Stagecoach Hull Summer Changes

Stagecoach have 'book-ended' the school Summer Holidays with two sets of service changes in Hull - on Sunday 24th July and then on Sunday 4th September. Below are what I consider to be the main changes.

Service 1: Hull Paragon Interchange to Boothferry Estate

Since 24th July, service 1 has been reduced from every 10 minutes Monday to Saturday daytimes to every 15 minutes. The 1W variation via Smith and Nephew was withdrawn and the last bus from Paragon Interchange Monday to Saturday moved from 2305 to 2320. Some enhancements have been made on Sunday mornings with the first bus from Paragon Interchange now at 0730 rather than 0830 and from the Boothferry Estate at 0740 instead off 0820.

Service 2: Wawne-North Bransholme-North Point-Hull City Centre-Boothferry Estate

From 24th July, service 2 was amended from every 20 minutes between North Bransholme and the Boothferry Estate and every 10 minutes between Hull City Centre and the Boothferry Estate Monday to Saturday daytimes, to every 15 minutes between North Bransholme and the Boothferry Estate. This coincided with service 7 being rerouted away from North Bransholme where it had been operating every 20 minutes Monday to Friday daytimes and every half hour Saturday daytimes. All Monday to Saturday daytime service 2's now serve Paragon Interchange (services from North Bransholme had been omitting), whilst morning peak variation 2X via Sutton Fields Industrial Estate has been withdrawn. 

Hourly Monday to Saturday daytime Wawne extensions remain as before, but with some evening improvements. Rather than a last service from Paragon Interchange at 1800, departures to the village are now at 1817, 1905 and 2330. From Wawne, the last service is now at 1907 rather than 1702. 

The last service from North Bransholme is earlier at 2215 rather than 2240 Monday to Saturday, but from Paragon Interchange to North Bransholme is now at 2330 rather than 2300.

The use of the 2A suffix for evening and Sunday journeys via Sutton Park was dropped as part of these changes, whilst on Sunday daytimes rather than a half hourly service between North Bransholme and the Boothferry Estate via Sutton Park there is now an hourly service from Wawne to the Boothferry Estate via the Monday to Saturday daytime route, and an hourly North Bransholme to the Boothferry Estate service via Sutton Park. This restores a Sunday service to Wawne.

Service 3: Bilton Grange-Greatfield-Hull Paragon Interchange-Orchard Park

The 24th July changes saw the Monday to Friday 10 minute frequency from Bilton Grange start to be reduced post 1707 rather than post 1847. Monday to Saturday late evening services have been increased from hourly to half hourly.

Service 4: Bilton Grange-Hull Paragon Interchange-Orchard Park

As part of the 24th July revisions, the Monday to Friday daytime frequency was reduced from every 10 to every 15 minutes, but the Sunday frequency increased from hourly to half hourly. The last service from Paragon Interchange to Orchard Park is slightly later Monday to Saturday at 1912 rather than 1850 Mon-Fri/1845 Sat. 

Service 5: Hull Paragon Interchange-Orchard Park-Kingswood-North Point-Hull Paragon Interchange

Since 24th July the Monday to Friday daytime frequency has been reduced from every 10 minutes between Paragon Interchange and Orchard Park and every 20 minutes for the full route to every 15 minutes between Paragon Interchange and Orchard Park, and every half hour for the full route. Between Hull Paragon Interchange and North Point in East Hull, a combined 15 minute frequency is offered with service 8. On Sunday daytimes, the hourly Paragon Interchange to Orchard Park 'shorts' are extended to Kingswood.

Service 7: Hull Paragon Interchange-Sutton Park-North Point-Kingswood/North Bransholme

The only major route change Stagecoach have made in Hull is to re-route the 7 from North Bransholme to Kingswood Retail and Leisure Parks, a change introduced in the July amendments - this reintroduces a direct service from North Point and Bodmin Road to Kingswood Retail Park and a service of any kind from Sutton Park to Kingswood. Given the 2 to North Bransholme being increased in frequency, this is an amendment which seems logical. 

Monday to Friday the frequency is reduced from every 20 minutes to every half hour, coordinated with the 8 for a 15 minute interval between Paragon Interchange and North Point. The last service from Kingswood is at 1815 rather than 1655 Mon-Fri/1650 Sat when previously departing North Bransholme - again logical as Kingswood is a destination in a way North Bransholme isn't.

Service 8: Hull Paragon Interchange-Sutton Park-North Point-Salthouse Road-Hull Paragon Interchange

From 24th July, the Monday to Friday daytime frequency was reduced from every 20 minutes to every half hour. The Monday to Saturday morning peak 8X variation was renumbered as service 8, still serving Clough Road but as per bustimes.org, omitting Sutton Fields Industrial Estate - in combination with the 2X withdrawal, that leaves Sutton Fields without a bus service penetrating the estate.

Monday to Saturday evening the last clockwise circular from Paragon Interchange was moved from 2010 to 1935, but a new 2320 Paragon Interchange to North Point via Sutton Park 'short' was added.

On Sunday mornings, two new North Point to Paragon Interchange via Sutton Park 'shorts' were introduced at 0745 and 0845.

Service 12/12A: Hull Paragon Interchange-Sutton-North Point

The 24th July changes saw the withdrawal of the Monday to Saturday 1825 12A from Paragon Interchange, with the last 12A now at 1755, and alternative service 12's at 1810 and 1840. The 2310 service 12 from Paragon Interchange was retimed to 2320.

Service 14: Hull Paragon Interchange-Greatfield

An extra Sunday morning journey was added on 24th July, at 0725 - previous first departure 0835.

