Christmas and New Year Bus Services 2025/2026

Here is my annual summary of Christmas and New Year bus services across the Humber Region. It covers the following operators, but not their services outside the region:

• Arriva Yorkshire
• CallConnect
• East Yorkshire (see comments below)
• First South Yorkshire (see comments below)
• First York
• Grayscroft Coaches
• Hornsby Travel
• North Lincolnshire Council (Services 96/97/97A)
• PC Coaches
• Sweyne Coaches (Goole+Howden Hopper)
• Stagecoach
• Thornes Independent
• York Pullman

Sadly East Yorkshire Buses haven't produced their usual comprehensive summary listing all the 'exceptions' to the standard service pattern and I haven't got the time to go through all their timetables route-by-route. As such I can't offer the usual level of detail for them. Presumably it's a case of:

-Less than six day a week services operating as normal on the normal weekdays over Christmas and New Year

-Some extra early morning services.

-Friday and Saturday evening only services not operating Monday and Tuesdays where a Saturday service otherwise applies

I always say "Please check exact details before travelling as I have only summarised here, or for any occasions were publicity is incorrect, or I have made a mistake". That still stands, but is exceptionally important in the case of East Yorkshire Buses and also First South Yorkshire who have taken a similar approach.

If you have any information for other operators, or to correct any details listed below, please post a comment.

Monday 22nd and Tuesday 23rd December:

Predominantly normal services, with the following exceptions:

• East Yorkshire and First South Yorkshire will provide a Saturday service with some exceptions, please check with the operator for details.
• Stagecoach will operate a Saturday service on North East Lincolnshire services 7, 11 and 12. (Stagecoach's Grimsby pdf timetable states Saturday service on routes 1, 2, 6, 8, 20, 53, 250 and 251, but the Saturday service is identical to the Monday to Friday School Holiday service).
• Stagecoach service 255 (North Bransholme-Hull-Barton Wren Kitchens) will operate five journeys only, at 0700 from North Bransholme, 1705 from Hull and at 0850, 1750 and 2320 from Barton Wren Kitchens. I presume associated service 256 isn't operating, but the Stagecoach Hull pdf summary doesn't explicitly state this.
• North Lincolnshire Council service 96 (Barton-Brigg) will not operate the 1600 Barton-Brigg or 1710 Brigg-South Ferriby journeys.

It is interesting to see East Yorkshire and Stagecoach differ on service levels in Hull, they usually have the same 'base' provision but for two days Stagecoach will be a normal weekday service and East Yorkshire a Saturday service.

Christmas Eve:

Predominantly a Saturday service with an early finish between approximately 1700 and 2000, plus the following exceptions:

• Hornsby Travel, PC Coaches, Stagecoach's Scunthorpe services, Thornes and York Pullman will operate a normal Wednesday service with early finish.
• Stagecoach services 5/5M/5S/45 (Cleethorpes-Grimsby-Immingham), 9/10 (Waltham-Grimsby-Cleethorpes-Humberston), 11A (Hull-Castle Hill Hospital) and 20 (Hull Priory Park and Ride) will operate as normal. Afternoon 11A journeys replace similar timed service 11 journeys.
• Stagecoach will provide extra early morning journeys on selected services in Grimsby and Hull.
• Stagecoach Monday to Friday service 255 (North Bransholme-Hull-Barton Wren Kitchens) will operate four journeys only, at 0700 from North Bransholme, 1705 from Hull and at 0850 and 1750 from Barton Wren Kitchens. Associated service 256 will not operate.
• Stagecoach service 7M (North Bransholme-Hull-Melton) will operate four journeys only, at 0655 from Hull to Melton, 0820 North Bransholme to Melton, 1610 Melton to Hull and 1810 Melton to North Bransholme.
• Stagecoach service 16 (Hull-Siemens) will not operate the 0730 journey.
• North Lincolnshire Council service 96 (Barton-Brigg) will operate as normal except for the 1600 Barton-Brigg and 1710 Brigg-South Ferriby journeys.

