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Dents Coaches Brigg to Lincoln service to be withdrawn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.

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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.

Cherry Burton New Peaktime Service

East Yorkshire added new peaktime journeys to part of route 142 between Cherry Burton and Beverley on Monday 11th November. The 0808 schoolday only service from Holme to Beverley now also operates on weekdays during school holidays between Cherry Burton and Beverley only, departing at 0818; the previous first school holiday service from Cherry Burton to Beverley was the Acklams Coaches 0958 departure. In the evening peak, there is a new Monday to Friday 1730 service from Beverley Bus Station to Cherry Burton; the previous last service being the Acklams Coaches 1500 departure. Hopefully this journey does better than Acklams Coaches attempt at a 1710 schoolday only Beverley to Etton via Cherry Burton service in 2017.

These additions also the end the oddity of the 142 being a schoolday and Saturday only route for East Yorkshire.

Stagecoach West Hull Changes

Stagecoach made some major changes to their West Hull services on Sunday 3rd November.

Services 1 and 2 link Paragon Interchange in the City Centre with the Boothferry Estate, the 1 operating via the Thornton Estate and Hessle Road, the 2 operating via Hull Royal Infirmary, Anlaby Road and Anlaby Park Road North. The two services operate as 'through' services across the Boothferry Estate, making journeys such as Anlaby Park Road North to Hessle Road possible without a change. Services 1 and 2 had been operating every 10 minutes Monday to Friday daytimes and every 15 minutes on Saturday daytimes, however this has now been reduced to every 15 minutes Monday to Friday and every 20 minutes on Saturdays. The first Monday to Friday departure on service 1 from Paragon Interchange is now at 0435 rather than 0505, and on service 2 at 0430 rather than 0515.

However at the same time as cutting the 1 and 2's frequencies, new service 2s has been started, operating the same route as service 2 between Paragon Interchange and the Boothferry Estate, before continuing the short distance to Hessle Sainsbury's. The 2s operates every 15 minutes Monday to Friday daytimes (with some longer gaps on schooldays afternoons) and every 20 minutes on a Saturday daytime. Combined the 2 and 2s now operate every 7-8 minutes Monday to Friday daytime and every 10 minutes on a Saturday daytime, an extra two services per hour compared to the previous service 2 timetable. The remaining 'through' service 1 and 2's are probably still frequent enough for any 'through' traffic.

Also impacted by the changes was Priory Park Park and Ride service 20. Apart from some 20x peaktime journeys via the A63, the Park and Ride service had routed from Priory Park via Hessle Road as far as Gipsyville, then via Askew Avenue, Fiveways, Boothferry Road, Anlaby Road and Hull Royal Infirmary into Hull City Centre. Now service 20 has been rerouted between Gipsyville and Hull Royal Infirmary via the main Hessle Road Shopping Area and Rawling Way. The Park and Ride continues to operate every 15 minutes Monday to Saturday daytime, and the re-routing provides an increase in services along the main Hessle Road Shopping Area, even after allowing for the cutback to service 1; Monday to Friday there are now eight Stagecoach services an hour in each direction, and on Saturday seven.

The changes to the 1 and 20 aren't quite as positive as the 2 and 2s. The Thornton Estate does not get any new services to supplement the reduction in frequency on service 1, and there is no replacement for service 20 on Boothferry Road between Fiveways and Anlaby Road, not that this section is lacking in buses - services 66, 155, X55, 250 & 350 also operate along here. Most notable however is the impact on Askew Avenue. Technically it's not totally 'bus-less'; in addition to some schools and college services, the 1800 to 1930 inclusive Park and Ride departures from Priory Park operate via the 'old' service 20 route as new service number 22, I presume to serve evening football and rugby matches at the KCom Stadium without the need to amend service 20. However a one-way early evening service isn't much of a service for Askew Avenue. I had wondered if Hull City Council would re-route the tendered 51 via Askew Avenue again, but so far they haven't. The northern and southern parts of Askew Avenue are within walking distance of Boothferry Road and Hessle Road respectively where alternative services are available.

Without a doubt some positives here, but a couple of negatives too.

