Last Tuesday (19th April), Hornsby Travel revised their services 4, X4 and 94 in the Brigg area.
Starting with the X4 between Scunthorpe, Scawby, Brigg, Wrawby, Melton Ross and Barnetby; this service has been almost entirely withdrawn due to "passenger demand". All that remains are Monday to Friday journeys at 0800 from Scunthorpe to Brigg and 1745 from Brigg to Scunthorpe. Previously the X4 had operated 7 journeys a day, every two hours with some extras, Monday to Friday, between Scunthorpe and Barnetby. As I will explain below, Scawby, Wrawby, Barnetby and Melton Ross receive alternatives, so the biggest loss is the fast service between Scunthorpe and Brigg. Cutting back the X4 isn't going to attract new passengers to use the bus, but aside from the few properties at Greetwell Crossroads no community is 'cut-off' (and Greetwell retains the residual X4 plus JustGo).
Moving onto service 4, the main route between Scunthorpe and Brigg via Ashby and Broughton; here the main Monday to Saturday daytime service remains hourly whilst the limited mid-evening journeys are retimed to operate slightly later. The big change is that Monday to Friday only, five journeys - every two hours - are extended beyond Brigg to Kirmington via Wrawby, Barnetby, Melton Ross and Humberside Airport. This replaces the X4 east of Brigg, albeit with two fewer journeys, whilst restores a timetabled bus service to Humberside Airport for the first time since the Humber Flyer was rerouted at the start of September 2020 and to Kirmington for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. For Humberside Airport, the 4 probably won't be much use, but for the sake of a minute each way, if it's passing why not divert just in case there is a passenger. However for Kirmington this is a clear good news story, and hopefully the core section of the 4 between Scunthorpe and Brigg will benefit from new 'cross-Brigg' passengers.
When the 4 isn't extending to Kirmington, then Monday to Friday daytime it will be operating as a service 94, with through 'cross Brigg' travel available. If this sounds familiar, it's the same basic arrangement as the X4 pre COVID-19, hourly Scunthorpe to Brigg then two hourly to Kirmington or two hourly onto the 94. As part of these changes the 94 gets a new timetable, with four rather than five journeys between Brigg and Redbourne and three still continuing onto Kirton in Lindsey. The 94 also now diverts via Scawby village to replace the X4. Again hopefully the 94 benefits from the 'cross-Brigg' links as well as custom from Scawby.
Overall these changes are cutbacks, but some thought has gone into ensuring they have the least impact possible and some positive developments have been included in the process.
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5 comments:
Does anybody know if hornsbys are going to start doing day trips again this year?
As you say, clearly a lot of thought has gone into it, and the only looser is Brigg Road. I can see similar changes across the country as we recover from Covid and passengers numbers don't return to their former levels, meaning a further salami slicing of services, no doubt.
My own suggestion would be to include the Brigg-Kirton within the main service. Maybe number it 4a or something, but make it clear its Scunthorpe - Brigg every hour, continuing to Kirton or Kirmington alternate hours.
Too risky this year, especially with the fuel prices meaning it would lead to some quite expensive trips.
Will look to 2023 and better times. Hopefully
One thought was suffixes but it looked to get a bit complicated.
If the numbers are there on the 94 from beyond Brigg, then it's a fair call
Apparently they will be doing some shorter trips starting fairly soon,all being well.l would think they need to start doing some,to make up for loss of revenue from the cut/reduced service runs.
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