Please check with East Yorkshire and First South Yorkshire for any exceptions to a standard Saturday service.

Christmas Day and Boxing Day:

No services.

Saturday 27th December:

Normal Saturday service, except for no evening service on Hornsby service 4 (Brigg-Scunthorpe).

Sunday 29th December:

Normal Sunday service.

Monday 29th and Tuesday 30th December:

Predominantly a Saturday service, with the following exceptions:

• Hornsby Travel, North Lincolnshire Council, PC Coaches, Stagecoach's Scunthorpe services and Thornes will operate a normal service.
• Stagecoach services 5/5M/5S/45 (Cleethorpes-Grimsby-Immingham), 7M (North Bransholme-Melton), 9/10 (Waltham-Grimsby-Cleethorpes-Humberston), 11A (Hull-Castle Hill Hospital) and 20 (Hull Priory Park and Ride) will operate as normal on both days, as will service 398 (Belton-Gainsborough) on Tuesday 30th December only. Afternoon 11A journeys replace similar timed service 11 journeys.
• Stagecoach will provide extra early morning journeys on selected services in Grimsby and Hull.
• Stagecoach Monday to Friday service 255 (North Bransholme-Hull-Barton Wren Kitchens) will operate four journeys only, at 0700 from North Bransholme, 1705 from Hull and at 0850 and 1750 from Barton Wren Kitchens. Associated service 256 will not operate.
• Stagecoach service 16 (Hull-Siemens) will not operate the 0730 journey.
• Grayscroft service 25 (Market Rasen-Grimsby) will operate as normal on Tuesday 30th December. For the avoidance of doubt Tuesday only service 28 (Sandilands-Grimsby) will not operate this week.
• North Lincolnshire Council service 96 (Barton-Brigg) will not operate the 1600 Barton-Brigg or 1710 Brigg-South Ferriby journeys.

Please check with East Yorkshire and First South Yorkshire for any exceptions to a standard Saturday service.

New Years Eve:

Predominantly a Saturday service with an early finish between approximately 1700 and 2000, plus the following exceptions:

• Hornsby Travel, PC Coaches, Stagecoach's Scunthorpe services and Thornes will operate a normal Wednesday service with early finish.
• Stagecoach services 5/5M/5S/45 (Cleethorpes-Grimsby-Immingham), 9/10 (Waltham-Grimsby-Cleethorpes-Humberston), 11A (Hull-Castle Hill Hospital) and 20 (Hull Priory Park and Ride) will operate as normal. Afternoon 11A journeys replace similar timed service 11 journeys.
• Stagecoach will provide extra early morning journeys on selected services in Grimsby and Hull.
• Stagecoach Monday to Friday service 255 (North Bransholme-Hull-Barton Wren Kitchens) will operate four journeys only, at 0700 from North Bransholme, 1705 from Hull and at 0850 and 1750 from Barton Wren Kitchens. Associated service 256 will not operate.
• Stagecoach service 7M (North Bransholme-Hull-Melton) will operate four journeys only, at 0655 from Hull to Melton, 0820 North Bransholme to Melton, 1610 Melton to Hull and 1810 Melton to North Bransholme.
• Stagecoach service 16 (Hull-Siemens) will not operate the 0730 journey.
• North Lincolnshire Council service 96 (Barton-Brigg) will operate as normal except for the 1600 Barton-Brigg and 1710 Brigg-South Ferriby journeys.

Please check with East Yorkshire and First South Yorkshire for any exceptions to a standard Saturday service.

New Years Day:

No services (train services will be operating however, in many instances to a normal Thursday timetable apart from early morning services and engineering works related disruption).