Services 5 and 11 mostly improved

On Sunday 3rd November, Stagecoach amended Hull Paragon Interchange to Kingswood Retail Park services 5 and 11, and the changes mostly provide an improved service.

The biggest changes have been to service 5 which operates via the Avenues, including serving Hull University, and Orchard Park. Previously the Monday to Saturday daytime pattern had been a service every 20 minutes over the full route and a service every 20 minutes between Paragon Interchange and Orchard Park Tesco, giving a combined every 10 minute frequency over most of the route. This has now been amended to increase the 'full route' frequency to Kingswood to every 15 minutes, with 'short' journeys also running every 15 minutes between Paragon Interchange and Orchard Park Medical Centre. Overall the service between Paragon Interchange and Orchard Park Medical Centre is now every 7-8 minutes, an extra two services per hour. The only negative is the reduction from every 10 to every 15 minutes over the short section between Orchard Park Medical Centre and Orchard Park Tesco, though every 15 minutes is still frequent and services 3 and 4 are also available to passengers on this stretch of route. Morning peak 'shorts' still start at Orchard Park Tesco however, and some 'shorts' do not operate on schooldays.

The Monday to Saturday evening provision has also been revised. Service 5 continues to operate every half hour, with the final service from Hull City Centre now starting at Paragon Interchange rather than in the Old Town. Inglemire Lane variant u5 is more substantially amended. Previously the u5 had operated every half hour early evenings between Paragon Interchange and Kingswood, giving a combined 15 minute frequency with service 5 over common sections. Now these early evening journeys have been truncated to operate between Paragon Interchange and Orchard Park Medical Centre only, reducing the early evening frequency between Orchard Park and Kingswood from every 15 minutes to half hourly. On the positive side however, these u5 'shorts' now continue all evening Friday and Saturday, doubling the frequency over the common sections of route with service 5. Going by the Stagecoach route map, the u5 has also been re-routed between the Hall Road/Endike Lane/Greenwood Avenue junction and the Hall Road/Orchard Park Road junction; instead of routing 'direct' via Hall Road, which is also served by the 3, the u5 now operates along the otherwise unserved western part of Greenwood Avenue before resuming the main service 5 route along Ellerburn Avenue.

The Sunday daytime service 5 timetable has been halfed between Orchard Park Tesco and Kingswood; rather than a 15 minute service across the full route, alternate journeys now operate between Paragon Interchange and Orchard Park Tesco only.

Service 11 (including the 11a variant) which operates via Holderness Road, Bellfield Avenue, Spring Cottage and North Point Shopping Centre, has a revised timetable but the only significant frequency change is the increase of Sunday evening services from hourly to half hourly.

Service 5 and services 11/11a also now operate as 'through' services at Kingswood Retail Park and Paragon Intechange on many journeys. Be aware however at Paragon Interchange it appears to sometimes be the Orchard Park 'shorts' on service 5 that operate as a through route with service 11 at Paragon Interchange, so it's not always a full 'circular' service being provided.. Even allowing for this, there are additional journeys now possible without a change of bus, such as between Holderness Road and the Avenues, or Orchard Park to Bransholme on weekends.

East Yorkshire York Changes

East Yorkshire amended York services 45, 46 and X47 on Monday 30th September. Service 45 links Bridlington, Driffield, Market Weighton, Pocklington and York, service 46 connects Holme on Spalding Moor, Market Weighton, Pocklington and York whilst service X47 operates between Hull, Beverley, Market Weighton, Pocklington and York.

Previously between Kexby Bridge and York, service 45 (including the 45A variant) had operated via Dunnington and on service 46 most services operated via the University of York. From either Hull Road or the University into York City Centre, both routes served Lawrence Street and Piccadilly en-route to their Station Road terminus. However since late September the 45 and 46 now have a new route, with the same route being used for both services. 

Firstly both services now serve the University of York but not the village of Dunnington, which East Yorkshire no longer serve. This increases the frequency between the University, Pocklington and Market Weighton from every two hours Monday to Saturday daytime plus peak time extras, to hourly. The evening peak 46A variant which served Dunnington becomes a standard 46, simplifying the service. It does however result in the loss of the Dunnington to Pocklington link, and the end of daytime buses along Common Lane in Dunnington. Dunnington's main service is First York route 10. 

