255 New Year Changes

Last time Wren Kitchens changed their shift arrangements at their Barton HQ, I said that there were positives and negatives for other travellers between Barton and Hull, and from Sunday 2nd January it will be the same again as service 255 between Barton and Hull is revised. There are also some positives for travel within the City of Hull.

However first of all, the 255 gained three extra Monday to Friday journeys from Monday 8th November; they never made it to the Stagecoach pdf timetable or got a formal announcement on the Stagecoach website, but did get onto bustimes.org. Journeys added were at 1325 from Hull Interchange (temporarily restoring the 15 minute frequency from Hull to Barton for 90 minutes between 1240 and 1410) and at 1450 and 2320 from Wren Kitchens in Barton.

Returning to the 2nd January changes, and Monday to Saturday they are as follows:

• The Tuesday to Friday only 0345 from Barton Wren Kitchens to the Beverley Road/Clough Road junction in Hull is extended to North Bransholme and operates daily.
• The 0550 from the Beverley Road/Clough Road junction to Barton Wren Kitchens now starts back in North Bransholme at 0520, serving North Point at 0535. This somewhat fills the gap between the 0435 255 from North Point via Sutton Park to Paragon Interchange (and beyond to Barton) and the 0553 first service 8 of the day from North Point via Sutton Park.
• The 0620 from Barton Wren Kitchens to the Beverley Road/Clough Road junction is retimed to 0545 and extended to North Bransholme. The current 0620 does get some use from Barton, so these passengers will have to either travel 35 minutes earlier or use slightly later 250 or 350 journeys.
• The 0805 from Hull Paragon Interchange to Barton Wren Kitchens now starts in North Bransholme at 0720.
• The Monday to Friday only 1325 from Paragon Interchange to Barton Wren Kitchens now departs at 1335 - no doubt better for a 1430 start at Wren, but creates an unfortunate 25-5 minute interval in the Hull to Barton timetable.
• The Monday to Friday only 1450 from Barton Wren Kitchens is extended to North Bransholme.
• The Monday to Friday only 1530 from the Beverley Road/Clough Road junction to Barton Wren Kitchens will also operate on Saturdays.
• The 1645 from the Beverley Road/Clough Road junction to Barton Wren Kitchens will start at Paragon Interchange at 1705 instead; this does remove the current situation of a 1700 250 and 1700 255 leaving the Interchange at the same time.
• The Monday to Friday only 1710 from Barton Wren Kitchens to the Beverley Road/Clough Road junction in Hull is extended to North Bransholme and also operates on Saturdays.
• The 1750 from Barton Wren Kitchens to the Beverley Road/Clough Road junction in Hull is extended to North Bransholme. The last service 7 from Hull Paragon Interchange is at 1747, whereas the 255 departs at 1830 so this could be a useful slightly later link from Beverley Road to Bransholme and North Bransholme. It also fits is relatively well between the 1810 and 1910 service 8's from Paragon Interchange to Sutton Park.
• The 1830 from Hull Paragon Interchange to Barton Wren Kitchens is withdrawn; there is a 1835 service 350 as an alternative. 
• The 1920 from Barton Wren Kitchens to the Beverley Road/Clough Road junction in Hull is withdrawn.
• There is a new Monday to Saturday 2235 from Hull Paragon Interchange to Barton Wren Kitchens - this is very welcome as the current last service from Hull to Barton is at 2020.
• The Monday to Friday only 2320 from Barton Wren Kitchens is extended to North Bransholme and also operates on Saturdays. Probably not the intention, but this journey is the closest service to a nightbus in Hull now, and departs Hull Truck Theatre at 0000.

A more general side-effect of these changes are more services between Hull Royal Infirmary, Beverley Road, Sutton Park, Bransholme and North Bransholme - again probably not intentional but welcome.

On Sundays the 255 is withdrawn entirely apart from a new 0345 from Barton Wren Kitchens to North Bransholme. This means there is now no arrival from Barton into Hull between 0425 and 1025, and the return of the three hour gap in departures from Hull to Barton between 1530 and 1830.

New Wren Kitchens Workers Service 455

Stagecoach are introducing a new service from Cleethorpes for employees at Wren Kitchens in Barton on Tuesday 4th January, numbered 455. Whilst very much aimed at Wren commuters, it does appear to be a public bus service.

The 455 will depart Cleethorpes Pier at 0415 Monday to Saturday, returning from Barton at 1710. Whilst the service isn't yet in Stagecoach's journey planner, nor on bustimes.org or traveline, going by Stagecoach's pdf timetable, it will operate the service 250 route from Cleethorpes via Grimsby Town Centre to Grimsby College, before serving the Nunsthorpe, Laceby Acres and Wybers Wood estates in Grimsby. The next timing point is Stallingborough Roundabout, so presumably also serves Healing, then Immingham, South Killingholme, Ulceby, Thornton Curtis and Barrow before arriving at Wren Kitchens.

The 455 will be the only non-schools timetabled bus service for South Killingholme. 

Also noteworthy, and almost certainty incidental rather than intentional, is that the morning 455 does offer a connection onto the new 0545 service 255 from Barton to Hull, providing a 0625 arrival into Hull City Centre from North East Lincolnshire. Based on timings at Wren Kitchens this is a 6 minute connection in Barton, though as Wren Kitchens is private property, anyone wanting to make such a journey would need to get off the 455 on Falkland Way in Barton and make the short walk to Barton Cemetery for the 255.

Humber Fastcat and 355 January Changes.

With effect from Sunday 2nd January, Stagecoach will be slightly revising their timetable for the 350 Humber Fastcat between Hull, Barton and Scunthorpe, seemingly in connection with revised shift times at Wren Kitchens in Barton. In total five journeys are altered:

• The Saturday 0815 from Scunthorpe to Hull will depart at 0755 and run via Wren Kitchens in Barton, as already occurs Monday to Friday.
• The Saturday 1545 from Scunthorpe to Hull will operate via Wren Kitchens in Barton, matching the equivalent Monday to Friday departure.
• The Monday to Saturday 1715 from Hull to Scunthorpe will operate via Wren Kitchens in Barton, but the 1745 and 1835 departures from Hull to Scunthorpe cease to do so.

As a result of these changes, the Monday to Friday and Saturday timetables will once again be identical. There are no changes to the 350 Humber Fastcat on Sundays.

Associated service 355 between Scunthorpe and Barton Wren Kitchens is also revised. The 0345 from Barton will operate daily rather than Tuesday to Friday mornings, whilst the Monday, Saturday and Sunday only 0620 from Barton is withdrawn. The 1710 from Barton will operate on Saturdays as well as Monday to Friday, but the Sunday only 1655 from Scunthorpe and 1820 and 1920 from Barton will also be withdrawn. The withdrawal of the 1655 does see the Sunday late afternoon service from Scunthorpe to Barton revert back to a 3 hour gap between the 1510 and 1810 Humber Fastcat's.

In connection with changes to the 255, it will be possible to travel from Scunthorpe to Hull and arrive as early as 0625, by using the 0455 355 from Scunthorpe and changing in Barton. It's a shame the service isn't a through 350 service, as Monday to Friday at least the 0455 355 has been worked by an Enviro400 MMC, so I think must be operated by Stagecoach's Hull depot rather than Scunthorpe depot - Hull depot also work the 255.

Christmas and New Year Bus Services 2021/2022

It's the time of year again for my annual summary of Christmas and New Year bus services across the Humber Region. The following operators are included, but not their services outside the region:

• Arriva Yorkshire
• CallConnect
• East Yorkshire (excluding JustGo)
• First South Yorkshire (Doncaster Area)
• First York
• Grayscroft Coaches
• Hornsby Travel
• Hunts Coaches
• PC Coaches
• Stagecoach 
• York Pullman (obtained via itravelyork.info)

Please check exact details before travelling as I have only summarised here, or for any occasions were publicity is incorrect (it's happened before!). If you have any further information for other operators, or to correct any details listed here, please post a comment.

Monday 20st December to Thursday 23rd December:

Normal services, except First South Yorkshire who will be operating a Saturday service. 

Christmas Eve:

Predominately a normal Friday service finishing between approximately 1800 and 2000, with the following exceptions:

• CallConnect, First South Yorkshire and Stagecoach will operate a Saturday service.
• Stagecoach services 10 (Burringham-Scunthorpe), 25 (Market Rasen-Grimsby), 35 (Amcotts-Scunthorpe), 60 (Whitton-Scunthorpe), 79 (Hedon-Hull), 90 (Crowle-Scunthorpe), 260 (Barton Villager) and 277 (Hedon-Hull) will operate as normal.

Christmas Day:

No services.

Boxing Day:

No services, apart from a limited service operated by East Yorkshire (see below). This is notable in that Stagecoach will not be operating any city services in Hull on Boxing Day this year, compared to the Sunday service offered last year between 0900 and 1800, and the predominately hourly service on main routes provided for a number of years prior.

East Yorkshire will be operating the following daytime services:

• 56: Wymersely Road-Hull-Asda Bilton - Half Hourly 
• 63: Hull-Castle Hill Hospital - Hourly
• 66: Hull-Hessle - Hourly
• 75: Hull-Withernsea - Every two hours, with an extra morning journey to Hull and an extra afternoon journey from Hull.
• 104: Hull-Castle Hill Hospital - Hourly
• 121: Hull-Bridlington - Every two hours
• 154: Hull-Castle Hill Hospital - Hourly
• X46: Hull-York - Every two hours

Compared to last year, the 56 is increased from hourly to half hourly, and is extended to operate between Hull City Centre and Wymersley Road, in part replacing the hourly 34 between Hull and Willerby that isn't operating this year. Also not operating this year, compared to 2020, are the 12 between Bridlington and Scarborough and the X47 between Pocklington and York (the X46 still provides a service to some of the X47 communities).

