Interconnect 51 Afternoon Improvements

Starting on Monday 7th January, Stagecoach will revise the timetable of generally hourly Monday to Saturday Interconnect service 51 between Grimsby and Louth. The 51A Louth school service is also withdrawn at the same time.

In the morning, the 0855 departure from Louth moves to 0905, increasing the current 90 minute gap after the 0725 departure to 100 minutes.

With the new afternoon timetable, the 1440 departure from Grimsby will be replaced by 1410 and 1510 departures, which also eliminates the current 95 minute gap between 1440 and 1615. On schooldays the 1510 will not serve Grimsby Hospital grounds, but will serve Toll Bar School. In the reverse direction from Louth, the 1600 departure from the Bus Station on Saturdays and in School Holidays will depart instead at 1555, but is withdrawn on schooldays. There is a new 1630 departure from Louth however, Monday to Saturday; on Saturdays and in School Holidays this eliminates a 90 minute gap in departures from Louth. Overall one extra service from Grimsby, and one extra service from Louth on Saturdays and in School Holidays.

Interconnect 53 Timetable Change

Stagecoach will revise the timetable of Monday to Saturday Interconnect service 53 between Grimsby, Caistor, Market Rasen and Lincoln from Monday 7th January. The 1540 departure from Grimsby will now operate at 1610, and the final 1750 departure from Lincoln will also depart 30 minutes later, at 1820.

Stagecoach 25 to serve Market Rasen

From Tuesday 8th January, Stagecoach service 25 between Ludford and Grimsby will be extended to start/finish in Market Rasen. The route operates on Tuesday and Friday, providing a shopping link into Grimsby. As a result the service shall now leave Market Rasen at 0930, arriving into Grimsby at 1050, as opposed to 1025 currently, with the return departing Grimsby Riverhead Exchange slightly earlier at 1330 rather than 1340. In Ludford the service shall serve a new stop on Bain Rise, where the bus will turnaround, as opposed to existing stops by the Black Horse pub.

Market Rasen's main service to/from Grimsby is the Monday to Saturday 53. There is a 0942 departure from Market Rasen, arriving into Grimsby at 1037, so the morning 25 is unlikely to get much use for Market Rasen to Grimsby travel. In the return direction, the 1330 departure from Grimsby sits nicely in a gap in service 53 departures between 1240 and 1440. I presume though the Market Rasen extension is primarily to support schoolday interworking with a De Aston School service?

Christmas and New Year Bus Services 2018/2019

Below is the annual summary of Christmas and New Year bus services in the Humber region. Operators covered are:

• Arriva Yorkshire
• CallConnect services in North Lincolnshire
• EYMS
• First South Yorkshire
• First York
• Hornsby Travel
• Isle Coaches
• Stagecoach
• Transdev York

Services provided by these operators outside of the region are not covered in this post. 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.

Christmas Eve:

• A Saturday service with an early evening finish will be provided by First South Yorkshire, First York and Stagecoach
• Stagecoach 260 (Barton Villager) will operate a normal Monday service
• A normal Monday service with an early evening finish will be provided by Arriva Yorkshire, EYMS, Hornsby Travel (except CallConnect) and Isle Coaches.
• CallConnect's demand responsive service in North Lincolnshire will operate a Saturday service (between 8am an 6pm). The 'timetabled' weekday CallConnect 59 service between Wroot and Blaxton will not operate
• Transdev York evening service 10 to Stamford Bridge will not operate

Christmas Day:
No Services

Boxing Day:
Limited daytime services will operate on certain routes only in the Hull Area (the same provision as 2017 except for service 64 renumbered to service 63 following service changes earlier in the year):
 
EYMS:
34: Hull-Willerby - Hourly
56: Hull-Longhill-Asda Bilton - Hourly
63: Hull-Cottingham-Castle Hill Hospital - Hourly
66: Hull-Hessle - Hourly
115: Hull-Avenues-Cottingham-Castle Hill Hospital - Hourly (circular with 154)
154: Hull-Willerby-Castle Hill Hospital - Hourly (circular with 115)
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
8: Hull-Sutton Park-North Point - Hourly
10: Hull-North Point-North Bransholme - Hourly
11: Hull-North Point-Kingswood - Hourly
12: Hull-North Point - Hourly
13: Hull-North Point - Hourly
14: Hull-Greatfield - Hourly

Thursday 27th:

• A Saturday service will be provided by Arriva Yorkshire, EYMS, First South Yorkshire, First York, Stagecoach and Transdev York
• EYMS 360/361 (Goole-Scunthorpe) will operate a normal Thursday service
• EYMS service 63 will have an extra journey from Hull to Castle Hill Hospital at 0615, returning at 0702
• EYMS Saturday only service Nightbus 106 will not operate, nor will Monday, Wednesday and Saturday only service 143.
• EYMS Friday and Saturday evening only journeys on routes 18, 45, 46, 75, 121 and X47 shall not operate (i.e. a normal Thursday evening service will operate)
• Stagecoach 10 (Scunthorpe Town Service), 161 (Market Rasen-Brigg-Lakeside) and 260 (Barton Villager) will operate a normal Thursday service
• A normal Thursday service will be provided by Hornsby Travel (except CallConnect) and Isle Coaches
• CallConnect's demand responsive service in North Lincolnshire will operate a Saturday service (between 8am an 6pm). The 'timetabled' weekday CallConnect 59 service between Wroot and Blaxton will not operate

Friday 28th:

• A Saturday service will be provided by Arriva Yorkshire, EYMS, First South Yorkshire, First York, Stagecoach and Transdev York
• EYMS 88 (Rawcliffe Bridge-Goole), 197 (Pocklington Town Service) and 360/361 (Goole-Scunthorpe) will operate a normal Friday service
• EYMS service 63 will have an extra journey from Hull to Castle Hill Hospital at 0615, returning at 0702
• EYMS Saturday only service Nightbus 106 will not operate, nor will Monday, Wednesday and Saturday only service 143.
• Stagecoach 10 (Scunthorpe Town Service), 25 (Ludford-Grimsby) and 260 (Barton Villager) will operate a normal Friday service
• A normal Friday service will be provided by Hornsby Travel (except CallConnect) and Isle Coaches
• CallConnect's demand responsive service in North Lincolnshire will operate a Saturday service (between 8am an 6pm). The 'timetabled' weekday CallConnect 59 service between Wroot and Blaxton will not operate, nor will the Friday only 'timetabled' CallConnect 55 (Appleby-Scunthorpe) and 58 (Wroot-Epworth) services

Saturday 29th:
Normal Saturday Services. (As a side note this means the Saturday CallConnect 260 will be the only 'timetabled' CallConnect service in North Lincolnshire over the Christmas/New Year period).

