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Dents Coaches Brigg to Lincoln service to be withdrawn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.