The other change is to the route within York, with Lawrence Street and Piccadilly now omitted. Instead the 45 and 46 operate via Melrosegate to Heworth and then serve East Parade, Layerthorpe and Stonebow in York City Centre, before continuing to terminate at Station Road. The new route increases journey times by 5 minutes off peak, and mean that the 45/46 have different picking up points east of the River Ouse in York City Centre compared to the other main Market Weighton-Pocklington-York service, route X46. However it does provide access to different parts of York, and provides a link between the University and Heworth. There is overlap with First services 6 and 11, Transdev operated tendered service 25, and Transdev's Coastliner service, for local travel into York on the new route.

A small number of 45 and 46 journeys haven't transitioned to the new route, and have instead become service X47 'short' journeys, still serving Lawrence Street and Piccadilly in York. Early mornings, the 0555 Mon-Fri and 0625 Sat from Pocklington to York, which were already following the X47 route not serving either Dunnington or the University of York, adopt the X47 number. In the evening, the Mon-Sat 2020 and Fri+Sat 2220 service 46's from Pocklington to York, become X47's, as do the Mon-Sat 2105 and Fri+Sat 2305 45's from York to Pocklington. As a result of becoming X47's, these evening journeys now serve York Station as opposed to nearby Station Road, a small enhancement for anyone connecting from a rail service. 

East Yorkshire University, Avenues and Cottingham Changes

On Sunday 1st September, East Yorkshire made some significant changes to their services in the Avenues and University area of Hull, and in Cottingham - in part due to the closure of the University of Hull's The Lawns Halls of Residence in Cottingham, and their replacement with new accommodation around Inglemire Lane in Hull.

The impact of the student accommodation move has been most profound on service 103. This route had linked Hull Paragon Interchange and The Lawns via Princes Avenue, Newland Avenue, Cottingham Road and Cottingham Green, operating every 20 minutes Monday to Saturday daytime and every hour Monday to Saturday evening and Sunday daytime. Now it operates from Paragon Interchange via Princes Avenue and Newland Avenue before performing a one-way loop of Cranbrook Avenue, Inglemire Lane, Hall Road and Cottingham Road, then back into Paragon Interchange via Newland Avenue and Princes Avenue. The 103 continues to operate every 20 minutes Monday to Saturday daytimes but has been increased to half hourly Monday to Saturday evenings and Sunday daytimes.

Prior to September, Inglemire Lane only had Monday to Saturday early evening buses on Stagecoach service U5; Stagecoach had earlier attempted a daytime service with service 9. Whilst this change is clearly good news for Inglemire Lane and Hall Road, it does represent a reduction in services from Cottingham to both Hull City Centre and the Avenues - although as noted above, must be seen in the context of the The Lawns closure.

Nightbus 106S, a solitary inbound journey to Hull City Centre, operating on Saturdays during university terms only, has also been amended to start on Inglemire Lane rather than The Lawns. Nightbus 106, which operates from Hull City Centre via the University to Cottingham year round, is unchanged. Nightbus 107, which operates from Hull University Asylum nightclub on Wednesday night/Thursday morning during term times no longer operates to the The Lawns, but instead operates down Cranbrook Avenue to then provide a 'one-way' loop via Newland Avenue, Princes Avenue, Spring Bank, Beverley Road and Cottingham Road back to Cranbrook Avenue and Asylum. This new route serves various bars and clubs as well as student housing.

'Sister' service to the 103, service 105 between Hull Paragon Interchange, Beverley Road, Cottingham Road and Cottingham has been diverted in Cottingham from The Lawns to Castle Hill Hospital, operating via St Margaret's Avenue. This provides new connectivity to Castle Hill Hospital from Beverley Road and Cottingham Road in Hull, and restores bus service to St Margaret's Avenue for the first time since Stagecoach removed the western half of service 9. The 105 continues to operate every 20 minutes Monday to Saturday daytimes, half hourly Monday to Saturday evenings and hourly on Sunday evenings, but has been increased from hourly to half hourly Sunday daytimes, which compensates for the loss of the Sunday 103 to Cottingham.