Sunday 30th:
Normal Sunday Services

New Years Eve:

• A Saturday service with an early evening finish will be provided by Arriva Yorkshire, EYMS, First South Yorkshire, First York and Stagecoach
• EYMS 88 (Rawcliffe Bridge-Goole), 143 (North Ferriby-Beverley) and 360/361 (Goole-Scunthorpe) will operate a normal Monday service
• EYMS service 63 will have an extra journey from Hull to Castle Hill Hospital at 0615, returning at 0702
• Stagecoach 260 (Barton Villager) will operate a normal Monday service
• A normal Monday service with an early evening finish will be provided by Hornsby Travel (except CallConnect) and Isle Coaches
• CallConnect's demand responsive service in North Lincolnshire will operate a Saturday service (between 8am an 6pm). The 'timetabled' weekday CallConnect 59 service between Wroot and Blaxton will not operate
• Transdev York evening service 10 to Stamford Bridge will not operate

New Years Day:
No Services

Wednesday 2nd January:
Back to normal, except for First South Yorkshire who will operate a Saturday service on Wednesday 2nd, Thursday 3rd and Friday 4th January, before resuming normal services on Saturday 5th January.

CallConnect 25A to be withdrawn

The 'fixed'/'timetabled' CallConnect service 25A between Binbrook and Waltham will be withdrawn after operation on Friday 21st December. (Lincolnshire County Council list the withdrawal as effective from Wednesday 2nd January, but as CallConnect will largely be operating a Saturday service between 24th and 31st December, the actual end date is earlier). Service 25A was introduced in July to replace the previous peak time service 25 between Binbrook and Grimsby, and operates on weekdays only, connecting to/from service 10 at Waltham for travel to/from Grimsby. The morning journey leaves Binbrook at 0740, with a 1755 return from Waltham. Lincolnshire County Council simply advise passengers to instead 'Book with CallConnect!' (i.e. the main demand responsive CallConnect service).

simplibus North Lincolnshire

On Monday 29th October, the local bus network in Scunthorpe was relaunched as 'simplibus North Lincolnshire'. This follows on from Stagecoach launching the simplibus concept of 'low' route numbers and new branding/marketing in Grimsby/Cleethorpes, Hull, Lincoln and Newark. simplibus in Scunthorpe has two interesting differences however - it's name, and the involvement of a second operator.

Until Scunthorpe, the simplibus network has been named after the main town(s) or city being served, even if the network extends outside of the main urban area. For example the 5 in the simpibus Grimsby and Cleethorpes network extends to Immingham, a separate town not part of the same urban area, and onwards to the village of South Killingholme in North Lincolnshire, in a different council area to Grimsby and Cleethorpes. In Lincoln the simplibus network covers outlying villages such as Welton. However there is no simplibus Scunthorpe, it's simplibus North Lincolnshire, and as explained below it's not as if the network extends into multiple parts of North Lincolnshire, it's contained within the Scunthorpe urban area apart from one route to Brigg and some occasional extensions of another route to East Butterwick. In that sense it's very similar to simplibus Grimsby and Cleethorpes. In many ways it doesn't matter if it's simplibus Scunthorpe or simplibus North Lincolnshire, but the name caught my attention.

Hornsby Travel are also involved in the new network, despite simplibus being a Stagecoach brand. Hornsby and Stagecoach (and Road Car before Stagecoach) have co-operated for some time within Scunthorpe, with mutual ticket acceptance and a joint town service leaflet, and by working together it presents a joined up cohesive network to customers and potential customers despite there being two operators of town services in Scunthorpe. 'simpli' it's a logical approach, and it doesn't prevent competition, for example along Spilsby Road and Angerstein Road in the Riddings estate.

The revised network contains 13 services numbered 1 to 12 and 1A. The Scunthorpe town network had been a 'mish-mash' of routes from two previous network recasts last decade, and some routes added or changed at other times.

Route 1 - Stagecoach

The 31 (anti-clockwise) and 32 (clockwise) circulars that cover Scunthorpe Bus Station, Frodingham, Ashby, parts of the Riddings estate, Westcliff, Tesco, Scunthorpe Hospital and Scunthorpe Bus Station, operating every 20 minutes in each direction Monday to Saturday daytimes, are now known as service 1 and use the same number in each direction. Other than the renumbering there are no major changes, there are some minor retimings, and a new later last anti-clockwise departure from Scunthorpe Bus Station at 1755 rather than at 1735 as previously.

Route 1A - Stagecoach

The 1A is the Monday to Saturday Evening/Sunday replacement for the 31A/32A circulars, that like their daytime counterparts now use the same number in each direction. The route is unchanged from the 31A/32A, covering most of the Monday to Saturday daytime 1 plus some additional areas, and so is the frequency, off hourly daily evenings, half hourly Sunday daytimes, in each direction.

Monday to Saturday evening clockwise departures from Scunthorpe Bus Station however change from 1800/1830/1930/2030/2130/2230/2330 Fri and Sat only to 1810/1910/2010/2110/2210/2310 - a slightly reduced early evening service and an earlier last bus Friday/Saturday but a later last bus Monday to Thursday. The Monday to Saturday evening anti-clockwise service is also slightly reduced from 1800/1830/1930/2030/2130/2230/2330 Fri and Sat only departures from Scunthorpe Bus Station to 1840/1940/2040/2140/2310 departures, again the positive is a later last departure Monday to Thursday. For Riddings and Ashby these changes do provide a half hourly service to/from Scunthorpe Bus Station as the journey time is approximately the same whichever way round the circular you travel. Sunday daytime services are retimed, while Sunday evenings are similar to the new Monday to Saturday evening timetable, but omit Tesco.

Route 2 - Stagecoach

New route 2 is largely the replacement for service 34 between Scunthorpe Bus Station, Westcliff, Riddings, Yaddlethorpe, Ashby and Lakeside, but now operates as a circular back to Scunthorpe Bus Station. It uses the same route number in both directions.

In the Westcliff estate the 'loop' around Plymouth Road and Bristol Road is dropped, leaving Plymouth Road to service 1 and Bristol Road unserved. Rather than serving Swinburne Road along with service 1, the 2 now serves Scotter Road and Lichfield Avenue, previously unserved (apart from the 16?). Taken together all the overlap between the 31/32 and 33/34 that previously existed in Westcliff is removed with the new 1, 2 and 3 services.

The other major change is to the eastern part of the service. Service 34 operated from Ashby via Fulbeck Road and Bellingham Road to Lakeside, whereas the 2 operates from Ashby via Fulbeck Road and then direct to Lakeside, before serving Bellingham Road and extending to/from Scunthorpe Bus Station via Queensway, Ashby Road and Station Road. This change provides a far more direct service from Bellingham Road and Fulbeck Road into Scunthorpe, restores a regular service to Station Road, and provides more options for travel to Scunthorpe Bus Station for those in the centre part of the circular route. Personally I would have used the old service 10 route however via Healey Road and Sandhouse Crescent, the unique sections of which remain unserved, rather than Queensway, which I don't think has any bus stops on it.