Friday 2nd January:

Predominantly a Saturday service, with the following exceptions:

• CallConnect, Grayscroft Coaches, Hornsby Travel, North Lincolnshire Council, PC Coaches, Stagecoach's Scunthorpe services, Thornes and York Pullman will operate a normal Friday service.
• Stagecoach services 5/5M/5S/45 (Cleethorpes-Grimsby-Immingham), 7M (North Bransholme-Melton), 9/10 (Waltham-Grimsby-Cleethorpes-Humberston), 11A (Hull-Castle Hill Hospital), 20 (Hull Priory Park and Ride), 255 (North Bransholme-Barton Wren Kitchens) and 398 (Belton-Gainsborough) will operate as normal. Afternoon 11A journeys replace similar timed service 11 journeys. Presumably the 256 also operates as normal if the 255 does, but again not explicitly mentioned in the Stagecoach Hull Christmas pdf,
• Stagecoach will provide extra early morning journeys on selected services in Grimsby and Hull.
• Stagecoach Monday to Friday service 255 (North Bransholme-Hull-Barton Wren Kitchens) will operate four journeys only, at 0700 from North Bransholme, 1705 from Hull and at 0850 and 1750 from Barton Wren Kitchens. Associated service 256 will not operate.
• Stagecoach service 16 (Hull-Siemens) will not operate the 0730 journey.

Please check with East Yorkshire and First South Yorkshire for any exceptions to a standard Saturday service.

Saturday 3rd January:

Back to Normal

Local Links in Beverley Improved

Local links within Beverley were improved with East Yorkshire's 31st August service changes.

Service 43 between Hull, Beverley Town Centre and Molescroft gained a short diversion via Copandale Road and Scrubwood Lane on journeys from Hull and Beverley, replacing service 526 along these roads. For Copandale Road and Scrubwood Lane, that has meant a service increase from three journeys per day Monday to Saturday, to hourly Monday to Saturday daytimes. A predecessor of the 43, service 122, also used to serve Copandale Road and Scrubwood Lane (in both directions?).

In turn service 526 now operates direct from Beverley Bus Station to Norwood, slightly speeding up journeys for passengers on the remainder of the route.

Temporary Cuts Partly Restored

On 23rd February, East Yorkshire Buses introduced "temporary" frequency cuts to certain routes in the Hull area, due to staff and parts shortages. Service Changes on 31st August partly reversed those reductions.

Service 44 between Hull Paragon Interchange and Cottingham Road remains withdrawn except for two Monday to Saturday evening journeys. Service 45 however between Hull Paragon Interchange, Cottingham Road, Cottingham and Castle Hill Hospital was increased Monday to Saturday daytimes from every half hour to every 20 minutes. On the combined section of route, the 44/45 frequency was every 10 minutes Monday to Friday daytimes pre-23rd February, was reduced to every half hour and since 31st August has become every 20 minutes. Saturday daytimes were every 15 minutes pre-23rd February, then went half hourly and are now every 20 minutes. From the Cottingham Road/Hall Road roundabout to Castle Hill Hospital, the frequency is now higher than before the "temporary" cuts.

Route 51 from Hull Paragon Interchange to Wymersley Road, as well as the 56 from Asda Bilton to Castle Hill Hospital and the 57 from Asda Bilton to Hessle had their Saturday daytime reductions from every 20 minutes to half hourly reversed in full. 

Not so lucky though is the 58 from Hull Paragon Interchange to Hessle which remains at it's reduced Monday to Saturday daytime frequency of every 20 minutes, down from every 15 minutes pre-23rd February.

Are the 44/45 and 58 cuts no longer temporary? Certainly on the 44/45 with the frequency increase to Castle Hill Hospital, it's unlikely the pre-23rd February service pattern will ever return in it's exact same format.

Later Buses For Hornsea

From Monday 1st September, the previous Friday and Saturday only evening journeys on service 25 between Beverley and Hornsea additionally started to operate Monday to Thursday as well. The extra services comprise the 2105 and 2340 from Beverley to Hornsea and the 2150 from Hornsea to Beverley. Previously the last service from Beverley to Hornsea was at 1905 Monday to Thursday and from Hornsea at 1945 (with a later 2020 service 24 over part of the 25 route as far as Leven).