When Cottingham services were reorganised in the mid-00's, the service number 115 made a lot of sense. The route ran between Paragon Interchange, Endike Lane, Cottingham and Castle Hill Hospital via Princes Avenue, Newland Avenue and Cranbrook Avenue, where the other main route was the Stagecoach 15. Since the introduction of Simplibus, the 15 became the 5, and East Yorkshire using the 115 number has been less logical. East Yorkshire used September's changes to renumber the 115 to the 104, fitting in neatly between the 103 that also serves the Avenues, and the 105 that also serves Cottingham. The 104 number also links in better with the 154, with which it operates as a 'cross-Castle Hill Hospital' circular.

As part of East Yorkshire's wider initiative to improve early morning services in the Hull area, the first departure from Paragon Interchange Monday to Friday on the 104 is now at 0530 compared to 0600 on the 115. From Castle Hill Hospital there are extra journeys at 0533, 0603 and 0633 to Paragon Interchange, the later also replacing a short 0645 from Endike Lane into Paragon Interchange. Previously the first 115 from Castle Hill Hospital was at 0653.

On the negative side the Monday to Saturday evening 'shorts' between Paragon Interchange and Endike Lane have been withdrawn. The enhanced frequency on service 103 replaces these in the Avenues area, but the last service from Paragon Interchange to Endike Lane is now at 1950 rather than 2330, and from Endike Lane to Paragon Interchange at 2057 rather than 2257.

Service 154 between Paragon Interchange, Hull Royal Infirmary, Anlaby Road, Springfield Way, Willerby and Castle Hill Hospital also receives early morning improvements Monday to Friday, with new journeys from Paragon Interchange at 0520 and 0550, previous first journey at 0610, and from Castle Hill at 0541 and 0611, previous first journey at 0641.

The other main service between Hull and Cottingham is the 63. The 63 had been operating Monday to Saturday daytimes every 15 minutes between Paragon Interchange, Hull Royal Infirmary, Anlaby Road and Priory Road before alternate buses operated to Ledbury Road (just off Priory Road) and alternate buses continued to Castle Hill Hospital via Cottingham Green. Every hour services further continued to Beverley via Skidby, Little Weighton and Walkington. Since September this has been rationalised to a service every 20 minutes between Paragon Interchange and Castle Hill Hospital.

There are two main negative impacts, and one main positive impact. On the positive side this is an extra service per hour to Cottingham, which partially compensates for the loss of the 103. On the negative side is the end of buses to Ledbury Road, which East Yorkshire put down to "parking issues mean buses are having difficulty getting around the smaller estate roads". Also on the negative side is the impact on Skidby, Little Weighton and Walkington. 

These villages are not 'cut-off' as service 180 has been brought back a partial replacement. The 180 was a long standing Hessle to Beverley service via Skidby, Little Weighton and Walkington that was replaced by faster service 80 omitting the three villages, and the 63 extension to Beverley. The 'new' 180 operates between Castle Hill Hospital, Southwood Road, Cottingham, Skidby, Little Weighton, Walkington and Beverley on a reduced frequency compared to the 63 and without the through service to Hull. The original 'new' service 180 timetable had departures from Cottingham Green to Beverley at 0745 and 0930, and from Castle Hill Hospital to Beverley at 1048, 1218 and 1348 (departing Cottingham Green at 1100, 1230 and 1400). In the opposite direction, the 180 left Beverley for Castle Hill via Cottingham at 1010, 1140 and 1310, and departed Beverley as far as Cottingham Green only at 1440, 1550 and 1700. With a first arrival in Cottingham at 1043 and last return at 1400, this timetable was not much use for shopping trips into Hull City Centre with a change of bus in Cottingham, though did provide basic commuting and shopping links to Beverley and shopping links to Cottingham.

Since Monday 11th November the 180 has seen two changes. There is a new 1630 from Cottingham Green to Beverley, which makes a Walkington/Little Weighton/Skidby to Hull City Centre round-trip with a change of bus in Cottingham more realistic, and the 1700 from Beverley is retimed to 1715 "to make it easier for commuters to catch the bus after work".

Returning to the 63, there is a new 0610 from Paragon Interchange to Castle Hill Hospital on Saturdays; previously the first journey was at 0715. In the opposite direction the first Saturday service from Castle Hill Hospital is now at 0648 rather than 0740.