The frequency of service 2 is mostly hourly Monday to Saturday, off peak matching what the 34 offered, but less frequent at peak times - this is covered by the new service 3 however.

Route 3 - Stagecoach

The 3 replaces services 11 and 33, but with a new bit in the middle! Service 11 had operated from Scunthorpe Bus Station via Ashby Road, Ashby Town Centre, Bottesford Road and Cambridge Avenue to Yaddlethorpe where it covered Ogilvy Drive and Valley View Drive in Bottesford before returning to Ashby and Scunthorpe. The 33 were Scunthorpe to Westcliff 'shorts' of the 34.

New service 3 is a circular, following the service 2 route from Scunthorpe Bus Station through Westcliff, Bridges Road, Manor Farm Road, Manby Road and Quebec Road before diverging to pick up most of the service 11 route via Ogilvy Drive, Messingham Road, Valley View Drive, Cambridge Avenue, Bottesford Road, Ashby and Ashby Road back to Scunthorpe Bus Station. Two small parts of the old 11 route are unserved, Moorwell Road between High Leys Road and Messingham Road, and Manor Road between Messingham Road and Valley View Drive.

Service 3 operates hourly Monday to Saturday daytimes. For Westcliff the 2/3 provide an off peak bus every half hour rather than every 20 minutes on the 33/34, but for everywhere else it's positive or no change. Bridges Road, Manor Farm Road, Manby Road and Quebec Road go from hourly on the 34 to half hourly on the 2/3, and from Quebec Road at least when accounting for the possibility of using the circular both ways it could be considered there are now 4 buses an hour to/from Scunthorpe Bus Station. Similarly when accounting for the possibility of travelling in either direction, the frequency from Ogilvy Drive and Valley View Drive is now two buses an hour into Scunthorpe Bus Station, compared to hourly on service 11.

Route 4 - Hornsby Mon-Sat, Stagecoach Sun

Existing service 4 between Scunthorpe, Ashby, Broughton and Brigg is included in the network with no change to it's times or route. Whilst superficially an 'out of town' service, it does have some use for local travel within Scunthorpe as well, starting far earlier in the morning than any other service on weekdays, serving Foxhills Industrial Estate, linking Ashby Road to Lakeside Retail Park, serving Timberland on a Saturday, and providing the only evening service and part of the limited Sunday service along Ashby Road.

Route 5 - Hornsby

This is what was service 22 between Scunthorpe Bus Station, Priory Lane, Ashby, Timberland and Lakeside Retail Park. Other than the renumbering the service is unaltered, and operates every hour Monday to Friday.

Route 6 - Hornsby and Stagecoach

If it's not broke, don't fix it! Service 6 survives a full network recast for the second time I believe, and continues to operate every 10 minutes Monday to Saturday daytimes between Scunthorpe and Ashby, split between Hornsby and Stagecoach.

Route 7 - Stagecoach

This is the old service 37 in North Scunthorpe, operating hourly Monday to Saturday daytime between Scunthorpe Bus Station, Scunthorpe Hospital, Hilton Avenue, Dewsbury Avenue, Speedwell Crescent and Skppingdale Retail Park. The main change is that services now continues as a service 8 at Skippingdale Retail Park, and vice versa. The last departure from Scunthorpe Bus Station is now at 1755 rather than 1720. A two hour gap now exists Monday to Friday in departures from Scunthorpe Bus Station between 1455 and 1655.

Route 8 - Stagecoach

The 8 is an improved version of the 38 between Scunthorpe Bus Station, Scunthorpe Hospital and Crosby, but now extended to Skippingdale Retail Park via Speedwell Crescent, giving two buses an hour to these areas. The frequency remains hourly Monday to Saturday daytimes. The last bus from Scunthorpe Bus Station is now at 1725 rather than 1755, but the 1755 service 7 from Scunthorpe Bus Station to Skippingdale Retail Park returns as a service 8 via Crosby.

Route 9 - Hornsby

Service 9 between Scunthorpe Bus Station and Scunthorpe Hospital is unchanged, operating every 20 minutes Monday to Friday daytimes and with a limited Saturday daytime service.

Route 10 - Stagecoach

The Tuesday and Friday Parklands-Brumby Wood Lane-Scunthorpe and Thursday Parklands-Brumby Wood Lane-Ashby service is renumbered from service 16 but otherwise unchanged.

Personally I wouldn't have even changed the number - 16 isn't that far out of the 'sequence' (and there is a precedent for an unused number - 15 in the simplibus Hull network), leaving service 10 for future use (there will be a need to serve the new Lincolnshire Lakes development once built for example). Also this route isn't part of the core network, but a tendered service aimed at a small number of users/potential users away from the core network - it doesn't even make it onto the network map!

Route 11 - Stagecoach

This is early morning service 13 renumbered. Again I'm dubious of the need for this renumbering, for the same reasons as noted above.

Route 12 - Hornsby

Service 12 between Scunthorpe Bus Station, Brumby, Ashby, Asda, Burringham and East Butterwick continues unchanged, operating between Scunthorpe Bus Station and Asda every half hour Monday to Friday and hourly on Saturdays, with less frequent extensions to Burringham and East Butterwick.

Shorter Shorts

Back in September, Stagecoach replaced the three Monday to Saturday Scunthorpe-Messingham-Scotter 'shorts' on service 100 with Scunthorpe-Messingham 'shorts' on service 103. I'm calling these journeys 'shorts' as the full route 100 and 103 services run Scunthorpe to Lincoln - the 100 via Gainsborough and the 103 via Kirton in Lindsey.

The 'shorts' still leave Scunthorpe Bus Station at 1000, 1200 and 1400, contributing to the half hourly Scunthorpe to Messingham off peak frequency provided between routes 100 and 103, but return from Messingham at 1024, 1224 and 1424, rather than at 1038, 1238 and 1438 as with the previous service 100 'shorts'. This somewhat spoils the usual standard 8 and 38 minute past the hour departures from Messingham into Scunthorpe. I presume the intention is to maximise 'recovery time' at Scunthorpe Bus Station. I think the 'shorts' then work the 1100, 1300 and 1500 service 103 departures from Scunthorpe to Lincoln, and used to arrive into Scunthorpe Bus Station at 1055, 1255 and 1455, giving just five minutes 'turnaround'. With the 'shorts' no longer serving Scotter they get back into Scunthorpe Bus Station seven minutes earlier, giving a longer twelve minute 'turnaround' before their next service.