From Bridlington to Castle Hill Hospital

Utilising Bus Service Improvement Plan funding over the past two years, services between Bridlington, Driffield and Beverley - operated by East Yorkshire Buses - have been slowly enhanced, from once to twice an hour for most of the day on Saturdays, to half hourly Monday to Friday daytimes in the 2024 Summer School Holidays and on Monday to Friday year round at the start and end of the day. A big further step forward came on 20th July, again utilising East Riding of Yorkshire Council's Bus Service Improvement Plan allocation.

New service 141 was introduced between Bridlington and Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham. The 141 runs as per the main service 41 from Bridlington to Beverley Bus Station and then along Norwood. It also follows the 41 between Bridlington and Hull along Swinemoor Lane in Beverley, albeit with a diversion into the East Riding Community Hospital. The 141 then serves Lidl and uses Minster Way to Morrisons before operating via the A164 to Cottingham, where it serves Harland Way and Cottingham Green in the village centre before terminating at Castle Hill Hospital.

Service 141 operates hourly Monday to Saturday daytimes, mostly off peak. Notably the first arrival at Castle Hill Hospital Monday to Friday is not until 0945. On Saturdays the service does not operate between Beverley Morrisons and Castle Hill Hospital, reducing the vehicle requirement by 1. Between Bridlington and Beverley the 41 and 141 are perfectly co-ordinated to provide a half hourly service and in the process replacing the previous Saturday daytime extra services on route 41. Connections are available at Beverley onto service 43 to/from Hull.

From a 'big picture' perspective I 'get' the 141 - consistent half hourly service between Bridlington and Beverley six days a week, new links from Bridlington, Driffield and various villages to Castle Hill Hospital, a big improvement to services between Beverley, Cottingham and Castle Hill Hospital via the A164, plus improved access to supermarkets. However two things make me unconvinced about the 'details'. Firstly it takes a convoluted route in Beverley. Are links to Lidl anything more than a 'nice to have'? Could the 41 not divert into the East Riding Community Hospital if there is notable demand from north of Beverley? It's like a Beverley Town Circular has been introduced into the middle of the service. Secondly, that late first arrival at Castle Hill Hospital makes the service useless for any pre-1000 appointments, and for almost all staff commuting unless used in conjunction with other services.

Turning to service 41 and the big improvement was Monday to Thursday evenings, were the Friday and Saturday evening timetable now applies six days a week. In practice that meant a 1955 Bridlington to Hull replacing a 2105 Beverley to Hull, the 2150 Hull to Beverley being replaced by a 2135 Hull to Nafferton (north of Driffield), a new 2252 Nafferton to Beverley and a new 2330 Beverley to Bridlington Morrisons. The Friday and Saturday 2330 from Beverley to Driffield was extended to Bridlington Morrisons at the same time.

Elsewhere on the 41, Monday to Friday the 0720 Hull to Beverley and 0813 Beverley to Bridlington were merged into a 0710 Hull to Bridlington, whilst the 0855 Beverley to Bridlington was cutback to a 0908 Driffield to Bridlington service. From Bridlington the 0610 to Hull became an 0600 Bridlington to Beverley and a 0705 Beverley to Hull. 

On Saturdays the 0630 Hull to Bridlington was split at Beverley, but the 0730 Hull to Beverley and 0811 Beverley to Bridlington were merged into a through service. A new 0841 Beverley to Bridlington was added. The 1702 from Hull to Bridlington was withdrawn, an 'extra' over and above the 'base' hourly service. A new 1930 from Beverley to Bridlington was introduced, filling an approximately two hour gap. In the opposite direction, new 1755 Bridlington to Beverley and 1900 Beverley to Hull journeys commenced. The 1850 Bridlington to Hull became a 1825 Bridlington to Beverley and 2000 Beverley to Hull.

