - the Saturday service 4 now mostly operates at the same or similar times to weekdays. Another Saturday improvement is the introduction of a limited service to Foxhills Industrial Estate. There is a new Saturday 0512 from Lakeside to Foxhills via Scunthorpe Bus Station, and 0610 return from Foxhills to Brigg (0630 from Scunthorpe Bus Station). These journeys also provide new early morning journey opportunities for travel within Scunthorpe and from Scunthorpe and Broughton into Brigg. The previous first service 4 from Lakeside into Scunthorpe was at 0732 and from Scunthorpe to Brigg at 0700. There is also a 1610 service from Foxhills Industrial Estate to Scunthorpe, Broughton and Brigg.

Elsewhere in the Saturday timetable there are slight cutbacks in the Town Hill and South View areas of Broughton, which are now served by departures from both Scunthorpe and Brigg between 0730 and 1730 rather than between 0700 and 1800. The first service from Brigg to Scunthorpe is 30 minutes later at 0730 rather than 0700. As on weekdays the 1730 and 1830 from Brigg terminate short in Ashby leaving a two and three quarter gap from Brigg to Scunthorpe between 1630 and 1915 but with no X4 as an alternative; unlike on weekdays the 1915 does serve Broughton though so the over four hour Monday to Friday gap for a service into Scunthorpe isn't quite as long on a Saturday. Saturday evening services no longer serve Scunthorpe Hospital. The last service is 10 minutes later in each direction, at 2010 rather than 2000 from Scunthorpe Bus Station and at 2050 rather than 2040 from Brigg.

Monday to Friday service 12 isn't changed, but the timetable now also applies on Saturdays. As a result the Saturday 'extras' from Scunthorpe Bus Station at 1745 and from Ashfield at 0815, 0915, 1315 and 1715 no longer operate. Neither do the extensions of certain services to Burringham and East Butterwick. East Butterwick now no longer has a 'fixed timetable' service, and Burringham only on a Friday.

Service 13 goes from an hourly Monday to Friday daytime service to one college day journey in each direction. The college day 13 follows the same route between Lakeside Retail Park and Ashby via Timberland, Bottesford Lane and Bottesford Road, but rather than follow the service 12 route into Scunthorpe instead operates via Ashby Road, West Common Lane, Glover Road (for John Leggott and North Lindsey Colleges), Kingsway, Church Lane (Scunthorpe Hospital) and Scunthorpe Station. Incorporating Scunthorpe Hospital and Station into the route is welcome, but there aren't many positives here.

Nowhere is left unserved by the change to the 13; as already noted the 4 replaces the 13 between Ashby and Lakeside, continuing to operate hourly and introducing new weekday links to Brigg in the process. Between Scunthorpe and Ashby the old 13 route along Cemetery Road, Old Brumby Street, Revesby Avenue, Alvingham Road and Collum Avenue also has the hourly 12, but frequency is cut from half hourly (12+13 combined) to hourly (12 only). Going back around 10 years ago Stagecoach also served this route half hourly Monday to Saturday, so a significant reduction in recent years. Cemetery Road is in the odd situation of having a more frequent Sunday daytime service than Monday to Saturday daytimes, as it is served by the Stagecoach 1A every half hour. Last departure from Scunthorpe Bus Station on service 12 is at 1715 rather than 1745 on service 13.

Back to the Past, to an extent

Hornsby Travel changed many of their services on Monday 2nd December, including service 9 between Scunthorpe Bus Station and Scunthorpe Hospital, service 35 between Scunthorpe Bus Station, Althorpe Station, Keadby and Amcotts, and service 90 between Scunthorpe Bus Station, Althorpe Station and Crowle.

Service 35 reverts to a timetable more akin to that it provided prior to being amended in June. Monday to Friday the service goes from a two hourly daytime off peak frequency between Scunthorpe and Amcotts to an hourly daytime off peak frequency between Scunthorpe and Keadby (all but one journey serving Queens Crescent in Keadby), with four journeys extending to/from Amcotts (one less service per day); these extensions result in some 45 and 75 minute gaps in the return direction between Keadby and Scunthorpe. One useful change from June that does remain is the diversion of all but one journey to operate via Scunthorpe Hospital.

The new 35 timetable, apart from the first journey in each direction, also applies on Saturdays. The June changes did not impact the Saturday service, so the main changes here are now serving Scunthorpe Hospital, and all journeys serving Queens Crescent in Keadby. The consistency between weekdays and Saturdays is also a major positive.

In June the 90 had begun serving Queens Crescent in Keadby off peak daytimes Monday to Friday, to compensate for the 35 being reduced in frequency. This diversion has now been withdrawn with the 35 increasing in frequency once again, resulting in daytime Crowle to Scunthorpe journey times being reduced from 41 to 35 minutes. Otherwise the service remains every two hours Monday to Friday off peak daytimes, more frequently at peaktimes.

The new timetable improves co-ordination with East Yorkshire service 361 between Scunthorpe and Crowle, reinstating a combined hourly frequency Monday to Friday off peak daytimes, rather than the 30 and 90 minute gaps that had existed since June. Co-ordination with the 35 is also excellent from Scunthorpe Bus Station to Althorpe Station; the 35, 90 and 361 together providing a half hourly service though in the other direction it's abysmal, with examples of two services operating at the same time from Althorpe into Scunthorpe.

The Saturday timetable on service 90 has also been amended, with five journeys each way continuing to be provided. The single afternoon service extension beyond Crowle to Eastoft and Luddington is withdrawn, leaving passengers in these two villages with service 361 or CallConnect. The 90 continues to serve Church Lane in Scunthorpe on Saturdays only, and is now the only Saturday service on Church Lane after Hornsby withdrew the Saturday service 9 as part of their changes this week. Monday to Friday service 9 is unaffected.