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.
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Can't see this service lasting very long, caught the 10.10 from Leeds and 17.45 from Hull and both journeys had penny numbers, the diversion on the 17.45 via Goole produced not one alighter or border. Additionally, timings on the journey that goes on to become the 17.45 are far too tight, as that arrived at 17.50 with a stressed out driver!
As a side note, I'm really not surprised people aren't flocking in large numbers into Hull as Hull looks to have had it's day! The two museums I went to had penny numbers, as well as the Art Gallery. The main shopping area around the waterfront was dead (this was at 2.30pm!) and the only place that saw any life was the new shopping centre by the bus station, and even that wasn't that full compared to Leeds. I have to say that the millions spent on city of culture have in effect been wasted, if Leeds and Manchester can see a big recovery after Covid on a normal weekday, why can't Hull? The millions spent tarting up Old Town have produced nothing but quiet streets! As a tax payer who has no doubt contributed to this scheme somehow, this is not on, so if Hull ever puts in a bid for anything else, I'll campaign like mad via my local MP for it to be stopped! I came back to Leeds around 7.30pm and it was teaming with life, on a Monday in the cold! I bet hull teams with err nothing! Talking of nothing, don't visit Paull on a Monday, what a dead dead dead place! No shops, pubs shut, wind swept, cold, Fort Paull shut and not even the church open! What a frigging awful 90 mins apart from the view!
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