Bank Holidays Monday 27th December & Tuesday 28th December:

A Sunday service will be provided, with the exception of East Yorkshire who will provide a hybrid timetable that is a mix of almost normal Saturday timetables on some routes and service levels that are higher than Sundays but lower than Saturdays on others, with elements of Monday & Tuesday evening and Sunday provision mixed in - summary below:

• 12: Bridlington-Scarborough - Sunday service (which other than early mornings, is the same as Monday-Saturday).
• 23: Hull-Beverley - Saturday service from Hull, Cannot get the timetable from Beverley to show on the East Yorkshire website, but assume that it is also the same or very similar to Saturdays.
• 24: Hull-Hornsea - Saturday service apart from no 0630 Hornsea-Hull.
• 25: Hessle-Beverley-Hornsea - Saturday service apart from the 0700 from Hornsea starts in Beverley at 0745, whilst there is no 2340 from Beverley to Hornsea (as is usual for a Monday/Tuesday).
• 45/45A/46: Bridlington-Pocklington-York - Hourly daytime service between Pocklington to York (as normal for Monday to Saturday), 3 journeys in each direction extend to/from Bridlington (Mon-Sat usually extends hourly to Market Weighton then two hourly to Bridlington and two hourly to Holme on Spalding Moor).
• 54: Hull-Willerby - Half Hourly Daytime and Hourly Evening service.
• 55: Hull-Gilberdyke-Goole - Saturday service between Hull and Gilberdyke only, with no 0635 Gilberdyke-Hull, 0725 Elloughton-Goole or 0800 Hull-Gilberdyke. No service between Gilberdyke and Goole.
• 56: Wymersley Road-Hull-Asda Bilton - Half Hourly Daytime and Hourly Evening service.
• 57: Hessle-Hull-Asda Bilton - Half Hourly Daytime and Hourly Evening service.
• 63: Hull-Castle Hill Hospital - Saturday service from Hull apart from no 0610 and 2330 departures (the latter does not normally operate on a Monday/Tuesday, Cannot get the timetable from Castle Hill to show in full on the East Yorkshire website, but assume that it is also the same or very similar to Saturdays.
• 66: Hull-Hessle - Every 20 minutes Daytimes and Hourly Evening service.
• 75: Hull-Withernsea - Saturday service except no 0530, 0600 or 1847 from Withernsea and no 0645, 0715 or 2010 from Hull (the evening provision therefore matches a normal Monday and Tuesday)
• 104: Hull-Castle Hill Hospital - Half Hourly Daytime and Hourly Evening service.
• 105: Hull-Castle Hill Hospital - Saturday service, except no 0655 from Hull, 0700 and 0730 from Castle Hill.
• 121: Hull-Beverley-Bridlington - Saturday daytime service, except no 0605 or 0705 from Beverley to Hull. Normal Monday/Tuesday evening service.
• 130: Hornsea-Bridlington - Weekend service.
• 152: Hull-Anlaby-Bridgehead Business Park - Hourly daytime service with hourly early evening Hull to Anlaby 'shorts' (normal frequency but at different times).
• 153: Hull-Swanland - Hourly daytime service (normal frequency but at different times).
• 154: Hull-Castle Hill Hospital - Half Hourly Daytime and Hourly Evening service.
• 350: Hull-Scunthorpe - Sunday service
• X7: Hull-Withernsea - Saturday service
• X46/X47: Hull to York - Saturday daytime service, apart from no 0620 Pocklington to York X47 and the 0702 York to Hull X46 starting in Pocklington at 0740, with the usual Monday/Tuesday evening service.

The above covers all routes usually served on a Sunday, plus some that aren't. All references to normal timetables relate to the current temporary timetables due to the driver shortage.

Wednesday 29th December:

Predominantly a Saturday service, with the following exceptions:

• Hornsby Travel and PC Coaches will operate a normal Wednesday service.
• East Yorkshire services 88 (Goole-Rawcliffe Bridge) and 360/361 (Goole-Scunthorpe) will operate as normal.
• Stagecoach services 35 (Amcotts-Scunthorpe), 60 (Whitton-Scunthorpe), 90 (Crowle-Scunthorpe) and 260 (Barton Villager) will operate as normal.
• York Pullman services 36/X36 (Pocklington-Sutton Upon Derwent-York) will operate as normal.
• East Yorkshire service 142 (Cherry Burton-Beverley) will not operate.
• East Yorkshire services B1/B2/18/25/54/63/75/121/X47 Friday and Saturday only evening journeys will not operate (normal Wednesday evening journeys on the 25/54/63/75/121/X47 will however).

(As a side note, Stagecoach operated Saturday service 173 between Withernsea and Hull will be operating as part of Stagecoach's Saturday provision on Wednesday 29th, Thursday 30th and Friday 31st, so three times the normal service level this week, allowing for no service on Saturday 1st!).

Thursday 30th December:

Predominantly a Saturday service, with the following exceptions:

• Hornsby Travel and PC Coaches will operate a normal Thursday service.
• East Yorkshire services 88 (Goole-Rawcliffe Bridge), 150 (Swanland-Hessle), 196 (Aughton-York) and 360/361 (Goole-Scunthorpe) will operate as normal.
• Stagecoach services 10 (Ashby Parklands-Ashby), 35 (Amcotts-Scunthorpe), 60 (Whitton-Scunthorpe), 90 (Crowle-Scunthorpe) and 260 (Barton Villager) will operate as normal.
• York Pullman services 36/X36 (Pocklington-Sutton Upon Derwent-York) will operate as normal.
• East Yorkshire services 142 (Cherry Burton-Beverley) and 143 (North Ferriby-Beverley) will not operate.
• East Yorkshire services B1/B2/18/25/54/63/75/121/X47 Friday and Saturday only evening journeys will not operate (normal Thursday evening journeys on the 25/54/63/75/121/X47 will however).

New Years Eve:

Predominately a Saturday service finishing at approximately 2000, with the following exceptions:

• Hornsby Travel and PC Coaches will operate a normal Friday service, with early finish around 1800.
• East Yorkshire services 88 (Goole-Rawcliffe Bridge), 183 (Hessle Town Service) and 360/361 (Goole-Scunthorpe) will operate as normal.
• Stagecoach services 10 (Burringham-Scunthorpe), 25 (Market Rasen-Grimsby), 35 (Amcotts-Scunthorpe), 60 (Whitton-Scunthorpe), 90 (Crowle-Scunthorpe) and 260 (Barton Villager) will operate as normal.
• York Pullman services 36/X36 (Pocklington-Sutton Upon Derwent-York) will operate as normal.
• East Yorkshire services 142 (Cherry Burton-Beverley) and 143 (North Ferriby-Beverley) will not operate.

New Years Day:

No services (train services will be operating however, in many instances to a normal Saturday timetable apart from early morning services and engineering works related disruption).

Sunday 2nd January:

Normal Sunday Services

Bank Holiday Monday 3rd January:

A Sunday service will be provided.

Tuesday 4th January:

Services return to normal.

Thursday Only 161 Changes Operator

Operation of the tendered Thursday only 'shopper' service 161 between Market Rasen, Caistor, Brigg and Lakeside Retail Park in Scunthorpe, passed from Stagecoach to PC Coaches on Thursday 4th November, with no change to the timetable.

No more service 4 to Foxhills

On Monday 27th September Hornsby Travel amended their service 4 between Brigg, Broughton, Lakeside, Ashby and Scunthorpe. The main change arguably was the removal of the extension of certain journeys to Foxhills Industrial Estate, north of Scunthorpe - they had operated early morning Monday to Saturday, early afternoon Monday to Friday, late afternoon Saturday and in the evening peak and late evening Monday to Friday, to suit the needs of commuters.

Looking in more detail at the timetable and the Monday to Friday 0500 from Lakeside to Foxhills Industrial Estate has been withdrawn entirely, not just north of Scunthorpe Bus Station, there are however new 0615 Ashby to Brigg and 0630 Ashby to Scunthorpe journeys Monday to Friday. Journey times throughout the day are amended, with the overall Monday to Saturday daytime frequency remaining hourly. 

In the early evening Monday to Saturday, the service is improved, with the 1830 from Scunthorpe to Brigg replaced by 1845 and 2000 departures, plus a 2115 'short' from Scunthorpe to Ashby. In the opposite direction the 1910 from Brigg to Ashby is replaced by 1925 and 2040 departures from Brigg to Scunthorpe. However the residual late evening service Monday to Friday of a 2100 Lakeside to Foxhills Industrial Estate departure and 2215 return has been withdrawn entirely.

Also off note is that college day only service 13 between Scunthorpe Bus Station, Scunthorpe Station, Scunthorpe Hospital (Church Lane), Scunthorpe Colleges (North Lindsey and John Leggott), Ashby and Lakeside has been replaced by service 4c. In the morning the 4c is a service 4 journey from Brigg which diverts via Scunthorpe's Colleges, whilst in the evening there is a 'standalone' 1605 4c from Scunthorpe to Lakeside via Scunthorpe Station as well as the Colleges.

Brigg Town Service Changes

Hornsby Travel operated Brigg Town Services 91 and 92 received a new timetable on Tuesday 28th September, including a diversion of most service 91 journeys via Aldi just west of the town centre. The 91 and 92 operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays only.

Service 91 to the Springbank and Churchill Avenue areas of Brigg had the biggest changes. Between Grammar School Road and Wrawby Road, the 91 now operates via Barnard Avenue on the edge of the town centre, rather than via Hawthorn Avenue. The timetable has also been substantially revised, with departures from Cary Lane in the town centre at 0925, 1045 (to the Springbank area only), 1115, 1245, 1325 and 1425 (the latter to both to the Springbank area only and operating Tuesday and Thursday only) replaced by hourly departures between 0930 and 1330, plus a Tuesday and Thursday only 1410 service to the Springbank area only. 

Meanwhile on service 92 to Cadney, Howsham and Brigg Garden Centre, the 1215 from Brigg Cary Lane is retimed to 1200, whilst the Saturday only 'short' to Brigg Garden Centre and back at 1315 is retimed to 1345, matching the Tuesday and Thursday timetable.

The Return of the 94

Service 94 between Brigg, Hibaldstow, Redbourne and Kirton in Lindsey resumed on Monday 27th September, around 13 months after it's withdrawal. It's again operated by Hornsby Travel and again is operating Monday to Friday only. There are however some key changes from it's old format.

