Cutbacks West of Hull (with some Saturday enhancements)

In a significant set of cutbacks, from Sunday 10th April, East Yorkshire have cancelled service X5 between Hull and Goole, the Sunday service 55 between Hull and Gilberdyke and their commercial Monday to Saturday journeys on the 55 between Elloughton and Goole. Thankfully East Riding of Yorkshire Council have funded an off peak replacement for the latter cut, which comes with a small Saturday enhancement at the Goole end of the route. 

Starting with the X5, it's been a five journey a day (four on Saturday) Monday to Saturday coach service between Hull and Goole via Brough, Elloughton, the B1230 (serving the edge of Gilberdyke) and Howden, introduced last January. With the benefit of hindsight, not the best time to start a new service! It's axe now is being blamed on 'low levels of usage'. I'm not surprised. Whilst COVID-19 won't have helped at all, I was never wholly convinced about the merits of the X5 in the first place, especially west of Elloughton, due to the greater frequency and speed on the train from both Goole and Gilberdyke into Hull. 

Moving onto the 55, and Monday to Saturday there is very little change between Hull and Elloughton where an hourly service remains. The residual 155 variation via Anlaby, Hessle Cemetery Corner and in some instances Brantingham, on weekdays for certain early morning and late afternoon journeys is withdrawn and replaced by 'standard' 55's via Boothferry Road in Hull and Hessle, apart from the 0610 from Hull Paragon Interchange, which is renumbered to service 55A. Service 156 remains for South Hunsley School passengers.

Between Elloughton, South Cave, North Cave, Newport and Gilberdyke the off peak service remains hourly, but all peak journeys are withdrawn apart from one morning service to Goole. From Elloughton services depart for Gilberdyke at 0725, then hourly from 0955 to 1455, whilst from Gilberdyke departures are hourly from 0930 to 1530, then 1640. The first arrival into Hull from west of Elloughton is at 1048, with the last return at 1400. Even the 1810 from Hull to South Cave and 1906 return is truncated at Elloughton despite there still being time to run to South Cave and back - presumably unable to cover the marginal costs.

The new timetable does still allow travel from Gilberdyke, Newport, North Cave and South Cave into Brough, for example to visit Morrisons, and just about offers a usable shopping service to Hull. However for any commuters the bus is now useless, and even for leisure travel, a last 1400 departure from Hull is rather restrictive, there is no flexibility. As already mentioned, Gilberdyke does also have the train, but this isn't an option for Newport, North Cave or South Cave. East Riding of Yorkshire Council deserve credit for stepping in to keep what service there is going - it could have been a lot worse - but it's hard to be happy with the outcome.

Turning to the Gilberdyke to Goole via Eastrington and Howden section and here it's not all negative. Currently there are four journeys into Goole Monday to Friday, with three returns and two each way on a Saturday. With the new 55 timetable, that increases to four each way Monday to Saturday. This does need to be offset between Howden and Goole by the loss of the X5 - the X5 is presently the most frequent service between the two towns - but certainly a net gain for Eastrington. 

As mentioned the Sunday 55 is withdrawn entirely, operating for the last time today. It offers an approximately two hourly daytime frequency between Hull and Gilberdyke and I believe leaves a Sunday 'bus desert' between Swanland and Selby (as opposed to between Gilberdyke and Selby today). Anlaby Road within Hull has plenty of alternatives, whilst Boothferry Road has the 66 (within the Hull boundary) and 350, but otherwise the only public transport option on a Sunday for current service 55 passengers is the train to Ferriby, Brough and Gilberdyke. Melton, Welton, Elloughton, South Cave, North Cave and Newport will have nothing. Lots of other places across the country are in the same situation, but still a very disappointing development.

Finally another Saturday positive from the changes, subsidised service 88 between Goole, Airmyn, Rawcliffe and Rawcliffe Bridge gains a two hourly daytime service, interworked with the 55. This is the first time Rawcliffe Bridge has had a Saturday service since early February 2018, whilst for Airmyn it will be first usable Saturday service for some years (I seem to recall there was an 'oddball' evening 400 between Goole and Selby on a Saturday until relatively recently that gave passengers a few minutes in Goole, but no daytime service).