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Service 10 between Hull Paragon Interchange, North Point Shopping Centre, North Bransholme and Wawne was withdrawn; the 10 had operated half hourly Monday to Saturday daytimes.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).