Firstly the 94 now omits Scawby, operating direct between Brigg and Hibaldstow, an understandable decision as Scawby has the X4 to both Brigg and Scunthorpe. Omitting Scawby gives a direct Brigg to Hibaldstow journey time of 9 minutes, rather than 15 minutes.

Secondly there is also a route change in Kirton in Lindsey, where the 94 no longer 'doubles up' as a town service, including serving the former RAF base Barracks, but instead operates a simple loop via South Cliff Road, Dunstan Hill, Moat House Road, Turner Street, Church Street, Spa Hill and King Edward Street.

Thirdly the timetable is notably different; there are no peak time journeys but more off-peak services between Brigg and Redbourne. Rather than operating approximately two hourly, the 'new' 94 has 5 journeys in each direction, departing Brigg for Kirton at 0900, 1200 and 1400, with 'shorts' to Redbourne at 1000 and 1300. Two morning journeys to Brigg, and the 1200 and 1300 from Brigg, divert via the Nookings estate in Hibaldstow.

Finally, with this incarnation of the 94, there are no through journeys onto service X4 to Scunthorpe.

Hibaldstow Parish Council website notes the restored 94 is a commercial venture, not tendered as it was previously. Hopefully the 94 is 'back for good', but however it turns out, credit to Hornsby Travel for trying. 

Stagecoach September Changes in Hull

Stagecoach made some significant changes to their Hull network on Sunday 26th September, which I have summarised below. 

Service 10 between Hull Paragon Interchange, North Point Shopping Centre, North Bransholme and Wawne was withdrawn; the 10 had operated half hourly Monday to Saturday daytimes. The 10 largely duplicated service 2 between Hull City Centre and North Bransholme, apart from a small section of Holwell Road between Leads Road and Sutton Road - most of which is now unserved - and the extension to Wawne village. Wawne is now served by hourly extensions of service 2 beyond North Bransholme; this is only half of the 10's frequency, but in line with the usual frequency over the past few years and does give the village links to Hull Royal Infirmary.

South of North Point Shopping Centre there is no replacement for the 10, leaving the Holwell Road and Stoneferry Road corridor with a 20 minute Monday to Saturday daytime frequency; it is worth noting the area is mostly industrial rather than residential. Between North Point and North Bransholme however, services have improved.

Service 7 between Paragon Interchange, Beverley Road, Sutton Park, North Point and Spring Cottage has been rerouted after North Point to follow the service 2 route to North Bransholme and also increased from half hourly to every 20 minutes Monday to Saturday daytimes, giving an extra bus per hour over this section compared to the 10, and a combined six services per hour with service 2 - every 7-13 minutes from Paragon Interchange and a 'perfect' every 10 minutes from North Bransholme. Residents in parts of North Bransholme and the Bodmin Road area get reinstated links to Beverley Road with this revision. The Paragon Interchange to North Point via Beverley Road and Sutton Park corridor similarly benefits from going from five to six services per hour with a coordinated 10 minute frequency across routes 7 and 8.

The section of the 7 between North Point and Spring Cottage is replaced (apart from on a section of Wawne Road) by a major change to route 16. The 16 continues to operate between Paragon Interchange, Victoria Dock and Newbridge Road but then rather than heading east, it goes west along Southcoates Lane (briefly) then up Holderness Road to Morrisons. From Morrisons the 16 heads along Ings Road (without a City Centre link apart from the infrequent 677 Cranswick Foods commuter service) and Cavendish Road to the previously unserved (since the 9 was withdrawn) northern part of Leads Road before replacing the 7 through Sutton, Howdale Road, Kestrel Avenue, Noddle Hill Way, Biggin Avenue and Honiton Road to North Point.

The 16 remains hourly Monday to Saturday daytimes, but many late afternoon journeys operate between Paragon Interchange and Morrisons only, whilst peak time journeys omit Sutton Village, Howdale Road, Kestrel Avenue, Noddle Hill Way, Biggin Avenue and Honiton Road, leaving these areas with a morning and early afternoon only service. Like Wawne, this is however in line with the 'recent norm' for Howdale Road, Kestrel Avenue and Biggin Avenue. The 16's old route in East Hull via Preston Road, Holmpton Grove, St Johns Grove, Exeter Grove, Bilsdale Grove and Southcoates Lane is not replaced - Preston Road has the 3 and Southcoates Lane the 75 and in part the 3, but the various 'Groves' are now unserved.

Returning to Beverley Road, and whilst the 7's frequency enhancement provides an extra hourly service, between Cottingham Road and Greenwood Avenue, Beverley Road has lost the 4, which has been diverted away via Cottingham Road and Cranbrook Avenue, a move which also leaves the eastern part of Greenwood Avenue unserved. The 4 remains every 10 minutes Monday to Friday daytimes, every 15 minutes Saturday daytimes and hourly Sunday daytimes.

The reason why may in part come from service 5 between Paragon Interchange, Newland Avenue, Cranbrook Avenue, Orchard Park and Kingswood being reduced Monday to Friday daytimes between Paragon Interchange and Orchard Park from every 7-8 minutes to every 10 minutes. The Sunday daytime frequency between Orchard Park and Kingswood has also been reduced from half hourly to hourly.

The other major change to the 5 is that the 11 is merged into it. The 11 previously linked Paragon Interchange and Kingswood via Holderness Road, Spring Cottage, North Point and Bodmin Road before changing number to service 5 to return to Paragon Interchange, and vice versa - now the service 5 number is used throughout. The final service 5 of the day Monday to Saturday from Paragon Interchange to Kinsgwood via Orchard Park, departing at 2320, now extends to North Point.

Elsewhere the Monday to Friday daytime frequency of the 12 and 12A combined reduced from every 10 to every 15 minutes, and the same also occurred on route 14; the 14 was every 15 minutes pre COVID-19. Early evening park and ride services from Priory Park returned to operating as service 22 via Askew Avenue and Anlaby Road, rather than Clive Sullivan Way.

(Some Saturday frequencies have since been reduced, I presume due to driver shortages).

Beverley Locals

On Monday 6th September, East Yorkshire revamped it's Beverley Town Services with new routes B1 and B2 - branded Beverley Locals - replacing it's previous 520 and 521 services, plus in part also replacing the Acklams Coaches operated tendered 522.

Service 520 and 521 had each operated hourly Monday to Saturday daytimes off peak from Beverley Sow Hill Bus Station to the Swinemoor Estate, providing a 30 minutes combined frequency. The 520 also served Holme Church Lane and Flemingate, whilst the 521 additionally covered East Riding Community Hospital and Grovehill Road. Meanwhile service 522 served Lincoln Way and Normandy Avenue every hour off peak and during the evening peak; Lincoln Way is now covered by East Yorkshire's 25.

The new B1 operates from Molescroft Butterfly Meadows via the old 122 route to Sow Hill Bus Station, then via the Railway Station, Swinemoor Estate, East Riding Community Hospital and Holme Church Lane replacing the 520 and 521, before serving Hull Road and Lidl and using the relatively new Minster Way (effectively Beverley Southern Bypass) to Morrisons. From Morrisons the B1 routes via Normandy Avenue back to Beverley Bus Station, including serving Armstrong Way for Flemingate and the Railway Station again. The B2 then operates the same in reverse.

The B1 and B2 each operate hourly Monday to Saturday daytimes, reducing to two hourly in the peaks Monday to Friday. There is also an evening service every 90 minutes on each route on Fridays and Saturdays.

Overall the Beverley Locals have a number of positives, but also one negative on the old Beverley Town Network. On the positive side is the new peaktime provision for most areas of the town, and the new evening services on Friday and Saturday. A 2357 last departure from Beverley Bus Station to Molescroft is later than anything from Hull City Centre these days! There are new links to Lidl and Morrisons, and almost all parts of Beverley and Molescroft now have a through bus to the Community Hospital.

The one negative I can see is the Swinemoor Estate Monday to Saturday daytimes - whilst it does still have two buses an hour to and from Beverley Town Centre, it's effectively reduced to one. Taking the Warton Avenue timing point, the direct B2 leaves at 28 minutes past the hour, is timed at Greenwood Avenue at 38 minutes past the hour, then arrives at the Bus Station at 45 minutes past the hour. The indirect B1 leaves Greenwood Avenue at 20 past the hour, Warton Avenue at 30 minutes past the hour, arriving at the Bus Station at 58 minutes past the hour. Unless you turn up at Warton Avenue at 29 minutes past the hour, the indirect service is unlkely to be used for town centre travel. The indirect service is similarly off little use in the opposite direction for travel between Beverley Town Centre and the Swinemoor Estate. In addition most of Grovehill Road is now unserved.

With the introduction of the B1 and B2 to Molescroft, the 122 between Hull, Beverley and Molescroft - currently temporarily suspended due to driver shortages - has been slightly revised. Copandale Road and Scrubwood Lane are now omitted and left to the B1 and B2, with the 122 operating direct via Woodhall Way. Buses towards Molescroft now operate via the entirety of Woodhall Way, with St Lenoard's Road covered by the B2. For Molescroft, the B1 and B2 double their East Yorkshire operated Monday to Saturday daytime service from hourly to twice an hour, but unfortunately with 15 and 45 minute intervals between services.

Spring Bank West Changes

Up to and including Saturday 4th September, East Yorkshire's main services along Spring Bank West in Hull were the 33 and 44; the 33 running from Paragon Interchange in the City Centre to Wold Road and Wymersley Road on the Hull City boundary, and the 44 running from Paragon Interchange to Willerby Road, Kingston Road and Willerby Square. Both operated every 20 minutes Monday to Saturday daytimes to give a combined 10 minute frequency along Spring Bank West. A 3rd service, route 34 - operating as an amalgamation of the 33 and 44 between Paragon Interchange and Willerby Square via Wold Road - came into operation in the early mornings, evenings and Sundays. Monday to Saturday evenings had an hourly 34 and an hourly 44, whilst Sunday daytimes had a half hourly 34 reducing to hourly in the evenings. To add to this, some evening 34 and 44's had a C suffix to operate as a through service on the 63C at Willerby Square.