As a final note - this is not a new quirk, but the Saturday evening service from Hull City Centre to The Parkway and Burton Road in Cottingham, has a large gap between the 1950 service 104 from Paragon Interchange and the 2330 service 106 from Hull Old Town. There are then further service 106's at 0030, 0130 and 0225. Unusual for somewhere to have a daytime, early evening and 'full' nightbus service (i.e. not just the 2330 departure) but a 3 hour 40 minute gap mid/late evening. 

Service 88 Goes Five Days A Week

Service 88 between Goole, Airmyn, Rawcliffe and Rawcliffe Bridge was substantially improved from Monday 2nd September. The service is operated by East Yorkshire for East Riding of Yorkshire Council. It had been operating Monday, Wednesday and Friday only, with one journey from Rawcliffe Bridge at 0930, returning from Goole at 1230. Now the 88 operates Monday to Friday, with three journeys in each direction, departing Goole at 0905, 1205 and 1505, returning from Rawcliffe Bridge at 0930, 1230 and 1530.

Swinefleet 'Shorts' withdrawn

From Monday 2nd September, the two weekday 'short' journeys on subsidised East Yorkshire service 360 between Swinefleet and Goole were withdrawn. In the morning, the 0715 from Swinefleet no longer operates, with the first service from Swinefleet into Goole now at 0819. In the evening, the 1835 from Goole to Swinefleet no longer operates, with the last service from Goole at 1725.

In addition other minor timing changes were made to service 360 and associated service 361, which together link Scunthorpe, Luddington, Swinefleet and Goole, the 360 operating via Amcotts and the 361 via Crowle.

Hull to Willerby Improvements

East Yorkshire improved their Hull to Willerby services 34 and 44 from Sunday 1st September.

The Monday to Friday 0722 service 44 from Willerby Square to Hull Paragon Interchange now starts at Willerby Parkway at 0715, providing a first service from Willerby Parkway into Hull City Centre via Willerby Road and Spring Bank one hour earlier than previously available. Similarly, on Saturdays the 0757 service 44 from Willerby Square to Paragon Interchange now starts at Willerby Parkway at 0750, 53 minutes earlier than previously available.

On Sunday daytimes the frequency of service 34 has been doubled from hourly to half hourly.

Service 56 & 57 Weekday Morning Enhancements

From Monday 2nd September, East Yorkshire made some Monday to Friday morning improvements to Hull area services 56 and 57, which link Asda Bilton, Longhill, Holderness Road and Hull City Centre, before the 57 continues to/from Hull Royal Infirmary, Hessle Road and Hessle Square.

The 0600 service 56 from Paragon Interchange to Asda Bilton now operates as a service 57, starting back in Hessle at 0530, 45 minutes before the previous first 57 from Hessle at 0615. In the other direction, extra morning peak services have been added from Asda Bilton into Hull City Centre. Between the 0701 service 57 departure and the 0843 service 56 departure inclusive, the number of services into Hull City Centre has improved from ten to twelve, with two extra service 56's providing the increase.

Hessle Town Service Passes to East Yorkshire

Operation of the Friday Only Hessle Town Service 183 passed from Acklams Coaches to East Yorkshire, with effect from Friday 6th September. Other than the change of operator, the main change is the diversion of the service to serve Hessle Square in the Town Centre for an additional time, in between serving Tranby Avenue and Darleys Roundabout. This reduces journey times from western Hessle to Hessle Town Centre, as it removes the need to travel via Sainsbury's, and also cuts travel times from Hessle Town Centre to eastern Hessle, removing the need to travel via the western part of the town first. On the other hand it does increase journey times slightly from western Hessle to Sainsbury's. and from Sainsbury's back to Beverley Road, Boothferry Road and First Lane. There have also been minor amendments to the timetable.

Blog Notice: Comments

To everyone who has left comments in the past 18 months or so, a massive apology. The emails I used to get to notify me that a comment needed moderating - moderation being necessary due to spam comments - stopped and I never looked into the blog comment settings until tonight. I have now approved all the non-spam comments, and hopefully sorted out my email notification.