Service 16: Hull Paragon Interchange-Victoria Dock-Sutton-North Point

Whilst the 'headline' remains an hourly Monday to Saturday frequency, there were a number of changes introduced in July:

• The Monday to Saturday 0720 Paragon Interchange to North Point became a 0730 Paragon Interchange to Siemens.
• The Monday to Saturday 0909 Morrisons to North Point became a Saturday only 0840 Paragon Interchange to North Point, with the first weekday North Point arrival now not until 1033.
• The 1440 North Point to Paragon Interchange was withdrawn Monday to Friday but not on Saturdays
• The Monday to Saturday 1625 and 1735 Morrisons to Paragon Interchange were replaced by a Saturday only 1545 North Point to Paragon Interchange and a Monday to Saturday 1645 North Point to Paragon Interchange.
• In contrast, the differing Monday to Friday and Saturday late afternoon timetables from Paragon Interchange were standardised. The Monday to Friday 1445 to North Point, 1555/1705 to Morrisons and 1815 to North Point plus the Saturday 1440 to North Point, 1540 to Morrisons and 1640/1740/1810 to North Point became a six day a week 1445/1555/1705/1815 to North Point

Next month's changes add a 1555 North Point to Paragon Interchange Monday to Friday.

Service 20/22: Priory Park, Park and Ride

From Monday 5th September, Monday to Friday morning post-peak and lunchtime journeys and all Saturday journeys will be re-routed via Hessle Road, Askew Avenue, Boothferry Road and Anlaby Road rather than the A63 and Rawling Way between Priory Park and Hull Royal Infirmary - this is the current service 22 route, though all journeys will operate as service 20 regardless of route followed. This is big news for Askew Avenue which currently has no daytime service and now gains a 20 minute frequency. It also partially makes up for the service 1 and 2 frequency reductions on Hessle Road and Anlaby Road respectively.

Additionally it seems as if the 20 will be re-routed away from Paragon Interchange in Hull City Centre, instead operating direct from Carr Lane to Anlaby Road. I can't see this being a major issue as the Interchange passengers can use the stop on Anlaby Road opposite the station side entrance, whilst there are plenty of other direct services from the Interchange to Hull Royal Infirmary such as the Stagecoach 2/250/255/350.

Service 70: Ferrybus

This route which runs daily from Paragon Interchange to connect to/from the overnight P&O North Sea Ferry between Hull King George Dock and Rotterdam, resumes on 4th September - I presume for the first time since the pandemic.

Service 99: Hull Paragon Interchange-Bridlington

For the record, this service resumed for Summer 2022 on Sunday 24th July, to the same timetable as last year.

Service 255: North Bransholme-North Point-Sutton Park-Hull Paragon Interchange-Barton-Wren Kitchens

From Monday 5th September, some Wren Kitchens workers will get a bit longer in bed! The 0420 from North Bransholme is retimed to depart at 0430, whilst the 2320 from Wren Kitchens is speeded up to arrive at North Bransholme at 0015 rather than 0037 (leaves Hull Truck Theatre at 2345 rather than 0000).

Service 350: Hull Paragon Interchange-Barton-Scunthorpe

As off 5th September, the college day extension of the 1625 Scunthorpe Bus Station to Hull to start back at the Scunthorpe Colleges, only introduced in April, is withdrawn. The VOSA registration indicates this is because service 90 to Crowle will now be serving the colleges - presumably the intention is for passengers to connect from service 90 to the 350 at Scunthorpe Bus Station.

From the same date, the Monday to Saturday 1910 from Scunthorpe Bus Station to Hull Paragon Interchange is retimed, taking eight minutes longer. The return 2020 now departs at 2030 as a result.

If I've missed anything major please post a comment below. Stagecoach provided very little in the way of commentary for these changes, so it's a case of comparing timetables to work out what has changed.

(There is also a tender win for Stagecoach's Hull depot, but as that route doesn't serve the City of Hull, I will cover in a separate post)

Extra Hornsby 399 Journeys

In June I reported that the replacement arrangements for former Isle Coaches service 399 had created an anomaly whereby there was a morning peak bus from the southern Isle of Axholme to Scunthorpe on Saturdays, but not Monday to Friday. That oddity was removed on 11th July, with enhancements to Hornsby's Monday to Friday service 399 that will also replace Isle Coaches college service 647 from Misterton to the Scunthorpe Colleges via the Isle of Axholme, once the new college year begins in September.

Two additional journeys have been added to the Hornsby 399 in each direction. There is firstly a 0645 from Scunthorpe to Graizelound via the A18, Belton, Epworth and Low Burnham. Next a 0725 Graizelound to Scunthorpe had commenced, operating via Westwoodside, Owston Ferry, Epworth, Belton, West Butterwick and Gunness, with an extension beyond Scunthorpe Bus Station to the Scunthorpe Colleges on college days.

In the afternoon there is a new 1605 college days/1620 college holidays from Scunthorpe Bus Station to Graizelound, operating via the colleges during term times, but otherwise as per the reverse of the 0725. Finally a 1725 from Graizelound to Scunthorpe has commenced, operating direct to Owston Ferry but then via Epworth, Belton, West Buterwick and Gunness. 

Overall there are now five buses per day Monday to Friday from Scunthorpe to the southern Isle of Axholme (four Hornsby, one Stagecoach) - one less than when the Isle Coaches 399 was in operation - and six in the other direction (five Hornsby, one Stagecoach) - matching the Isle Coaches provision. The new arrangements are unfortunately rather messy though - every Hornsby journey to Scunthorpe has a slightly different route, as does every journey from Scunthorpe, and then a totally different timetable on Saturdays with Stagecoach. Still it's an improvement on the initial Isle 399 replacement, so the extra Hornsby 399's are good news.

(Any students from Misterton to the Scunthorpe Colleges can use JLC Bus Route 9 instead of the 647).