However on Sunday 5th September, East Yorkshire made major changes (and simplification), with the 33 amalgamated into the existing 56, service 44 renumbered to the 54 and the 34 dropped. The 'C' suffixed services were also replaced by extra evening journeys on service 154. Overall most of the changes here are welcome improvements.

The most headline grabbing change was the 33 being combined into the existing service 56 between Longhill in East Hull and Paragon Interchange to create a new 'cross-city' service from Longhill to Wymersley Road, that also increases the frequency to Wold Road and Wymersley Road Monday to Saturday daytimes from every 20 to every 15 minutes (though since reduced back to every 20 minutes due to driver shortages). Daily evening services are hourly, matching the 34's old provision, with Sunday daytimes operating twice per hour, again matching the 34's provision, but with 20 and 40 minute intervals to co-ordinate with the hourly Sunday daytime 57 service between Longhill and Hull Royal Infirmary. (East Yorkshire's initial announcement mentioned half hourly Sunday 56's so maybe this is a temporary driver shortage related issue - I don't have the initial 5th September timetable to hand?)

There was also a change in route between Paragon Interchange and Spring Bank West, as rather than following the 33's route via Spring Bank, the 56 operates via Hull Royal Infirmary and Albert Avenue; this link was previously provided by the 35 every 90 minutes, so a significant enhancement. Spring Bank retains East Yorkshire service with routes 54, 103 and 104, plus Stagecoach's 3, 3B and 5, so the loss of the 33 is not significant. Similarly the eastern section of Spring Bank West that is not covered by the 56 has the 54 and parts also have Stagecoach's 3 and 3B.

In Hull City Centre, inbound from Longhill the 56 now operates to Paragon Interchange via Carr Lane rather than Bond Street and Albion Street, whilst in the opposite direction, there is a reduction in city centre buses; rather than the 33 operating the city centre loop inbound via Albion Street, Bond Street and Carr Lane, and the 56 also using Albion Street and Bond Street outbound, the new 56 enters Paragon Interchange via Anlaby Road and Ferensway (EDIT not Park Street as originally posted), then serves Albion Street and Bond Street just once, reducing city centre vehicle traffic and with the only loss of connectivity being to Carr Lane.

That is one of the benefits of a 'cross-city' route, along with opening new links between parts of West Hull and East Hull. Part of me does think it is a bit unfortunate though that whilst Longhill has eight (currently reduced to six) buses per hour to Hull Royal Infirmary across the 56 and 57, other parts of East Hull have none, but that's partly the consequence of the split in services between East Yorkshire and Stagecoach, with East Yorkshire being more prominent in West Hull due to neighbouring towns and villages outside the Hull City boundary, whilst Stagecoach are more prominent in East Hull.

The revised 56 had led to the end of service 35. This had operated every 90 minutes Monday to Saturday daytimes between Paragon Interchange, Hull Royal Infirmary, Albert Avenue, Spring Bank West, Wold Road, Wymersley Road, Willerby Road, Kingston Road, Willerby Parkway and Willerby Square. As already mentioned the 56 provides a far more frequent replacement between Hull City Centre and Wymersley Road and the 151 continues to provide an hourly service from Willerby Parkway to Hull Royal Infirmary and Paragon Interchange. Service 154 provides a link every 20 minutes from parts of Kingston Road to Hull Royal Infirmary, and both the 151 and 154 serve Willerby Square. The section of Willerby Road and Kingston Road between Wymersley Road and Willerby Parkway no longer has a direct bus to Hull Royal Infirmary, but sadly a small flow like this won't sustain a service, and passengers can connect to the 56 along Spring Bank West.

Perhaps the most notable loss is the 35A variant that operated twice a day in each direction via Maplewood Avenue, which is dropped without replacement or an alternative being available. This area used to have a 7 day a week service with route 48, operating I think on a 70 minute frequency.

Also worth noting is that service 57 westbound from Longhill to Hessle now serves Paragon Interchange, matching the 56, and helping those making onward connections.

Service 54 is just the 44 renumbered - which does make sense to link with the 56 along Spring Bank West, but also the 154 in Willerby. Monday to Saturday daytime frequency is increased from every 20 to every 15 minutes (though like the 56 currently reduced back down to every 20 minutes), daily evenings are hourly, reduced from half hourly Monday to Saturday across the 34 and 44 previously, though the 154's enhanced evening service does mitigate in Willerby, whilst Sunday daytimes are currently hourly, but were initially promoted as being half hourly, so I presume driver shortage related again. The last service from Paragon Interchange is now earlier Sunday to Thursday at 2235 rather than 2310, but later Friday and Saturday at 2330.

Beverley to Hull Service Reduced

As part of their services changes on Sunday 5th September, East Yorkshire reduced services between Beverley and Hull, with the 'headline frequency' Monday to Saturday daytimes dropping from five to four buses per hour.

The previous arrangements saw an even interval every 15 minutes departure from Beverley to Hull via Woodmansey and Dunswell, and vice versa, comprised of an hourly 121 starting in Bridlington, hourly 122 starting in Molescroft and half hourly 246, one starting in Hornsea and the other operating as a Beverley to Hull 'short'. On top of this was an hourly X46 via the A1079. 

The 121, 122 and X46 continue (the 122 has since been temporarily suspended due to the driver shortage), but the 246 has been replaced by an hourly service on new route 23 between Beverley and Hull via Flemingate, Woodmansey and Dunswell. From Beverley, services to Hull depart at 00, 20, 30 and 50 minutes past the hour, but even interval departures are provided from Hull.

Looking in more detail, a new 0530 121 from Hull Monday to Friday provides a first service 45 minutes earlier than previously available, whilst a new 0640 23 from Beverley Monday to Friday fills a previous one hour gap between 0605 and 0705. There is a new 2230 23 from Beverley Monday to Saturday, filling a two hour gap between 2130 and 2330 towards Hull and providing a one hour later last service from Beverley to Woodmansey and Dunswell Monday to Thursday. Finally the last departure daily from Hull to Beverley moves 10 minutes later from 2300 to 2310.

Cottingham Evening Changes

East Yorkshire revised their evening services between Hull and Cottingham on Sunday 5th September.

Evening Only variant 63C now operates as a normal 63, no longer extending beyond Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham to Willerby. Instead service 154 between Hull, Willerby and Cottingham now operates later, with the last journey leaving Hull Paragon Interchange at 2310 daily rather than 1955 Monday to Saturday and 1655 Sunday, whilst from Castle Hill Hospital the final departure to Hull is now at 2325 daily rather than 2033 Monday to Saturday and 1832 Sunday.

Service 105 is reduced from half hourly to hourly mid-evening onwards Monday to Saturday - post 2010 from Hull and post 2119 from Castle Hill Hospital. However service 104 gains new later evening journeys on a daily basis, operating every hour; the 104's last departure from Hull Paragon Interchange is now at 2240 rather than 1950 Monday to Saturday and 1750 Sunday; from Castle Hill Hospital the final service leaves at 2349 compared to 2038 Monday to Saturday and 1743 Sunday. Service 104 did have hourly mid and late evening 'shorts' between Hull City Centre and Endike Lake Monday to Saturday pre COVID-19.

Saturday nightbus 106 has not yet resumed post COVID-19.

Anlaby and Kirk Ella Evening Cuts

As part of their 5th September service changes, East Yorkshire have cut the evening service to Kirk Ella and the late evening service to Anlaby.

Monday to Saturday, the 1900, 2000, 2100, 2200 and 2255 151's from Hull to Willerby via Anlaby and Kirk Ella have been replaced by extra 152 journeys to Anlaby only at 1840, 1940 and 2040. The last service from Hull to Kirk Ella is now the 1805 service 151, but the change to 152's does introduce a new early and mid evening service to Lowfield Road in Anlaby. In the opposite direction, service 151 departures from Willerby at 1930, 2030, 2130 and 2230 are now service 152 departures from Anlaby (Red Lion) at 1907, 2007 and 2107 only.

Similarly on Sundays, the 1800, 1900, 2000, 2100, 2200 and 2255 152 departures from Hull to Anlaby have been replaced by 1840, 1940 and 2040 services only. From Anlaby (Red Lion) the 1830, 1930, 2030, 2130 and 2230 152 departures to Hull have been reduced to services leaving at 1907, 2007 and 2107.

On their website, East Yorkshire simply said "Some evening journeys will change, to make buses more reliable"; whilst this could explain replacing early and mid evening 151's with shorter 152's, it doesn't cover the withdrawal of the late service entirely. Service 154 does provide an alternative late evening service along Anlaby Road.

East Riding Operator Changes

Various services in the East Riding of Yorkshire changed operators week commencing Monday 6th September, following tendering by East Riding of Yorkshire Council.

The following services passed from York Pullman to East Yorkshire:

• 195: Allerthorpe to Pocklington - Tuesday Only, 1 journey in each direction (Pocklington shoppers service)
• 196: Aughton to York - Thursday Only, 1 journey in each direction (York shoppers service)
• 199: Huggate to Pocklington - Tuesday Only, 1 journey in each direction (Pocklington shoppers service)

The following service passed from Stagecoach to East Yorkshire:

• 242: Hedon to Beverley - Monday to Saturday, 1 journey in each direction (primarily a Beverley shoppers service)

The following services passed from East Yorkshire to Stagecoach:

• 79: Hull to Hedon - The 0700 and 1600 journeys from Hull to Hedon and the 0739 (previously 0740) from Hedon to Hull Monday to Friday Only. Remaining journeys remain operated by East Yorkshire, however the Saturday 0700 from Hull and 0740 from Hedon have been withdrawn (the Saturday 1600 from Hull remains and is still operated by East Yorkshire but retimed to 1550).
• 173: Withernsea to Hull - Saturday Only, 1 journey in each direction (Hull shoppers service)
• 277: Hull to Hedon - The 1644 (retimed from 1639) from Hedon to Hull Monday to Friday Only (on Saturdays East Yorkshire continue to operate a similar timed service, departing Hedon at 1629). All other journeys also continue to be operated by East Yorkshire.