This change is a reduction for Scotter from three buses every two hours back to a hourly service. It is worth noting that these 'shorts' only ran to Scotter since April 2017, when they were diverted from Kirton in Lindsey.

Hessle Town Service returns

After withdrawal on 31st March (Easter Saturday), the 183 Hessle Town Service made a return on Friday 31st August, in a much reduced form compared to the previous service, but rather better than no service at all.

It is now operated by Acklams Coaches, on a Friday only, as opposed to the hourly Monday to Saturday service provided until March. The reinstated service starts at Hessle Square (in Hessle town centre), serving Davenport Avenue, Heads Lane, Jenny Brough Lane (where significant new housing is being built) and Tranby Avenue before routing via Beverley Road, Darleys Roundabout, Boothferry Road and First Lane to Sainsburys. After arriving at Sainsbury's, the service then routes Sainsbury's-Hessle Square-Sainsbury's-Hessle Square and starts it's circular of the town again.

Boothferry Road and First Lane were not served by the previous Hessle Town Service - Boothferry Road lacks links into Hessle and to Sainsbury's, whilst First Lane has links into Hessle Square but not to Sainsburys, so the extension to these areas adds useful new links. Serving additional areas of Hessle requires a lower frequency than the previous approximately half hourly service provided until March however. If the service had operated as a more continuous circular apart from the driver's rest break, it could have operated every 40 minutes, or every 45 minutes with some brief 'recovery time' built in, but for whatever reason operates on an approximately hourly frequency. This then necessitates the 'back and forth' between Sainsburys and Hessle Square so that inbound passengers can get to Hessle Square without a long (15 minute) wait at Sainsburys, and passengers from Sainsburys can get back home without a long wait at Hessle Square. Normally I would advocate an even interval 'same time every hour' timetable, but this seems like a very good case for an exception to that.

The most important thing though is that the service is back, and many parts of residential Hessle that became 'bus-less' or without links to Hessle Town Centre and Sainsbury's, have services restored again.

Acklams takeover 504

On Monday 3rd September, Acklams Coaches tookover operation of service 504 between Bridlington, Buckton and Bempton from East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC), with an improved timetable. The 504 had been operating on Monday, Wednesday and Friday only since early May, but with the transfer to Acklams Coaches in September, increased to operate Monday to Friday. Three journeys are provided from Bempton at 0930, 1230 and 1600, and two from Bridlington Bus Station at 1200 and 1530; ERYC had provided three departures from Bridlington between Monday 23rd July and Friday 31st August so this is a slight cutback, but arguably more than compensated for by the addition of Tuesday and Thursday services.

Acklams Coaches are running the 504 under contract to ERYC, and also tookover the contract for the Carnaby Industrial Estate to Bridlington service 131 at the same time. The 131 and 504 now appear to interwork, and with the 131 operating at peaktimes and late lunchtime, it 'dovetails' with the 504 quite nicely.

Airmyn and Hook changes

Since Monday 3rd September, the residual service 88 between Rawcliffe Bridge, Rawcliffe and Goole has additionally served the village of Airmyn. The service provides one journey in each direction on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and is operated by EYMS with financial support from East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC).

A check on the Goole Gofar website shows their Friday link between Airmyn, Hook and Goole finished on Friday 31st August. The 88 is a slightly improved replacement for Airmyn, whilst Hook is now served by the Tuesday 358/Howdenshire MiBus between Holme On Spalding Moor, Howden and Goole, also operated by Goole Gofar.

EYMS 151 extended to Willerby Parkway

From Sunday 2nd September, EYMS amended many of it's Hull area services, mostly just changes to improve punctuality. Service 151 between Hull, Anlaby, Kirk Ella and Willerby Square however saw a bigger change, with the extension of most services to Willerby Parkway and Well Lane. The 151 operates mostly hourly Monday to Saturday daytimes and evenings, though morning peak and evening services still terminate at Willerby Square.

Willerby Parkway and Well Lane are also served the 35/35A/44A, offering a service approximately every 90 minutes to/from Hull City Centre and Hull Royal Infirmary. These services operate 'clockwise' in Willerby, serving Willerby Square before Well Lane and Willerby Parkway, and not offering a link from Willerby Parkway and Well Lane to Willerby Square, whereas the 151 operates an 'anti-clockwise' loop from Willerby Square via Kingston Road, Willerby Parkway and Well Lane back to Willerby Square, offering travel in both directions between Willerby Parkway/Well Lane and Willerby Square.

EYMS 142 Schoolday Change

Until July, EYMS had been operating a 1535 departure from Beverley Sow Hill Bus Station to Holme on schooldays, serving Cherry Burton, Etton and South Dalton en-route. The main purpose was to serve Longcroft School students, but by starting back at the Bus Station, could also be useful for the wider population.

However in September due to changes to the Longcroft School day, the journey became a 1520 departure from Longcroft School, not serving Sow Hill Bus Station. I presume there is not time to start back at Sow Hill Bus Station due to whatever the driver and/or vehicle is doing before hand? This isn't a huge loss to Cherry Burton and Etton which have an Acklams departure on route 142 from the Bus Station at 1500, but the last service from Beverley to South Dalton and Holme is now Acklam's 1200(Wed)/1210(Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri) departure.

EYMS Bridlington Town Service September Changes

From Monday 3rd September, EYMS made a couple of changes to their Bridlington Town Service Network, that was introduced in early May.

Service 2 to the southern part of the town retained it's previous timetable but with a change of route, to serve George Street and the northern part of Cardigan Road inbound to the town centre, instead of the northern part of Kingsgate. Kingsgate is also served by the 130 and 136, and the re-routing via George Street is in line with the old 503 route that operated until May.

Service 3 to the West Hill estate has lost it's 1515 departure from Bridlington Bus Station on schooldays, leaving a 2 hour 10 minute gap in the timetable; it still operates during school holidays and on Saturdays. Until the May changes West Hill had enjoyed two buses an hour, albeit with one dropped journey on schoolday afternoons creating an hour's gap in the timetable.