Earlier Beverley to Hull first service

As part of East Yorkshire's initiative to improve early morning bus services in the Hull area, from Monday 2nd September service 121 gained a new part-route journey between Beverley and Hull Monday to Friday, departing Beverley at 0535. This is 30 minutes earlier than the previous first departure at 0605. Oddly though despite a 30 minute gap between the 0535 and 0605 departures, there is then an hour's gap until the next departure from Beverley at 0705.

Route 66 Improvements

Service 66 between Hull Paragon Interchange, Hull Royal Infirmary, the Boothferry Estate and Hessle was enhanced from Sunday 1st September. Operated by East Yorkshire, the improvements were part of a wider initiative by the operator to improve early morning and Sunday buses in the Hull area.

Monday to Friday morning new departures have been added from Hessle at 0510, 0540 and 0610 - first departure previously was at 0640 - and from Paragon Interchange at 0540 and 0610 - first departure previously was 0625.

On Sundays the daytime frequency has been increased from hourly to half hourly. Considering the Monday to Saturday daytime frequency is every 10 minutes, the previous hourly Sunday daytime service was a considerable reduction, although most of the 66 route is also covered by other services. Sunday evening services remain hourly, although retimed to improve co-ordination with the other route between Hull and Hessle, the 57.

Beverley Late Afternoon Cutback

East Yorkshire cutback the late afternoon service on their 520 and 521 circular Beverley Town Service routes from Monday 2nd September. The two routes each operate hourly Monday to Saturday daytimes and combine to give a half hourly service to the Swinemoor Estate in the east of the town. As part of the cutbacks the 1625 service 520 from Beverley Bus Station no longer operates Monday to Friday and the 1655 service 521 from the Bus Station no longer operates Monday to Saturday. The last journeys from the Bus Station are now the 1525 service 520 and 1555 service 521 departures Monday to Friday and the 1555 service 521 and 1625 service 520 departures on Saturdays.

450 now serves Immingham Town Centre

On Monday 2nd September, North Lincolnshire Council tendered service 450 between Immingham, Barton and Brigg, operated by Stagecoach, received a revised timetable and route. The service operates up to 4 journeys in each direction Monday to Saturday.

Between Immingham County Hotel terminus and South Killingholme the service now operates via Pelham Road in Immingham so as to serve the Civic Centre/Town Centre, and Habrough Church, as opposed to via the Manby Road industrial area and the A160. The previous route made sense when the 450 operated as an extension to service 5, as the 5 would serve the Civic Centre, however since the 450 became a separate service, there had been the rather odd situation of the service not serving Immingham Town Centre, but instead only a stop on the edge of the town (County Hotel) and an industrial area. This became more of an issue when service 5 was withdrawn from South Killingholme at the start of the year leaving the village without a timetabled bus to Immingham Town Centre. The revised service only offers the chance to spend either 45 minutes or 2 hours 45 minutes in Immingham Town Centre, but better than no timetabled bus at all (CallConnect is also available if pre-booked and has availability).

The 0940, 1140 and 1340 from Immingham now operate 5 minutes earlier, reducing connection times from service 5. From Brigg the 0930, 1130, 1330, and on Saturdays and School Holidays the 1530, departures now operate 10 minutes earlier. For anyone wanting to connect onto service 5 for Grimsby, you can now arrive at 1134 rather than 1154. Last departure from Grimsby to connect into service 450 remains at 1250 however, so not that much use!

Whilst these changes are positive and welcome, South Killingholme still has a poor timetabled service to it's nearest town, Immingham, and connections to Grimsby are near-useless without using CallConnect in one direction. What could make a difference is if prior to the 0935 departure from Immingham, a South Killingholme to Immingham 'short' was operated, at say 0910 (North Lincolnshire Concessionary Bus Passes don't have a 0930 start time), and on Saturdays and during School Holidays if following the 1452 and 1652 arrivals at Immingham County Hotel, new 'shorts' were provided to South Killingholme, at say 1500 and 1700. This would make a big improvement to the previously mentioned two issues for little extra mileage. If savings need to be made to fund these extras, I do wonder how much usage the 0715 Immingham to Brigg gets on a Saturday, and if it would be cheaper to run out of service from Grimsby depot to Brigg instead, direct via the A180 and A18 as opposed to via Barton?