The following service passed from East Yorkshire to Acklams Coaches:

• 180: Beverley to Cottingham - Monday to Saturday, approximately every 90 minutes

Probably as a result of the 242 passing to East Yorkshire, Stagecoach have also withdrawn the 123 from Beverley to Bransholme North Point Shopping Centre via Kingswood Retail Park. This also operated once daily Monday to Saturday and the primary purpose appeared to be to get the 242 vehicle and driver back to Hull rather than wait in Beverley for the return 242 journey - however in the process of doing that, it did offer a Kingswood shoppers service and also extended to Wilberforce College for 'half-day' students during college term times.

121 September Changes

Service 121 between Hull, Beverley, Driffield and Bridlington was included in East Yorkshire's service changes on 5th September, though only with relatively minor alterations being made. The service remains hourly daily daytimes with a limited evening service. In addition to some minor retimings, the key changes were:

• The introduction of a new Monday to Friday only 0530 from Hull to Beverley, 45 minutes earlier than the previous first Hull to Beverley service on the X46, and 60 minutes earlier than the previous first 121. This is probably getting around to reflecting the 2019 closure of Beverley depot, with Hull depot needing to get a bus to Beverley for early morning departures from the County Town, but it is a welcome addition to the timetable.
• The 0705 from Beverley to Hull is withdrawn Monday to Friday, but not on Saturdays, and is replaced by a service 122 journey at 0700 from Beverley.
• The Monday to Friday 0820 Beverley to Bridlington is replaced by a 0725 Hull to Bridlington journey.
• The daily 1835 Hull to Nafferton is withdrawn, apart from the Hull to Beverley section of route on Sundays, leaving a 125 minute gap between the 1730 and 1935 departures from Hull. There is a 1830 X46 from Hull to Beverley Monday to Saturday as an alternative on the southern section of the route.
• The daily 1951 return from Nafferton to Hull has also been removed from the timetable, leaving a similar 2 hour gap, with a 2030 service 23 from Beverley replacing the southern portion of this journey Monday to Saturday; on Sundays the closest replacement is a 2015 X47 from Beverley to Hull.

I will review the Hull to Beverley timetable across all routes in more detail in a future post.

Beverley Parklands Service Withdrawn

Yesterday - Saturday 4th September - Acklams Coaches Beverley Town Service 6 operated for the last time. The 6 was a short route, from Beverley Bus Station via Flemingate, Beckside and Hull Road to Beverley Parklands. Three journeys operated from Beverley Parklands at 0925, 1117 and 1417 Monday to Saturday, with returns at 1105 and 1405. East Yorkshire's 23 serves Flemingate, Beckside and Hull Road every hour Monday to Saturday, with their new B1 and B2 providing two further indirect services per hour to Beverley Town Centre from Hull Road. Beverley Parklands is now however without a bus service.

Introducing East Yorkshire's New Service 25

As part of it's changes to services in the Beverley area, East Yorkshire are introducing new service 25 between Hessle and Hornsea from Sunday 5th September. The 25 is a merger of the current 80 between Hessle, Anlaby, Willerby, Cottingham and Beverley with the Beverley to Hornsea section of the to be withdrawn 246 between Hull, Beverley and Hornsea. At first I thought it a rather odd combination - there's not significant demand for travel between Hessle and Hornsea - but there is some sense to it:

• The 80 is a route which is a bit too long to complete in under an hour, whilst Beverley to Hornsea takes around 45 minutes, a nice combination for a just under two hour journey time each way. 
• The 246 arguably doesn't achieve much as a cross Beverley service Monday to Saturday daytimes with it's current timetable, unless you are catching it in Routh or Tickton villages. From Hornsea waiting for the 240 20 minutes after a 246 gets you into Hull 2 minutes earlier, whilst from Hull the 246 departs just 5 minutes after the 240. For those travelling from the Hornsea area to destinations between Hull and Beverley a new same bus 'cross-Hull' link will be available from the 24 onto the new 23 service. Tickton is being put into the Beverley fare zone, so that's some consolation for the loss of daytime Hull links.
• The 25 does link the Hornsea area to Castle Hill Hospital, and there maybe some limited daytrip demand from Hessle, Anlaby, Willerby and Cottingham to Hornsea in the Summer.

Another key change here is that unlike the 80, the 25 will serve Lincoln Way in Beverley, currently covered by Acklams Beverley Town Service 522. 

Monday to Saturday daytimes the 25 is hourly, matching the current 80 frequency and that off the 246 between Beverley and Hornsea. There is a slight reduction in Monday to Friday morning buses from Hornsea to Beverley, with 246 departures at 0600, 0630, 0720 replaced by 25's at 0605 and 0750, whilst the first bus on Saturdays is later at 0700 rather than 0630. On the positive side, the first bus from Beverley to Hornsea on Saturdays will be at 0735 rather than 0820.

The limited Monday to Saturday evening service provided by the 246 between Beverley and Hornsea continues with the 25, and the 'spirit' of the 246 continues here as some evening 25's operate a 'cross-Beverley' service to Hull, operating as new service 23 between Beverley and Hull. From Hornsea to Beverley the last bus will be at 2150 rather than 1855, but from Beverley Monday to Thursday the last Hornsea departure will be at 2110 rather than 2330. The late departure remains, 10 minutes later at 2340, on Friday and Saturday nights.

As with the 24, some of these morning and evening changes maybe reflecting the closure of Hornsea depot three years ago - since then the timetable indicates a lot of early and late 'dead-running' to and from Hornsea, which from next week will be reduced.

Finally for the first time since 2018, there will be a Sunday Beverley to Hornsea service with the new 25, operating every two hours during the daytime.

The 240 drops it's 0.

Next Sunday - 5th September - East Yorkshire will be renumbering their 240 service between Hornsea and Hull as service 24. 

Times are revised throughout the day, but it remains hourly Monday to Saturday daytimes and at these times operates as a through service in Hull onto Beverley as new route 23. I'd be surprised if this link got much use, given Stagecoach's 4 covers much of the same route within the Hull City boundaries far more frequently, but it does replace the connection from the Hornsea area to Woodmansey, Dunswell and Beverley Road lost with the 246's withdrawal (more on that in a later post). 

Another key change Monday to Saturday daytimes is that the 24 is perfectly co-ordinated with new service 25 between Hornsea and Leven to offer a half hourly service over this section - at present services 240 and 246 (which the 25 replaces over this section) have either 20 or 40 minute intervals between them each hour.

Monday to Saturday mornings the first service from Hull is now at 0630 rather than 0835 and on Saturday mornings the first service from Hornsea to Hull is also earlier at 0630 rather than 0715. Monday to Saturday evenings there is a new 2000 from Hornsea into Hull - currently no service between 1830 and 2155 - but the last service of the day at 2155 is replaced by a service 25 at 2150 via Beverley. Earlier services from Hull and the 2000 from Hornsea are possibly adjusting the timetable - in a good way - to reflect the closure of Hornsea depot 3 years ago, something that wasn't done at the time (there will still need to be some 'out of service' journeys to and from Hornsea with the new timetable, but less than before).

On Sundays there is major enhancement from three to six journeys - a two hourly daytime service - that oddly I've not see East Yorkshire highlight in their publicity for their September service changes. 

X46 and X47 Changes

From Sunday 5th September, East Yorkshire's X46 and X47 services, from Hull to York via Beverley, Market Weighton and Pocklington, will have a revised route in York City Centre. Rather than operate the 'direct' route via Piccadilly, they will instead serve James Street (same as the service 8 Park and Ride inbound route) and The Stonebow before crossing the River Ouse to the Station. Services from York Station will also pick up at Clifford Street before The Stonebow. East Yorkshire's announcement state this is to avoid 'congestion around the old Piccadilly stop'. One advantage now for Pocklington to York passengers is that both the 45+46 service group and the X46+X47 services all serve The Stonebow rather than being split between there and Piccadilly.

Many journeys are also slightly retimed. Notably Monday to Saturday the 0720 from Beverley to Hull now starts back in Pocklington at 0635 (0640 Sat), providing a first service 35 minutes earlier from Pocklington than currently available (1 hour earlier on Saturdays). In the opposite direction, the 1810 from Hull to Beverley becomes an extended 1830 Hull to Pocklington service.

New Hedon Town Service

On Wednesday 14th July, a new Hedon Town Service, numbered as route 84, commenced for a six month pilot. The service is operated by Holderness Area Rural Transport (HART) on Wednesdays - Hedon Market Day. Service 84 is initially being funded by East Riding of Yorkshire Council, with Hedon Town Council potentially funding any continuation beyond the pilot period.

There are two journeys around Hedon, one in the morning and another early afternoon. The route covers Magdalen Lane, the Inmans Estate, St Anthony's Park, St Nicholas Gate, Acklam Road, then a 'double run' via Thorn Road and Cleeve Road to Cromwell Road and back, before serving Haven Basin Road, Sheriff Highway, the Westlands Estate and Hedon Town Centre. A full route map and timetable is available here.

The 84 will be interworked with HART's CB3 service from Roos and Burton Pidsea to Hedon, Preston and Asda Bilton.

Wren Kitchens Shift Changes lead to Bus Service Changes

Back on Monday 14th June, Stagecoach amended services 250, 255 and 350 - plus introduced new service 355 - in response to revised shift times at Wren Kitchens in Barton. There were some further changes on 21st and 27th June, creating the provision described as below. Whilst the changes are primarily for the benefit of Wren Kitchens staff, they do have some positives and negatives for other travellers. 

The 250 Humber Flyer between Hull, Barton, Grimsby and Cleethorpes is least changed, and between Barton and Cleethorpes is unchanged at all. The only amendment has been to alter the Monday to Saturday 0723 Barton to Hull 'short' to operate as a service 255 instead, omitting Barton Interchange, Butts Road and Pasture Road, though removing the anomaly of this 250 journey operating a different route around Barton compared to every other service 250 journey.

