EYMS 23 Axed

After operation on Saturday 26th November, EYMS will cease Hull service 23, which was introduced on 11th April this year, providing an hourly off peak Monday to Saturday service between Hull Interchange, Chanterlands Avenue, Fairfax Avenue, Cottingham Road, Chanterlands Avenue North, Chanterlands Avenue and Hull Interchange. It was the only bus service for Fairfax Avenue and Chanterlands Avenue North.

EYMS say the withdrawal is due to low passenger numbers. At least they tried. I guess the more frequent bus services available in the area were more attractive. From the top of both Fairfax Avenue and Chanterlands Avenue North, EYMS services 103 and 105 on Cottingham Road are only a short walk away, whilst from the bottom of both roads Stagecoach service 3 is only a short walk away.

Service 150 Axed

From January, Stagecoach service 150 between East Halton and Immingham, via North Killingholme, South Killingholme and Habrough, will cease operating as part of major changes to associated service 5 between Grimsby and Immingham, with no replacement being provided. The 150 currently provides 3 Monday to Saturday daytime journeys that upon arrival in Immingham become a through service 5 to Grimsby. North Lincolnshire Council have released the following press release this week:

Council steps in to keep East Halton and North Killingholme connected

18 November 2016

From 31 December 2016, the 150 bus service from East Halton to Immingham will no longer run. North Lincolnshire Council has stepped in to keep East Halton and North Killingholme residents connected.

Stagecoach East Midlands – the operator of the 150 bus – has decided to stop the service and to extend the frequency of their number 5 bus between Immingham and Grimsby, via South Killingholme. From January 2017, the number 5 bus will run every 20 minutes.

Residents in East Halton and North Killingholme can use the new CallConnect flexible bus service to get out and about whenever they want. They can hop on the purple CallConnect bus to go shopping in Barton or Immingham, visit friends in other villages, or to connect to the number 5 bus to get to Grimsby.

The CallConnect bus has no set route or timetable and residents can register with the service and then book a journey for anytime between 7am and 7pm, Monday to Friday and from 8am to 6pm on Saturdays.

You can register with CallConnect online now. Once registered, you can book your journeys between an hour and a week in advance, online or through the booking centre on 0345 2638139.

Cllr Neil Poole, cabinet member for Environment at North Lincolnshire Council, said:
“We know that buses can be a lifeline in rural communities and we do not want residents in East Halton or North Killingholme to feel isolated after the cancellation of the 150 service. We are stepping in and encouraging residents to sign up to use the CallConnect bus service.

“The advantage of CallConnect over a conventional bus service is that you can choose where you want to go and book your journey at a time that suits you. CallConnect has proved to be very popular in North Lincolnshire with over 1,700 already registered to use the service. It gives people the freedom and independence to get out and about whenever they want.”

CallConnect is available in North Lincolnshire across Ferry ward; Brigg, Caistor and Ridge ward; East Butterwick; Barton, Burton upon Stather and Winterton; and, the Isle of Axholme.

The background to this is that Stagecoach and North East Lincolnshire Council and Stagecoach have secured Department for Transport funding to increase the daytime frequency of service 5 between Grimsby and Immingham from half hourly to every 15 minutes, although according to the above North Lincolnshire Council (NLC) press release it will be every 20 minutes. At the same time half hourly extensions will serve the new Able UK development at Killingholme, the CATCH training facility and Phillips 66 Oil Refinery - linking people to jobs and education.

As I noted at the time, Able UK and Philips 66 would not easily be served by the same half hourly extension as that to CATCH, which left the question of what would happen to the South Killingholme extensions to service 5, and to the associated 150 and 450. Service 450 has had amendments registered with VOSA, so must be staying in some form or another, and I assume from NLC's press release that South Killingholme will continue to be served, although surely as an extension of Grimsby to Immingham services rather than as an 'en-route' destination as implied by NLC? Service 150 clearly hasn't survived the changes however. Overall the changes look set to benefit more people than are disadvantaged, but that won't mean much to service 150's users.

However I don't see how NLC can accurately claim to be "stepping in to keep ... residents connected". Callconnect is not new, it started earlier this year. All NLC are doing is promoting an existing service - and oddly not mentioning that East Halton's other daytime bus service, a Thursday only diversion to service 260 that provides a link to Barton. Surely an ideal time to promote this?

EYMS MX1 details

EYMS have released details of new service MX1 between Pocklington and Monks Cross, York. It will operate between Saturday 26th November and Sunday 31st December on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, for Christmas and post-Christmas sales shopping, serving Barmby Moor, Wilberfoss, Kexby and Dunnington en-route. At Monks Cross, the Shopping Park, the Vangarde Shopping Park and Sainsburys will all be served. Connections are available at Pocklington from service X46 from Hull, Beverley and Market Weighton.

The Monday, Wednesday and Thursday timetable comprises a single journey in each direction, leaving Pocklington at 1035 and Monks Cross Vangarde Shopping Park at 1310, giving shoppers around 2 hours at Monks Cross. I presume these times are to fit in between school services. On Saturdays the timetable is more extensive with departures from Pocklington at 1035, 1235 and 1435, and from Monks Cross Vangarde Shopping Park at 1310, 1510 and 1710. The Saturday timetable will also apply between Wednesday 28th and Friday 30th December inclusive (EYMS normally run a Saturday service on most routes on the normal working days between Christmas and New Year).

The Saturday 1035 would appear to return out of service from Monks Cross to Pocklington and likewise the 1710 would appear to require an out of service trip from Pocklington to Monks Cross. Understandable for a temporary Christmas service aimed at Monks Cross shoppers, but if the service was ever made year round running these journeys in service may be useful for local travel between Pocklington and Dunnington. Lets hope a permanent MX1 will be a realistic possibility after this temporary period of operation! Maybe even a similar service to the Designer Outlet South of York, which could route via the University of York campus for additional custom?