Afternoon Louth to Grimsby gap filled

Stagecoach made some timetable amendments to Interconnect service 51 between Grimsby, Louth and Mablethorpe from Monday 2nd September. As part of these changes, a previous 95 minute gap in departures from Louth to Grimsby on schooldays between the 1425 51 and 1600 51b schools service has been filled, with the 1440 from Mablethorpe to Louth now running through to Grimsby, departing Louth at 1525, as also occurs during school holidays and on Saturdays.

Cliffsider Retimed

Stagecoach retimed journeys on their 'Cliffsider' service 103 between Scunthorpe, Messingham, Kirton and Lincoln on Monday 2nd September. The service remains approximately every two hours Monday to Saturdays, along with three daytime Scunthorpe to Messingham and return 'shorts'. Most notably the 0645 from Scunthorpe to Lincoln now operates 15 minutes earlier at 0630, and the Messingham to Scunthorpe 'shorts' are now better co-ordinated with the full route 103 journeys. Previously daytime departures from Messingham were at 0938, 1024, 1138, 1224, 1338, 1424 and 1538, but they are now at 0933, 1028, 1133, 1228, 1333, 1428 and 1533. Service 100 departures from Messingham to Scunthorpe are at 8 minutes past the hour however, so the 'perfect' coordination between the 100 and 103 in some hours has been lost, with slightly improved coordination in other hours.

Small but useful re-routing in Immingham

On Monday 2nd September, Stagecoach weekday early morning and peak service 5m between Humberston (early morning only), Cleethorpes (early morning only), Grimsby and Immingham had a small but potentially useful route change in Immingham. Between County Hotel and Kings Road, the service now operates via Manby Road, providing improved access to various industrial premises in the area compared to walking from the County Hotel bus stop. Traveline East Midlands shows there are now three additional bus stops served by the 5m. The timetable for service 5m remains unaltered.

Stagecoach 50 Afternoon Changes

Stagecoach service 50 between Grimsby and Saltfleet was amended in the afternoons on Monday 2nd September. The 50 links Grimsby with various villages to the south east of the town, most of which are within the Lincolnshire County Council area. The service operates three times a day on weekdays, and four times a day on Saturdays, though discounting what are essentially in service positioning journeys, the 50 offers two morning journeys into Grimsby, and two afternoon services from Grimsby, providing a basic service for commuters, students and shoppers.

On schooldays the 1435 from Grimsby now additionally serves New Waltham and Holton Le Clay, with a resultant increase in journey time of 18 minutes for those travelling from Grimsby to villages between Tetney and Saltfleet inclusive; a Grimsby to Tetney journey on this particular departure is now timed for 58 minutes, compared to a direct car journey time of 14 minutes according to Google. During school holidays the 1450 departure from Grimsby now operates 8 minutes later at 1458.

The end of the Humber Fastcat's Hull City Centre Loop

East Yorkshire and Stagecoach made some changes to the 350 Humber Fastcat between Hull, Barton and Scunthorpe on Sunday 1st September.

Most notably the peaktime, evening and Sunday journeys now no longer serve the Hull City Centre 'loop' outbound from Hull Paragon Interchange, omitting the Bond Street and Carr Lane stops, as well as the stop opposite the Interchange side entrance on Anlaby Road. Instead all outbound journeys now follow the Monday to Saturday daytime route from Paragon Interchange via Park Street to Anlaby Road, which is also used by the 250 Humber Flyer between Hull, Barton, Grimsby and Cleethorpes.

Stagecoach gave no reason for the change, but East Yorkshire noted it was to give a 'speedier' journey; for example the 1715 from Paragon Interchange used to arrive at Hull Royal Infirmary at 1727 but is now timed for 1718. I also suspect improving punctuality may have been a factor, at least with certain journeys; the previously mentioned 1715 used to arrive at Scunthorpe Bus Station at 1842 but now arrives at 1840, with seven of the nine minutes saved by omitting the Hull City Centre loop 'used up' elsewhere on the route.