Service 255 between Hull, Barton Market Place and Wren Kitchens is unsurprisingly the most altered. Starting with Monday to Saturdays from Hull:

• The 0450 from the Beverley Road/Clough Road junction to Wren Kitchens now starts back in North Bransholme at 0420, operating via the 2/10 route to North Point then as per the service 7/8 route via Sutton Park to Beverley Road. This provides a first departure from North Bransholme into Hull 5 minutes earlier than the first service 2 at 0425. From North Point on the route via Sutton Park, the 0435 departure is significantly earlier than the first service 8 at 0553.
• The 0550 from the Beverley Road/Clough Road junction to Wren Kitchens continues to operate, as does the 0805 from Paragon Interchange to Wren Kitchens.
• The 1410 from Beverley Road/Clough Road to Wren Kitchens has been withdrawn - this along with a couple of later afternoon changes removes the last elements of the 15 minute frequency between Hull and Barton introduced by Stagecoach in 2019, but withdrawn when COVID-19 hit and never restored beyond when needed for Wren Kitchens shift changes. Hopefully this returns in the future.
• The Monday to Friday 1550 from Paragon Interchange to Wren Kitchens now starts from Beverley Road/Clough Road at 1530, leaving Paragon Interchange at 1545.
• The Saturday only 1630 from Paragon Interchange to Wren Kitchens is withdrawn.
• The 1730 from Paragon Interchange to Wren Kitchens is now replaced by a 1645 from Beverley Road/Clough Road, unfortunately leaving Paragon Interchange at 1700, the same time as a service 250.
• The 1830 from Paragon Interchange to Wren Kitchens continues to operate.
• The 2330 from Paragon Interchange to Wren Kitchens is withdrawn, leaving the last service from Hull to Barton being at 2020 - this is another disappointing element of the change, driven by Wren Kitchens no longer having a midnight shift end. Hopefully the pre COVID-19 service 350 evening service gets reinstated soon, including a 2330 from Hull on Saturdays.

In the reverse direction from Wren Kitchens in Barton Monday to Saturday:

• The Monday to Thursday 0350 from Wren Kitchens to Beverley Road/Clough Road now operates at 0335 - I would have thought this service operated Tuesday to Friday mornings based on the job adverts I have seen for the 1645-0330 shift at Wren being Monday to Thursday, but Stagecoach's timetable suggests otherwise.
• There is a new 0620 from Wren Kitchens to Beverley Road/Clough Road, providing a 12 minute earlier first arrival into Paragon Interchange than previously available from Barton (ignoring the above very earlier journey!).
• There is a new 0720 from Wren Kitchens to Paragon Interchange, replacing a service 250 journey as noted earlier.
• The 0848 from Wren Kitchens to Paragon Interchange now operates at 0850.
• The 1550 from Wren Kitchens to Beverley Road/Clough Road is withdrawn.
• The 1710 from Wren Kitchens to Beverley Road/Clough Road no longer operates on Saturdays.
• There is a new 1750 from Wren Kitchens to Beverley Road/Clough Road, which along with a service 350 change provides a service from Wren for 1730 finishers.
• The 1920 from Wren Kitchens to Beverley Road/Clough Road continues to operate.
• The 0020 from Wren Kitchens to Beverley Road/Clough Road is withdrawn.

Sundays see a very significant increase in services on route 255, in part probably driven by no service 250 and fewer service 350's providing little opportunity to divert existing services via Wren Kitchens.

The 0450 from Beverley Road/Clough Road to Wren Kitchens is extended to start at North Bransholme at 0420 as per all other days of the week, providing a service 3 hours 55 minutes before the first service 2A of the day from North Bransholme. There are then new journeys at 0550 from Beverley Road/Clough Road to Wren Kitchens, and at 0805 from Paragon Interchange. Later in the day there is a new 1500 from Beverley Road/Clough Road to Wren Kitchens, which unfortunately leaves Paragon Interchange just 15 minutes before a 350 to Barton. However following this is one of the biggest improvements to the Hull to Barton service, new journeys from Paragon Interchange to Wren Kitchens at 1630, 1700, 1730 and 1830, the 1700 starting back at Beverley Road/Clough Road at 1645. The 350 has a three hour gap on Sundays between 1530 and 1830, so the 1630, 1700 and 1730 are very welcome additions to the timetable.

From Wren Kitchens on Sundays there are new morning departures at 0620, 0720 and 0850, the first of which operates to Beverley Road/Clough Road, the latter two terminating at Paragon Interchange. The first Sunday morning service from Barton Market Place to Paragon Interchange was previously at 0953, so another gain for the wider public here. There are then later new journeys from Wren Kitchens at 1610, 1723, 1750 and 1820, the first two terminating at Paragon Interchange, the latter two extending to Beverley Road/Clough Road. The 1920 from Wren Kitchens to Beverley Road/Clough Road continues to operate.

Moving onto Humber Fastcat service 350 and the core Monday to Saturday half hourly daytime pattern is unchanged, with alterations focused around peak times Monday to Saturday. Monday to Friday only, the 0815 from Scunthorpe is retimed to 0755 and diverted via Wren Kitchens in Barton, whilst the 1545 from Scunthorpe also diverts via Wren Kitchens Monday to Friday only. Monday to Saturday, the 1645 from Scunthorpe is retimed to 1655 and diverted via Wren Kitchens, whilst from Hull the 1745 to Scunthorpe diverts via Wren Kitchens and the 1825 is retimed to 1835 and also diverted via Wren Kitchens.

Finally limited new service 355 has been added between Scunthorpe and Wren Kitchens in Barton, following the 350 route between Scunthorpe and Barton Market Place. From Scunthorpe Bus Station there is a daily 0455, plus an extra 1655 on Sundays - this later service also fills a gap in service 350 departures between 1510 and 1810. From Barton Wren Kitchens the 355 operates to Scunthorpe at 0335 Monday to Thursday, 0620 Monday, Saturday and Sunday, 1710 Monday to Friday, plus 1820 and 1920 on Sundays. It is a shame the 0620 doesn't operate Tuesday to Friday as well, as it provides a potentially useful 36 minute earlier first arrival into Scunthorpe compared to the 350. 

Interestingly whenever I see the 0455 on weekdays, it is often operated by an Enviro 400 MMC, so I suspect maybe operated by Hull depot, running out of service to Barton for the 0335 to Scunthorpe, then the 0455 back to Barton and out of service back over the bridge.

In terms of the bigger picture, it's great that Stagecoach and Wren are working together to get more staff using buses. Sometimes it helps the wider Hull to Barton or Barton to Scunthorpe provision, sometimes not, but I'm sure overall it's strengthening the 'corridor'. Even with the end of social distancing, certain 255 journeys are needing a duplicate double decker to cater for demand.

(Not worth a separate post, but also good to see two new bus stops installed on Falkland Way in Barton, outside the Wren Kitchens entrance but also serving the new housing estate opposite).

Return of the Withernsea Town Service

Last month, on Monday 5th July, a new Withernsea Town Service was introduced. Service 70 is operated by East Hull Community Transport on behalf of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, financed by central government bus funding and the council's leisure service. It is the first town service in Withernsea since the previous service was cut in April 2018 during cutbacks to tendered bus services in the East Riding. Service 70 operates on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays every hour around the town during the morning and early afternoon, with later afternoon journeys on Wednesdays only to coincide with activities at Withernsea Leisure Centre.

Stagecoach 99 to Bridlington returns

Stagecoach's part-positioning, part day-out, route 99 between Hull and Bridlington resumed today, 24th July, for a short two month operating season until 26th September. Operating weekends and school holidays, departures leave Hull Paragon Interchange at 0815, 0945 and 1145, returning from Bridlington Bus Station at 1725 and 2045. This is somewhat scaled back from 2019 when the 99 operated daily from 6th April to 3rd November with between three and five journeys in each direction, but it's good to see the service resume.

Megabus replaces the X62

In June, Stagecoach commenced a new Megabus link between Hull and Leeds, mostly as part of various longer journeys. Taken from bustimes.org timetables, there are either four or five journeys each day, spaced over the whole day and suitable for commuting as well as leisure - although I suspect I've missed a Tuesday and Wednesday journey from Leeds in the below:

From Hull Paragon Interchange

0700 M15 (Not Sunday), extends beyond Leeds to London via Manchester, Birmingham, Reading and Heathrow Airport

0900 M36 (Saturday Only)

0935 M12 (Not Saturday), starts at the University of Hull at 0900 and extends beyond Leeds to London via Meadowhall and Leicester Fosse Park

1155 M36 (Tuesday, Wednesday only)

1215 M36 (Not Tuesday and Wednesday), extends beyond Leeds to Bristol via Manchester, Manchester Airport and Birmingham

1515 M36, starts at the University of Hull at 1445, and extends beyond Leeds (apart from Tuesday and Wednesday) to Coventry via Manchester, Newcastle Under Lyme and Birmingham

1745 M36, operates via Goole Airmyn Road and extends beyond Leeds to Manchester

From Leeds City Bus Station

0705 M36 (Not Sunday), operates via Goole Airmyn Road and extends to the University of Hull Monday to Friday only

1010 M36, starts from Manchester

1240 M36, starts from Cardiff (Not Tuesday and  Wednesday), operating via Bristol (starting point on Tuesday and Wednesday), Birmingham and Manchester, and extends to the University of Hull

1610 M36 (Not Tuesday and Wednesday), starts from Bristol, operating via Birmingham, Newcastle Under Lyme and Manchester

1735 M12, starts from London Friday and Sunday only, operating via Leicester Fosse Park and Meadowhall - otherwise commences in Leeds - and extends to the University of Hull on all days of the week

Journey times between Hull and Leeds are 75 minutes off peak. As can be seen, the new Megabus links also serve the student market at the University of Hull, where Megabus may have an advantage over the train or National Express in that students can board at the University rather than needing to travel into the City Centre.

A 'short' market (for a coach service) between Hull and Leeds - and even more so between Hull and Goole - isn't one I'd necessarily associate with Megabus. Other than when they initially started, in England at least, Megabus has largely focused on longer distance markets. Whilst most journeys do form part of a longer distance network, there are also some shorter workings, a Goole diversion at commuting times and some of the longer distance destinations offered are 'one-directional', indicating end to end demand isn't the primary target.