East Riding September Contract Changes

The start of September saw a number of East Riding of Yorkshire Council supported services change operators, including the following:

Monday to Friday Service 135 between Driffield, Wetwang and Sledmere passed from direct operation by East Riding of Yorkshire Council to Busking
Monday to Saturday Service 136 between Driffield, North Frodingham, Skipsea and Bridlington passed from Busking to EYMS
Monday to Friday Service 131 between Carnaby Industrial Estate and Bridlington passed from EYMS to Acklams Coaches, now interworked with service 504, of which more in a future post

Wednesday and Thursday Service 124 between Driffield, Burton Fleming and Bridlington passed from North Holderness Community Transport (HART) to Acklams Coaches
Monday to Friday Service 220 between Hornsea and Bilton passed from Acklams Coaches to HART

Service 18 August Improvements

Service 18 between Holme on Spalding Moor Bubwith, North Duffield, Wheldrake, York Designer Outlet, Fulford and York was improved from Monday 6th August, compared to the previous timetable that had been in place from Tuesday 8th May. Back in May EYMS had cancelled their mostly commercial 'version' of service 18 between Market Weighton, Holme on Spalding Moor and York, that had operated every two hours Monday to Saturday daytimes (occasionally more frequent), along with a limited evening service on Friday and Saturday. They sent some service 46 journeys between Market Weighton and York to start/finish in Holme on Spalding Moor as a partial replacement, with a far more limited tendered service 18 covering the rest of the route. This more limited service 18 came in two parts; EYMS operated a Monday to Saturday daytime and limited Friday and Saturday evening service between Holme On Spalding Moor and York, but with most journeys being 'shorts' between Bubwith, North Duffield or Wheldrake and York and a Monday to Friday only East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC) directly operated 'connection service' from Holme on Spalding Moor to North Duffield or Wheldrake, to feed into some of the EYMS operated off peak services.

Since Monday 6th August the whole service has been operated by EYMS, and with every journey operating between Holme on Spalding Moor and York, except for one 'short' between North Duffield and York. There are still five daytime journeys to/from York, plus the Friday and Saturday evening service, so no change in frequency between Wheldrake and York, but a far more attractive service for villages south of Wheldrake, especially on Saturdays when the extra ERYC journeys didn't operate.

Service 25 Changes

For some years now, Lincolnshire County Council subsidised service 25 has run between Ludford, Binbrook, East Ravendale, Waltham, Matthew Telford Park/Scartho Top and Grimsby. A peak time service has been provided between Binbrook and Grimsby Monday to Friday, and a 'shoppers' service from Ludford to Grimsby on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, all operated by Stagecoach.

In July the weekday peaktime service was replaced by a timetabled CallConnect service 25A between Binbrook and Waltham, for connections onto Stagecoach service 10 to/from Grimsby Town Centre. This largely does the same 'job' as the old 25 peak time service, but probably results in a cost saving from using a CallConnect vehicle and driver that would otherwise be providing a demand responsive service, as opposed to using a separate vehicle and driver as happened until July. The need to return the CallConnect vehicle and driver to their main demand responsive role as soon as possible though probably explains the service's truncation in Waltham. An en-route change is far less attractive than a through service of course, and the Matthew Telford Park/Scartho Top part of the peak time service 25 within North East Lincolnshire is not replaced, leaving the area without a peak time link to/from Grimsby Town Centre.

Stagecoach continue to operate the 'shoppers' service 25 from Ludford to Grimsby, but the Saturday journeys have been withdrawn, reducing the 25 to a Tuesday and Friday only link.

Service 55 severely cutback

Catching up with the last of the July changes in North Lincolnshire, and a significant cutback to service 55. Until Friday 29th June, the 55 had operated Monday to Friday between Scunthorpe, Santon, Appleby, Winterton and Thealby, before routing on a one-way 'loop' around Normanby and Burton upon Stather. North Lincolnshire Council had operated the 55 'in-house'. A roughly two hourly frequency was provided late morning/early afternoon. The 'old' 55 effectively served Appleby and Santon to Scunthorpe passengers, and passengers from Santon, Appleby, Thealby, Normanby and Burton upon Stather into Winterton. At Winterton connections to Hull or Barton via the 350 Humber Fastcat were available. Winterton has the 350 Humber Fastcat as it's main service into Scunthorpe, whilst Thealby, Normanby and Burton Upon Stather have service 60 into Scunthorpe.

Earlier in the year North Lincolnshire Council reported that the 55 had "few passengers" "between Appleby and Scunthorpe". Appleby and especially Santon, are small communities, perhaps explaining why the 'old' 55 had struggled for custom from these villages. In it's place is a new 'fixed' service 55 journey provided by a Hornsby Travel operated CallConnect vehicle and driver. The 'new' 55 operates on Fridays only from Santon into Scunthorpe via Appleby, Winterton (including the surgery), Roxby and Dragonby; there is one journey from Santon at 0930, returning from Scunthorpe Bus Station at 1310. This maintains a basic 'traditional' bus service from Santon and Appleby to both Scunthorpe and Winterton, and also provides a service from the Manlake Avenue area of Winterton, where the Surgery is located, into Scunthorpe. The route from Santon and Appleby into Scunthorpe via Winterton is a lot longer than going via the steelworks however, the 'price' of providing a link to Winterton, as well as Scunthorpe with one journey, plus serving Dragonby en-route. At other times demand responsive CallConnect is available for pre-booked travel.

The section of route between Winterton, Thealby, Normanby and Burton Upon Stather is not directly replaced, with existing demand responsive CallConnect as the only alternative public transport option. I'm not aware of the 'old' 55's usage on this section to know how justified or otherwise that decision is.

Isle of Axholme Local Service cut back

Until Friday 29th June, North Lincolnshire Council had directly operated the 58 Isle Shopper 'in-house', every Wednesday and Friday morning/lunchtime. The service provided links into Epworth Town Centre from Wroot (direct), from Sandtoft and Belton, and from Lockwood Bank in eastern Epworth.

Since the start of July however the 58 has become a Friday only service, operated as a 'fixed' CallConnect service - i.e. using the demand responsive Isle of Axholme CallConnect vehicle and driver to provide a traditional scheduled bus service. The Isle of Axholme CallConnect service is provided by Hornsby Travel. The remaining Friday service has also been scaled back, with one journey from Wroot to Epworth Town Centre via Sandtoft and Belton, arriving at 1013, and departing Epworth at 1215. Lockwood Bank in Epworth is no longer served.

For most, an Epworth shopping service is retained, and this arrangement does 'save' North Lincolnshire Council a bus, so is presumably a cost saving. However there is no getting away from this being a cutback. I'm not aware of any usage or cost figures for the 58, so it's not possible to assess if low usage and/or high cost is a justification.

Some Positives, Some Negatives

From Monday 2nd July, North Lincolnshire Council subsidised service 94 between Brigg and Kirton in Lindsey was substantially revised and mostly improved on weekdays, incorporating the 354 Kirton Town Service, and associated service 95 was replaced by the new X4. The 94/X4 are, and the 95 was, operated by Hornsby Travel, whilst the 354 had been operated 'in-house' by North Lincolnshire Council. This post covers the weekday arrangements only, for Saturday services, now provided by the C4, see here.