On the other hand, this change inconveniences anyone who has been visiting the eastern and central parts of Hull City Centre, such as the Old Town area, Princes Quay or Hull New Theatre; passengers from these areas now have to walk to Paragon Interchange, or catch another service and change at either Paragon Interchange or Hull Royal Infirmary. Most other services in Hull City Centre serve other parts of the City Centre in addition to Paragon Interchange inbound or outbound, or in both directions. Furthermore in some cases changing from a connecting service onto the 350 at Bond Street or Carr Lane enabled an earlier 350 to be caught as opposed to changing at Paragon Interchange; I myself used to be able to get home from Hull University to Barton half an hour earlier a few years ago by changing at Carr Lane.

Overall this is a disappointing change, but if punctuality is a concern then this is a better option than cutting say Winteringham or the Frodingham Road area of Scunthorpe, where the 350 provides the only or main service. Plus for passengers travelling from Paragon Interchange it does speed up journey times.

At the same time the 1640 Monday to Saturday departure from Paragon Interchange has been retimed to 1645, fitting in better between the 1630 and 1700 service 250 departures. On Sundays the departure times from Paragon Interchange have been standardised from 0825, 1025, 1320, 1530, 1830 and 1930 to 0830, 1030, 1330, 1530, 1830 and 1930.

Priory Park Park and Ride September Changes

The Priory Park Park and Ride service in Hull, operated by Stagecoach, was slightly amended on Monday 2nd September. It has now gained a number - service 20 (and service 20X for peak time journeys via the A63). Four extra journeys were introduced from Priory Park to the City Centre, at 1855, 1910, 1925 and 1940 Monday to Saturday, presumably to avoid dead mileage. Finally the service now serves all stops en-route, having previously operated non-stop along Hessle Road between Priory Park and Askew Avenue and having served only the Wheeler Street, KC Stadium, Hull Royal Infirmary and Paragon Interchange side entrance stops on Anlaby Road prior to September.

Going by the VOSA website, a major change is due to the Park and Ride service next month, with a re-routing of non-special event journeys via the main Hessle Road shopping area as opposed to Askew Avenue and Boothferry Road. A service 2S is also being introduced between Hull City Centre, the Boothferry Estate and Sainsbury's.

Stagecoach 8 Changes

Stagecoach made some small changes to service 8 in Hull on Monday 2nd September. The service operates in a circle from Paragon Interchange via Beverley Road, Sutton Park, North Point, Salthouse Road and Holderness Road back to Paragon Interchange, and vice versa, every half hour Monday to Saturday daytimes. Some journeys operate as service 8a or 8x variants.

The weekday 0732 8x from Paragon Interchange to North Point via Beverley Road, Clough Road and the Sutton Fields Industrial Estate now operates as a circular back to Paragon Interchange via Salthouse Road, incorporating the previous college holiday only 0807 service 8 from North Point.

Whilst the circular service has been improved in the morning, it is different in the afternoon. The weekday clockwise 1402 circular service 8a from Paragon Interchange becomes a 1402 service 8 terminating at North Point, and the 1532 service 8 circular from Paragon Interchange now terminates at North Point. Whilst sadly not shown in the service 8 timetable, these journeys now appear to continue as service 85, via the service 8 route, from North Point back to Paragon Interchange and onto the Bricknell Estate. As a result however the apparent cut is not a significant as the service 8 timetable indicates. The loss however is that the last 8a variant from North Point to the unique sections of route on Biggin Avenue, Kestrel Avenue and Howdale Road is now at 1337 rather than 1437 Monday to Friday.

In the anti clockwise direction, there are now two hour long gaps on weekdays in the service 8 timetable, between 1405 and 1505 from Paragon Interchange, and again between 1535 and 1635 (the latter had existed on college days previously). There are journeys however on service 83 from Paragon Interchange at 1430 and 1600 which operate to Salthouse Road, North Point and Sutton Park on the service 8 route before serving Orchard Park and Cottingham; again sadly these journeys are not shown on the service 8 timetable despite going a long way to fill the gaps in service 8. Whilst being aimed at Wilberforce College students, the 83, and 85 mentioned earlier, appear to operate during college holidays as well.

Times of other journeys were also amended by up to 5 minutes, especially in the anti clockwise direction.