What seems to be happening here is an attempt to combine some off Stagecoach's X62 passenger base between Hull and Leeds, with some longer distance demand from Hull (hence the use of Megabus over a 'short distance') plus an attempt to get some Hull commuter traffic. As per the Stagecoach East Midlands twitter feed last month, the X62 isn't coming back now the new Megabus services have started. It was suspended in March 2020 due to COVID-19 and never resumed.

The X62 offered three journeys between Hull and Leeds Monday to Friday, four on Saturdays and two on Sundays, with a timetable focused on serving the Junction 32 retail and leisure complex and Leeds daytrippers. End to end journey times were just under two hours due to serving North Ferriby, Brough, Goole Airmyn Road, Eggborough and Junction 32 en-route.

Megabus provides a better timetable between Hull and Leeds, with notably faster journey times, but for the intermediate destinations the X62 is essentially withdrawn without replacement (as Megabus in Goole is aimed at the Hull commuter market instead). Brough has the train to Leeds as an alternative (but Goole's train to Junction 32 and Leeds is also aimed at commuters rather than daytrippers). I'm surprised Junction 32 isn't being served by Megabus as it would 'double up' as a 'parkway' type stop for Castleford and Pontefract, plus is located just of the M62, so would only be a minor diversion.

A new service for Hessle, North Ferriby and Swanland

A new service started in the East Riding of Yorkshire this week - the 150 - restoring links from North Ferriby and Swanland to Hessle. The 150 is operated by East Yorkshire and is funded by East Riding of Yorkshire Council. 

In more detail, the service operates from Hessle Sainsburys to Hessle Square then serves Hessle Cemetery Corner, Barrow Road and Ferriby Road before operating a large one-way loop via Ferriby High Road, North Ferriby Station, Melton Business Park, North Ferriby High Street, Swanland, the A164 and Heads Lane back to Hessle Ferriby Road and as per the outbound route to Sainsburys. An hourly service, with lunch break, is provided Tuesday and Thursday, mornings and early afternoon (four journeys to and four journeys from Hessle).

The North Ferriby and Swanland to Sainsbury's link is new, or at least hasn't been provided for many years. The link to Hessle Square from the two villages hasn't been available since the 180 was withdrawn in early May 2018; albeit North Ferriby did also have an all day service to Ferriby Road in Hessle, on the very outskirts of the town centre, until 2nd January this year. For the section of route via North Ferriby Station, this means their non-schools bus service goes from three to five days a week - the 143 providing a Beverley link on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Whilst the main focus seems to be on North Ferriby and Swanland, the 150 also provides some useful links in Hessle, such as Barrow Lane to Sainsburys.

Hopefully the 150 does well, as it fills in some gaps not covered by the 'core' network in the area.

Stagecoach halve Scunthorpe Sunday Daytime Town Service

With effect from Sunday 4th July, Stagecoach are reducing the Sunday daytime frequency of Scunthorpe's only Sunday Town Service, circular route 1A. The 1A will reduce from half hourly to hourly in each direction. One small positive however, is that the first clockwise service will depart Scunthorpe Bus Station at 0830 rather than 0900.

Times of other journeys on services 1 and 1A are also slightly revised from the same date.

Alford gains a second Tuesday bus to Grimsby

Grayscroft Coaches Tuesday 'Shopper' Service 28 from Sandilands to Grimsby, via Sutton on Sea, Mablethorpe and Louth returns on Tuesday 20th April, after being suspended due to COVID-19. Upon restarting it will be extended to start and finish in Alford, operating via Bilsby and Markby to Sandilands, before picking up it's existing route. 

Both Alford and Bilsby have a faster and more direct alternative to Grimsby on Tuesdays, with Hunts Coaches service 44, so only for Markby is this a new Grimsby link. The 28's Alford extension does complement the main 96A service between Mablethorpe and Alford for local travel, but I wonder if it's primary purpose is to reduce 'dead-running' for interworked Alford schools services? Whatever the reason, it's a minor improvement so welcome news.

Bridlington to Flamborough Summer Improvements

On Sunday 18th April, East Yorkshire will commence an hourly Sunday daytime service on route 14 between Bridlington and Flamborough, operating until Sunday 31st October. The timetable matches the Monday to Saturday year round provision, minus the first two morning services in each direction.

The Beachcomber Blue open top service between Bridlington and Flamborough also returns from Saturday 17th April to Sunday 31st October - an extended season compared to 2019 which operated from 25th May to 1st September. Beachcomber Blue operates every weekend and school holiday. Rather than providing the previous two hourly service that also extends beyond Bridlington Town Centre to John Bull World of Rock, the Beachcomber Blue will instead operate hourly between Bridlington and Flamborough, providing a half hourly frequency with service 14. Be aware though, to benefit from the 30 minute frequency, the East Yorkshire publicity leaflet implies you need a Beachcomber day ticket (£5 adult or £3 child and concessions) rather than a standard return ticket (£4 adult or £2 under 16) that is restricted to service 14. 

Clearly these changes are designed to attract Summer tourists, but may also be useful for locals, particularly the Sunday daytime 14. 

North Lincolnshire Retendering and Changing Fortunes

Two previously Hornsby Travel operated North Lincolnshire Council tenders have passed to Stagecoach. Service 90 between Scunthorpe and Crowle made the switch on Thursday 1st April, whilst service 35 between Scunthorpe and Amcotts was operated by Hornsby for the final time yesterday (Saturday 3rd April), before Stagecoach take over on Tuesday (6th April). Both routes continue on the same timetable with Stagecoach that Hornsby had been operating.

A few years ago, Stagecoach's 'out of town' services from Scunthorpe were limited to the Interconnect 100 (& 101) to Gainsborough and Lincoln, 103 Cliffsider to Lincoln, 350 Humber Fastcat to Hull and the evening peak 399 to Westwoodside. However through tender wins from Hornsby it has added the 4's Sunday service to Brigg, the 60 to Whitton and now the 35 and 90. Whilst Hornsby, East Yorkshire and Isle Coaches still have a presence, Stagecoach have clearly  become the main 'out of town' operator in Scunthorpe again.

Hornsby on the other hand have contracted their 'out of town' and non-Scunthorpe services. In addition to the tender losses to Stagecoach, they have also lost the North Lincolnshire demand responsive service to East Yorkshire and have a reduced network in the Brigg area due to council cutbacks. What is left is now limited to the 4 and X4 to Brigg (and Barnetby on the X4) plus the Barton and Brigg Town Services (and some school and college routes).

Service 1C returns

After a retendering exercise by Hull City Council, East Yorkshire operated services 21 and 51 were withdrawn on Saturday 27th February, and replaced by Stagecoach operated services 1C and 5A on Monday 1st March.

Service 21 had operated between Hull Paragon Interchange, Wilberforce Drive, Freetown Way, Caroline Street, Cannon Street, Bridlington Avenue, Fountain Road, Beverley Road, Mizzen Road, Compass Road and Kingswood Retail Park. The 21 operated every 90 minutes off peak Monday to Saturday increasing to hourly at peaktimes, but omitting Kingswood.

Meanwhile service 51 linked Hull Paragon Interchange, Hull Royal Infirmary, Rawling Way, Hessle Road, Boulevard, Selby Street, St Georges Road, Hessle Road, Hawthorn Avenue, Boothferry Road, Fiveways, Pickering Road, Anlaby Road, Anlaby Park Road North and Sibelius Road. The 51 operated every 90 minutes Monday to Saturday daytimes, peak and off peak.

The principle replacement for the 21 and 51 is the Monday to Saturday offpeak 1C, which apart from some variations in Hull City Centre and not serving Kingswood, is a merger of the 21 and 51; not serving Kingswood is unfortunate but would require either a lower frequency or increased vehicle requirement. In Hull City Centre the 1C operates from Sibelius Road direct to Paragon Interchange then as per the 51 route, whilst from Mizzen Road the 1C operates from Alfred Gelder Street via Carr Lane, not serving Bond Street or Paragon Interchange. The 1C number has been used before between Sibelius Road and Compass Road (and Kingswood), back in EYMS days, although arguably in West Hull the current 1C routing has more in common with Stagecoach's service 2 than service 1.

Service 1C operates every two hours but with some extra journeys, departures from Sibelius Road are at 0900, 1000 (to Paragon Interchange only), 1100 and 1300 along with an extra 1435 from Paragon Interchange to Compass Road. From Mizzen Road the 1C departs at 0900, 1000, 1200 and 1400. The 1C requires one vehicle all day and a second first thing in the morning and again mid-afternoon, a reduction from the 21 and 51 each requiring a vehicle all day.

There is no peak time replacement for the 21 along Bridlington Avenue, or for the 51. Parts of the 51 route along Rawling Way, Hessle Road, Boothferry Road, Anlaby Road and Anlaby Park Road are served by other services, and some other sections of route are within walking distance of these roads. Mizzen Road and Compass Road are served by new service 5A, which is a variant of existing service 5 'shorts' between Hull and Orchard Park extending to Compass Road rather than Orchard Park Tesco. Based on the 8th March timetable, departures leave Paragon Interchange at 0730, 1534, 1634 and 1734 Monday to Friday and 0730, 1533, 1633 and 1733 Saturdays. From Mizzen Road the 5A departs at 0715 and 0810 Monday to Friday and 0713 and 0803 Saturdays. 

The 5A appears to use 'slack' in peaktime timetables to serve Compass Road without increasing the peak vehicle requirement. Sadly such 'slack' does not appear to be available off peak at the moment, as in order to serve Mizzen Road and Compass Road, Hull City Council are subsidising the 1C along most of Beverley Road that is otherwise very well served by commercial routes. This subsidy could be used instead to increase frequency between Sibelius Road and Bridlington Avenue, or to serve unserved or underserved roads such as North Road and Askew Avenue in West Hull.

Overall, whilst there maybe hourly rather than 90 minute frequencies for parts of the day and there is through connectivity provided from Beverley Road to Hull Royal Infirmary, these changes are a reduction in service. Hull City Council were considering reducing services to 4 days a week however, so it could have been worse.