The 94 had been linking Lime Sidings, Kirton, Redbourne, Hibaldstow, Scawby and Brigg, with three 'full route' journeys from Lime Sidings to Brigg, and two in the other direction, plus a 'one-way' Kirton to Brigg journey and one Redbourne to Brigg journey in each direction. With the new timetable the service is now roughly every two hours, with six journeys in each direction between Brigg and Kirton. Scawby is omitted on the first two morning journeys from Brigg, whilst The Nookings in Hibaldstow is served by four journeys between Kirton and Brigg, and two from Brigg to Kirton, compared to two journeys in each direction with the old timetable. There is a new evening peak service from Brigg at 1730. The small settlement of Gainsthorpe/Lime Sidings is no longer served, with most of the old 354 Kirton Town Service route incorporated into the 94 instead. Kirton Garden Centre from 354 route is no longer served however, and if the Traveline East Midlands route map is correct then Richdale Avenue and East Dale Drive in the north western part of Kirton may no longer be served. The 354 had operated on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday with five morning/lunchtime journeys so the 94 trades morning/lunchtime frequency on those three days for a five day a week service that operates for longer and runs through to Brigg.

Most journeys on the 94 had previously continued as/started as a 95 between Brigg and Scunthorpe, via Scawby, Greetwell Crossroads, Lakeside Retail Park and Brigg Road, a function which has now switched to the new X4 that operates direct via Lakeside Retail Park and Brigg Road (i.e. not serving Scawby or Greetwell Crossroads). This is a faster more direct route between Brigg and Scunthorpe, and avoids the need for Hibaldstow and Redbourne passengers to/from Scunthorpe to travel through Scawby twice. For Scawby however the withdrawal of the 95 means the end of direct (i.e. not via Brigg) off peak services to Scunthorpe, and a frequency reduction between the village and Brigg. The 95 had provided four Brigg to Scunthorpe services in each direction, and one Brigg to Lakeside one-way service that then extended to the Hornsby depot in Ashby. The 1735 95 from Scunthorpe has been partially replaced by diverting the 1730 service 4 from Scunthorpe via Scawby. It is also worth noting that the first through 94 to X4 service is the 1022 from Kirton, arriving into Scunthorpe at 1125, compared to a first 1004 arrival on the old 94/95 - this is quite late but with suitable returns from Scunthorpe at 1300/1500/1700 a usable shopping service remains.

When Two become One

Until Saturday 30th June, North Lincolnshire Council (NLC) had funded two Saturday 'shopper' services which served both Brigg and Scunthorpe - the 94/94 from Redbourne and the 366 from Goxhill - using two buses. From Saturday 7th July new Saturday only route C4 partially replaced these services, using just one bus - and with one bus trying to replace what two did before, the rather predictable result was a reduced service. The old 94/95 and 366, and new C4 were/are operated by Hornsby Travel.

The Saturday service 94/95 had comprised a single service each way between Redbourne and Scunthorpe via Brigg. The route operated as service 94 between Redbourne and Brigg, serving Hibaldstow and Scawby en-route, before using the 95 number between Brigg and Scunthorpe, serving Scawby again as well as Lakeside Retail Park. A quirk on the old Saturday 94, which still continues on the new C4, was/is the use of Pyewipe Farm in Redbourne as the terminus, south of the village centre, as opposed to the village itself. This is a legacy of when the Saturday 94 started at Bishop Norton and was partly funded by Lincolnshire County Council (LCC). When the LCC funding went, the service was cutback back to the NLC boundary, in this case a farm.

Service 366 had been a Saturday only service in recent years, partly acting as a Saturday service for the 68 Wolds Villager route between Ulceby and Brigg, but also doing more than that. One return journey was provided between Goxhill, New Holland, Barrow, Thornton Curtis, Ulceby, Wootton, Croxton, Kirmington, Melton Ross, Barnetby, Wrawby, Brigg, Lakeside Retail Park and Scunthorpe, along with an Ulceby to Scunthorpe 'short' in each direction; this 'short' wasn't much use for travel to/from Scunthorpe but was useful for Brigg shoppers. All but one journey also served Scawby (the one that didn't was due to the 95 operating at a similar time).

The new C4 officially runs between Kirmington and Redbourne, but is effectively two separate interworked services; Kirmington to Brigg and Redbourne to Brigg. Between Kirmington and Brigg the C4 uses the X4 route, which unlike the 366 also includes Humberside Airport and Tunnel Road in Wrawby, partially replacing the 91 Brigg Town Service in this part off Wrawby. Four services are provided each way between Kirmington and Brigg, though two services from Brigg operate direct, omitting Wrawby Tunnel Road, Barnetby and Humberside Airport. Compared to the 366 this is slightly better than the two journeys each way provided on this section of route. Between Redbourne and Brigg there are two journeys each way, one which follows the same route as the 94 including Hibaldstow The Nookings and Scawby, and a direct 'in service positioning journey' that omits The Nookings and Scawby.

So whilst looking in isolation at what the C4 replaces, the service is the same or slightly improved, there is quite a lot which the C4 doesn't replace. Goxhill, New Holland, Barrow, Thornton Curtis, Ulceby and Wootton no longer have a service to Scunthorpe and need to use the 260/450/train/CallConnect to Barton to catch the 350 instead. Goxhill and New Holland need to do likewise for travel to Brigg from Barton/Barrow on service 450, whilst Barrow, Thornton Curtis, Wootton and Ulceby are also on the 450 route to Brigg, but from Ulceby and Wootton in particular the 450 via Barton is a rather long way round to get to Brigg. Croxton is left without a traditional bus service. (These notes ignore school & college day only services).  It is worth reminding that the Tuesday and Thursday 68 Wolds Villager extension to/from Ulceby, Wootton and Croxton was not replaced either when the 68 was withdrawn at the end of June.

Kirmington, Melton Ross, Barnetby and Wrawby have lost their Saturday Scunthorpe link as well, though do now have a regular Monday to Friday through service on the X4, and can connect on Saturdays from the C4 onto service 4 at Brigg to reach Scunthorpe (0820 C4 from Kirmington connects onto the 0900 service 4 Brigg to Scunthorpe arriving at 0954, return service 4 from Scunthorpe at 1300 to connect onto the 1405 C4 from Brigg to Kirmington). Barnetby also has a rail link to Scunthorpe, but the location of Scunthorpe Station isn't ideal for the main shopping area.

Redbourne and Hibaldstow are also now without a Saturday Scunthorpe link but retain through Monday to Friday services on the 94+X4. Scawby is now without a Saturday daytime Scunthorpe link as well, and it's Saturday daytime Brigg service is cut from four services into Brigg/three from Brigg across the 94/95/366 to just one each way on the C4. It does keep it's weekday services on the 4/94+X4, and also it's Saturday evening service on route 4 though ... which offers 23 minutes in Scunthorpe Bus Station before the last service home.

Ideally NLC would still be funding two Saturday buses. One could operate on service X4 between Kirmington and Scunthorpe, with the first and last journey at least starting in/extending to Goxhill, and the other could operate on service 94+X4 between Redbourne and Scunthorpe, perhaps with some Brigg to Scunthorpe 'shorts' in between Redbourne journeys. This would restore most of what was lost, and be more consistent with the weekday network. Something for the future maybe?

Brigg Town Service Changes

From Tuesday 3rd July, the Hornsby Travel operated Brigg Town Services were significantly revised. They operate every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday - in a rather efficient arrangement which sees the services operate on different days to the Barton Town Service. The Brigg Town Services used to have a different timetable each day, I think the bus was used for a day centre service in Hibaldstow on a Tuesday for part of the morning, whilst the service operated slightly longer into the afternoon on a Thursday than on the other two days.

Previously there were three routes as part of the Brigg Town Services - the 91, 92 and 93. The 91 served the Churchill Avenue in the east of Brigg on all journeys, with some journeys also serving Woodbine Avenue. The neighbouring village of Wrawby was served on two journeys, essentially one journey into Brigg and one back. In Wrawby the service ran via Tunnel Road and Vicarage Gardens. The 92 routed to the north of Brigg Town Centre, serving Redcombe Lane, Grammar School Road, Springbank and Poplar Drive. The 93 meanwhile served Brigg Garden Centre and the nearby villages of Howsham and Cadney, operating as a circular to/from Cary Lane.

Now there are just two routes, the 91 as the sole 'true' town service, and the 92 is the new number for the 93.

The new 91 takes the 92 route from Brigg Cary Lane (the main town centre bus stop) up to the Springbank/Poplar Drive area in the north of Brigg and then either returns back to Cary Lane, or operates via Hawthorn Avenue to Woodbine Avenue and the Churchill Avenue areas in the east of Brigg (i.e. the old 91 area), before returning to Cary Lane. Wrawby is no longer served, with the new X4 and C4 now providing Monday to Saturday services for Tunnel Road in Wrawby, but Vicarage Gardens does not have a replacement service.

The new 91 has three full route journeys Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday, three journeys to Springbank/Poplar Drive and then direct back to Cary Lane Tuesday and Thursday, plus one on Saturday, and also one Churchill Avenue to Cary Lane 'short' on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The 'old' 92 to Springbank/Poplar Drive provided three Tuesday, six Thursday and four Saturday journeys, and the 'new' 91 provides six Tuesday/Thursday journeys and four on Saturdays - so a significant Tuesday improvement. The 'old 91' provided Churchill Avenue with four Tuesday, six Thursday and five Saturday journeys, with the 'new 91' providing four Tuesday and Thursday journeys and three on Saturdays - a bit of a drop on Thursday and Saturday.

The main feature of the new 92 compared to the old 93 is an extra early afternoon short between Cary Lane and Brigg Garden Centre. There remains one 'full route' journey each way around the circular route. The new 92 has the same number of journeys on all three operating days.

The new X4 (incorporating the 68 Wolds Villager)

New service X4, operated by Hornsby Travel, was added to the North Lincolnshire bus network on Monday 2nd July 2018, operating direct between Scunthorpe and Brigg via Brigg Road and Lakeside Retail Park, before either extending via Wrawby, Barnetby and Humberside Airport to Kirmington, or operating as a service 94 to/from Kirton (more on the 94 in a future post). The X4 operates Monday to Friday only, hourly between Scunthorpe and Brigg and mostly two hourly between Brigg and Kirmington.

The X4 serves a number of purposes. Looking first at the core Scunthorpe to Brigg section it provides a much faster service than the main service 4 between the two towns. Weekday daytime journeys times on the 4 between Scunthorpe and Brigg are 45 minutes, but on the X4 are just 25 minutes. Part of the reasoning for the X4 being started was a North Lincolnshire Council (NLC) desire to provide a "service more attractive for young people, thereby encouraging them to make greater use of the service and improving their opportunity to be both economically and socially active". However for many teenagers at least, the one day of the week when the X4 would be off most use for being 'socially active' during school and college term times is a Saturday, when the X4 doesn't run! For traditional office hour commuting the X4 maybe useful, but the last bus back from Scunthorpe is at 1700; anyone coming home later will need to revert to service 4. I won't be overly critical however as it is a significant improvement for weekday travel between Scunthorpe and Brigg. The 4 and X4 combined offer half hourly departures from both towns. It's also worth noting that the X4 replaces the 95 along Brigg Road in Scunthorpe.

Every two hours, though hourly in the morning peak, the X4 extends to/from Kirmington, incorporating the weekday 68 'Wolds Villager', which had been operated by Hornsby Travel until withdrawal on Friday 29th June.

The 68 had operated from Brigg Town Centre (the leisure centre in the afternoon) via Wrawby (sticking to the A18 in the village), Barnetby, Melton Ross, New Barnetby, Humberside Airport, Kirmington, Croxton and Wootton to Ulceby. There were many part route journeys, and most journeys omitted New Barnetby. In total there were eight Barnetby/Wrawby to Brigg journeys, leaving Barnetby between 0750 and 1630, and six in the return direction leaving Brigg Cary Lane between 0955 and 1615 (one less each way on schooldays). Three journeys were provided from Kirmington into Brigg between 0919 and 1438, with two return journeys from Brigg Cary Lane at 1155 and 1410. Croxton, Wootton and Ulceby had a single journey to/from Brigg on Tuesday and Thursdays only.

Service X4 doesn't run into the Ancholme Leisure Centre car park as the 68 did in the afternoon, but does serve Scawby Road outside the Leisure Centre all day. From Brigg it runs via Tunnel Road in Wrawby, serving more of the village than the 68 did, and along with the new Saturday C4, allowing the removal of the Brigg Town Service from Wrawby. (More on the C4 and Brigg Town Service in a future post). It seems to be no change in Barnetby or Melton Ross, but New Barnetby is no longer served. Then Humberside Airport and Kirmington are served as the 68 did. Croxton, Wootton and Ulceby are unserved; combined with the Saturday 366's withdrawal Croxton is left without a traditional bus service whilst Wootton and Ulceby no longer have a direct link to Brigg. It should be noted however that both New Barnetby and Croxton are very small settlements, and have Call Connect, whilst Wootton and Ulceby still have a through bus to Brigg six days a week on the 450, albeit the 'long way' via Barton.