New East Hull Services 40 and 41

Hull City Council tendered service 50 was withdrawn after operation on Saturday 27th February, following around 25 years of operation across various routes, but always including Hull City Centre and East Hull. It was initially numbered service 70 and also briefly had a spell as service 58. The 50 latterly was operated by East Yorkshire and linked Hull Paragon Interchange, Holderness Road Shops, Laburnum Avenue, James Reckitt Avenue, Ings Road, Maybury Road, Jalland Lodge, Maybury Road again, Broadway Drive and Holderness Road Morrisons. Four journeys were provided in each direction on a 90 minute frequency Monday to Saturday mornings and early afternoon.

Following retendering the contract was won by Stagecoach and two new services were introduced as a replacement - 40 and 41. I say replacement, but the 40 doesn't do much to replace the 50, rather it reinstates useful links that haven't been provided recently.

The 40 operates as a circular from Holderness Road Morrisons. Going anti clockwise it serves Ings Road, Cavendish Road, Lambwath Road, James Reckitt Avenue (Garden Village), Mount Pleasant and Holderness Road shops. There are four anti-clockwise and three clockwise journeys Monday to Saturday daytimes. The section of Ings Road between James Reckitt Avenue and Cavendish Road has been unserved apart from the 677 Cranswick Foods workers service since the 9 was withdrawn early in the COVID-19 pandemic last year, whilst Lambwath Road has been unserved since then. The section of James Reckitt Avenue served by the 40 also has service 12a, but unlike the 12a, the 40 offers links to the main Holderness Road shopping area and to Morrisons, so has a clear purpose alongside the 12a.

The 41 also operates from Holderness Road Morrisons, via Portobello Street to Broadway Drive then back onto Portobello Street and as per service 14 before replacing the 50 along parts of Staveley Road, Marfleet Lane (Jalland Lodge), Maybury Road and Broadway Drive back to Morrisons. An hourly service is provided Monday to Saturday daytimes, with one 90 minute gap. For Jalland Lodge, Maybury Road and Broadway Drive, through links to Hull City Centre and Holderness Road shops have been traded for increased frequency and a slightly later afternoon service - connections are available to other services on Holderness Road.

The section of James Reckitt Avenue between Ings Road and Gillshill Road is now unserved, as is Laburnum Avenue. James Reckitt Avenue passengers will need to walk to either Ings Road, the stops near the James Reckitt Avenue and Gillshill Road junction, or through East Park to Holderness Road. Laburnum Avenue passengers will need to walk to James Reckitt Avenue or Holderness Road for alternative services.

There are clearly a few positives here, probably more than the negatives. Maybe the 50 could have been retained on a Saturday though, with the 40 and 41 operating weekdays only. That would have avoided any roads becoming unserved and retain all previously provided through links. My other suggestion would be that as the combined 40 and 41 timetable has 17 minutes layover per hour, the 40 could perhaps make a 'double run' along currently unserved Chamberlain Road, using the roundabout at the junction with Stoneferry Road to turnaround - something the 50 and 70 used to do earlier in their history.

JustGo

Back on Monday 7th September 2020, the mostly demand responsive CallConnect service in North Lincolnshire was largely replaced by new fully demand responsive service, JustGo. CallConnect had operated in North Lincolnshire in partnership with Lincolnshire County Council, whose brand it is, with most services being operated by Hornsby Travel. JustGo is operated by East Yorkshire from their Elloughton depot and I presume the change is down to a routine retendering exercise by North Lincolnshire Council. JustGo operates Monday to Saturday daytimes, as with CallConnect.

JustGo has some important differences from CallConnect however. CallConnect requires registration and then for journeys to be booked by phone or on their website (an app has just been introduced in the Gainsborough area however). JustGo on the other hand has had an app available since launch in September, with phone booking also available. CallConnect was pay on bus, whereas JustGo has app or phone payments. Concessionary passes can be registered on the JustGo app or by phone when booking. 

With CallConnect, North Lincolnshire was divided into zones, with no travel possible from one zone to another. JustGo has done away with these divisions, making journeys such as Saxby to Scunthorpe Hospital possible, although it has added some new divides. 

Initially JustGo was quite simple - travel anywhere within rural North Lincolnshire or to and from, but not within, the Scunthorpe, Ashby and Bottesford urban area. One problem with that - the potential to abstract revenue from, and undermine, frequent commercial timetabled services. See the example here of it initially being possible to book a journey from Scunthorpe to Brigg despite an hourly commercial service being provided by Hornsby Travel (and an extra subsidised service every two hours). So a few weeks after launch, four more zones were added, in which travel exclusively within them is prohibited - Scunthorpe to Barton, Scunthorpe to Brigg, Scunthorpe to Messingham and Barton to Ulceby. As with the Scunthorpe Urban area, travel in and out of these zones is allowed, and they are fairly tightly defined around the routes of timetabled services, so whilst Scunthorpe Town Centre is included, Scunthorpe Hospital isn't. Therefore Winterton to Scunthorpe Bus Station by JustGo quite rightly isn't allowed as there is a half hourly timetabled bus instead, but Winterton to Scunthorpe Hospital, not otherwise possible without a connection, sensibly is permitted. 

I do wonder if these additional zones are a downside of apps and automation? A person with knowledge of the bus network could use that knowledge to direct travellers onto a timetabled service if available - I presume that is what CallConnect did - whereas for an app to do so presumably requires some IT work?

Whilst the FAQ section of the JustGo website doesn't allude to this, the rural area of North Lincolnshire served by JustGo does stretch slightly beyond the council boundary according to the JustGo website map. Immingham - nearest town for villages like South Killingholme - and Habrough - rail connections available - in North East Lincolnshire are included, as are Brocklesby, Great Limber and Keelby in Lincolnshire County Council's area - possibly 'compensation' to Great Limber for the 250 being rerouted away to replace a North Lincolnshire Council tendered service? Brigg Garden Centre, technically also in Lincolnshire County Council's area is included and Blaxton in South Yorkshire is also covered, providing connections onto First service 57f to Doncaster. These are all sensible extensions beyond the North Lincolnshire boundary. Could Misterton in Nottinghamshire be another worthwhile extension, for bus connections to Gainsborough and Retford? Maybe Doncaster Sheffield Airport as well for employment links?

CallConnect in North Lincolnshire used to provide some timetabled services, with the demand responsive bus 'borrowed' to operate a scheduled service. These were:

• 55: Santon-Appleby-Dragonby-Scunthorpe - Friday Only
• 58: Wroot-Sandtoft-Epworth - Friday Only
• 59: Wroot-Blaxton - Monday to Friday
• 260: Goxhill-New Holland-Barrow-Barton - Saturday Only

Each operated one journey in each direction, designed for shopping purposes, but were withdrawn with the start of JustGo. Aside from schools and college services, the villages and hamlets of Appleby, Sandtoft, Santon and Wroot no longer have a timetabled bus service, whilst Dragonby residents need to walk to the A1077. The 260 has a weekday service operated by Stagecoach; much of Barrow additionally has the 250 to Barton (plus Hull, Grimsby and Cleethorpes) whilst Goxhill and New Holland have a rail service to Barton (and Grimsby and Cleethorpes) as an alternative, albeit the stations are only conveniently sited for parts of each village - likewise Barton station is only well located for some shops in Barton Town Centre.

These withdrawals are disappointing. I wonder if they are down to the lack of cash handling on JustGo vehicles? Borrowing a demand responsive vehicle seems like a good way to provide a 'no pre-booking required' timetabled service when no other financially sensible options are available.

JustGo hasn't quite meant the end of CallConnect in North Lincolnshire. As happened before North Lincolnshire Council got involved with CallConnect, the Lincolnshire County Council service extends into North Lincolnshire where sensible. The Caistor CallConnect service area includes Brigg, Barnetby, Hibaldstow and Humberside Airport, for shopping, rail links, doctors and employment, as well as Cadney and Howsham villages. The Gainsborough CallConnect includes Kirton in Lindsey, which acts as the local small town for some villages in the Lincolnshire County Council area.

Significant Improvements for Hull Marina and Humber View

East Yorkshire service 178 between Hull Paragon Interchange, Hull Marina, the western part of South Bridge Road (Humber View sheltered housing) and Hull Paragon Interchange was withdrawn at the end of January after just four weeks of operation. The 178 had operated every 1-2 hours Monday to Saturday daytimes. Replacement came in the form of amended Stagecoach services 16 and 20 on Monday 8th February.

Service 16 between Hull Paragon Interchange, Victoria Dock, Mount Pleasant Asda and the Preston Road Estate now makes a short detour in each direction via Humber View. The 16 continues to provide an hourly Monday to Saturday service, so for the western part of South Bridge Road this is a frequency enhancement and comes with a link to Asda as well. The area is within walking distance, at least without bags of shopping, of the City Centre and alternative services, so I can only imagine it's Humber View that is generating demand here.

Service 20 - Priory Park Park and Ride - has replaced the 178 in the Marina area. Previously it had looped around the city centre from Anlaby Road via Ferensway, Albion Street, Bond Street, George Street, Wilberforce Drive, Alfred Gelder Street and Carr Lane back to Anlaby Road. Now from Bond Street the 20 operates in the opposite direction along Alfred Gelder Street then serves the Marina area before routing direct to Paragon Interchange via Castle Street and Ferensway. From Paragon Interchange the 20 returns to Anlaby Road via Park Street. Service 20 continues to operate every 20 minutes Monday to Saturday.

The 20's new route provides a vastly improved frequency between the Ferensway and St Stephen's area of the city centre and the Marina area, as well as a park and ride service for the Marina area without having to walk to Alfred Gelder Street or Carr Lane. It also provides an extra three buses per hour from Paragon Interchange to Hull Royal Infirmary that are direct and don't operate via the city centre loop. However it does come with the drawback of longer journey times from parts of the city centre - Monument Bridge (between Alfred Gelder Street and Carr Lane) to Priory Park was timed for 15 minutes previously, but Alfred Gelder Street to Priory Park is now 28 minutes. Additionally George Street, Wilberforce Drive and Carr Lane are now unserved, though fairly close to alternative stops on Alfred Gelder Street, or in the case of the western end of Carr Lane, at Paragon Interchange.