There are seven services a day from Kirmington, Humberside Airport, Melton Ross, Barnetby and Wrawby into Brigg and Scunthorpe, leaving Kirmington between 0720 and 1720, and to a memorable clockface timetable unlike the 68. In the opposite direction there are two morning X4's that start at Lakeside at 0645 and 0745 and which run direct from Brigg to Kimington omitting Wrawby Tunnel Road, Barnetby and Humberside Airport, followed by five 'normal' services leaving Brigg between 0825 and 1625. This is a substantially improved service for Kirmington, though a slight reduction between Barnetby and Brigg. It also ends the hourly late morning service between Brigg and Barnetby is favour of a more evenly spaced service throughout the day. For Wrawby to Brigg it depends what part of the village you are in, around Tunnel Road it's a very substantial improvement from a limited service three days a week on the Brigg Town Service.

The other substantial positive for Wrawby, Barnetby, Melton Ross and Kirmington is the provision of a regular, and direct, weekday service through to Scunthorpe, even allowing for the loss of a such link on Saturdays after the 366 was withdrawn. (Barnetby of course does have a daily hourly train service to Scunthorpe as well). There is an oddity though in that a morning peak service to Scunthorpe is provided from these villages, but the last return bus from Scunthorpe is at 1600 (and Brigg at 1630). Also the two early morning service from Lakeside are a missed opportunity for Humberside Airport commuters in not serving the airport terminal (unless you travel via Kirmington), and in not starting back at Scunthorpe Bus Station; the 1725 from the airport provides a useful evening commuting service for any '9-5' workers at the airport or neighbouring business park, but the first arrival at the airport from Scunthorpe and Brigg is at 0900.

Those X4 journeys that do not extend beyond Brigg to Kirmington extend to Kirton as service 94, providing a partial replacement for service 95 between Brigg, Scawby and Scunthorpe. This means that all X4's are not just reliant on Scunthorpe to Brigg custom, but can also tap into 'beyond' Brigg custom as well - all the more useful as the X4 will have only a little en-route custom between Scunthorpe and Brigg (along Brigg Road in Scunthorpe and at Lakeside Retail Park).

Overall plenty to be positive about, but some negatives and 'room for improvements'. There are a few more negatives sadly as well when looking at Saturday provision in a future post. NLC have a desire for the X4 to eventually become a fully commercial operation, but I suspect it will need some 'tweaks' between Brigg and Kirmington at least for that to happen.

Hornsby 4 July Changes

On Monday 2nd July, many Hornsby Travel services in the Brigg area were amended, including the Monday to Saturday Hornsby operated journeys on service 4 between Scunthorpe, Ashby, Lakeside Retail Park, Broughton and Brigg.

On weekday daytimes, Hornsby had been providing up to two buses an hour, but to a rather irregular timetable, however the service is now hourly. The new timetable is far more memorable/clockface, and when combined with new service X4 (more of which in a future post), provides half hourly departures from Scunthorpe to Brigg and vice versa via Lakeside. In many ways an improvement, but it is a cut for Broughton and Ashby.

Off note in the weekday evening peak/early evening period is that the last service from Scunthorpe to serve South View and Town Hill in Broughton is now at 1630, as opposed to 1750 previously, but from Brigg is at 1830 rather than 1740. Later journeys serve other parts of Broughton. The 1730 from Scunthorpe now includes Scawby, previously only served by the 4 in the evening period - this replace the 1735 service 95 journey (again more of which in a future post). The previous gap in departures from Scunthorpe Bus Station between 1750 and 2010 reduces to a gap between 1830 and 2010.

Weekday early morning and evening services, plus the weekday limited daytime extensions to/from Foxhills Industrial Estate/Normanby Enterprise Park remain. Also largely unchanged is the Saturday service, which operates hourly daytimes via Timberland, along with a limited early/mid evening service. The Sunday service operated by Stagecoach was unaltered.

Stagecoach May Changes in Grimsby and Cleethorpes

From Sunday 13th May, Stagecoach made some changes to local services around Grimsby and Cleethorpes. The main change saw the interworked 3 and 4 services between Cleethorpes, Grimsby and Laceby Road Morrisons reduced on weekday daytimes from an every 10 minute frequency to an every 12 minute frequency. Not a huge change, but not good news either.

Evenings see a variety of changes on services 3 and 4. Starting with service 3, the weekday 1755 Cleethorpes to Morrisons terminates at Grimsby Riverhead Exchange, but there is a new weekday 1830 Cleethorpes to Grimsby 'short', filling a gap between 'full route' departures at 1815 and 1845. The Monday to Saturday 2045 Cleethorpes to Morrisons also terminates at Riverhead Exchange, but the Monday to Saturday 2145 departure from Cleethorpes is replaced by 2115 and 2215 departures. On Sundays the 1845 from Cleethorpes to Morrisons terminates at Grimsby Riverhead Exchange, with the 1945/2045/2145/2245 operating half an hour earlier. Daily there is also a new 2315 Cleethorpes to Grimsby short; the previous last service had been at 2245 (the 2245 remains Monday to Saturday).

In the opposite direction, on Saturdays the 1755 from Morrisons terminates at Grimsby Riverhead Exchange rather than running through to Cleethorpes. Monday to Saturday the 2035 Morrisons to Cleethorpes terminates at Grimsby Riverhead Exchange, but the 2135 and 2235 departures are replaced by 2105, 2205 and 2255 departures. On Sundays the 1804 Morrisons to Grimsby Riverhead Exchange is now a 1805 Morrisons to Cleethorpes, the 1834 Morrisons to Cleethorpes is withdrawn and the 1934/2034/2134/2234 Morrisons to Cleethorpes services now operate at 1905/2005/2105/2205 along with a new 2255 Morrisons to Cleethorpes.

On service 4 the Monday to Saturday 2115 and 2215 departures from Cleethorpes move to 2145 and 2245, with the 2315 Cleethorpes to Grimsby short withdrawn. On Sundays the 1815 from Cleethorpes to Morrisons terminates at Grimsby Riverhead Exchange, there is a new 1845 Cleethorpes to Morrisons, with the 1915/2015/2115/2215 retimed to 1945/2045/2145/2245 and the 2315 Cleethorpes to Grimsby short withdrawn.

From Morrisons on service 4, the Monday to Saturday 2055 to Cleethorpes terminates at Grimsby Riverhead Exchange, with the 2155 and 2255 to Cleethorpes retimed earlier to 2125 and 2225 and a new 2325 Morrisons to Grimsby Riverhead Exchange added. The last service from Riverhead Exchange to Cleethorpes is now at 2245 rather than 2315. On Sundays the 1827 Morrisons to Grimsby Riverhead Exchange becomes a 1825 Morrisons to Cleethorpes, the 1855/1955/2055/2155/2255 become 1925/2025/2125/2225 departures along with a 2325 Morrisons to Grimsby Riverhead Exchange short.

There were also minor retimings to some journeys on routes 1/2/20 between Cleethorpes, Grimsby, Europarc and Wybers Wood.