Further changes were made on 31st August 2025. The Monday to Friday 41 0530 and 0600 Hull to Beverley services were withdrawn, partially replaced by a new 0615 Hull to Beverley journey on service 43. The 0600 from Bridlington to Beverley and 0705 Beverley to Hull were remerged into a through service 41. A new 0850 Nafferton to Beverley journey on service 141 commenced, with the 0930 Driffield to Castle Hill Hospital extended to start back in Bridlington. The 1450 service 41 from Bridlington to Beverley became a 1448 service 141 from Bridlington to Nafferton. The 1945 from Beverley to Hull was replaced by a 1950 journey on service 43.

On Saturdays the 0630 from Hull to Beverley has been withdrawn and the 0730 from Hull to Bridlington now starts in Beverley at 0806. The 1835 from Hull to Beverley and 1930 from Beverley to Bridlington were merged into a through service. In the opposite direction, the 0655, 1900 and 2000 41's from Beverley to Hull become 0700, 1900 and 2000 service 43's. Sunday 'short' service 41's between Hull and Beverley also become service 43's.

Can't help but feel the start and end of the day service now very much needs some stability. Presumably these amendments have been largely linked to swapping workings between Hull and Bridlington depots? 

Double Changes for the X45/X46/X47

Over the Summer, East Yorkshire made two sets of changes to their X45/X46/X47 services into York.

Starting with the 20th July changes, and there were three main alterations. Firstly the X45 between Market Weighton, Pocklington and York was extended to start back in Driffield on most journeys, incorporating service 145 between Driffield and Market Weighton and continuing to offer an hourly frequency Monday to Saturday daytimes. Services 145 and X45 were previously interworked offering through journeys at Market Weighton, so in reality this change was just making through working more obvious to passengers, and simplifying the network. The 145's single Market Weighton to Bridlington journey in the Monday to Friday evening peak remains as a X45.

Secondly, using Bus Service Improvement Plan funding, the Friday and Saturday evening only journeys on service X47 between Hull, Beverley, Market Weighton, Pocklington and York started operating on a Monday to Saturday basis. Monday to Thursday from Hull that meant a last departure to York at 2115 rather than 1915, plus a 2250 to Pocklington. From York the last departure to Hull became 2210 rather than 2110, plus an additional 2310 to Pocklington.

Thirdly the routes of the X45, X46 and X47 were amended in York City Centre. In September 2021, the X46 and X47 were amended to operate via James Street and Stonebow, due to congestion at the old Piccadilly stop, a route also followed by the X45 upon it's introduction. Now it's back to past, as the three services are routed via Walmgate to Piccadilly before continuing to/from York Station.

More significant changes came at the end of school Summer holidays on 31st August. Monday to Saturday daytimes the service pattern was amended from:

-1 X45 per hour Driffield-Market Weighton-Pocklington-Dunnington-York

-1 X46 per hour Hull-Beverley-Market Weighton-Pocklington-York

-1 X47 per hour Hull-Beverley-Market Weighton-Pocklington-Wilberfoss-York

Every 20 minutes Market Weighton-Pocklington-York, with a 20-40 minute interval Hull-Market Weighton

To:

1 X45 per hour Driffield-Market Weighton-Pocklington-Wilberfoss-York

1 X45 per hour Pocklington-Wilberfoss-York (these generally start/finish at The Balk in eastern Pocklington - an area with a lot of house building - providing maximum coverage of the town).

2 X46 per hour Hull-Beverley-Market Weighton-Pocklington-Dunnington-York

Every 15 minutes Pocklington to York and every half hour from Hull and Beverley to Market Weighton, Pocklington and York. Market Weighton to Pocklington and York is on a 15-15-30 minute interval.

This is yet further significant growth between Pocklington and York, just 10 months after the corridor went from every half hour to every 20 minutes. Wilberfoss and Barmby Moor get a doubled frequency from hourly to half hourly, as does the East Yorkshire operated service to Dunnington. 

There are reductions into Hull on a Saturday morning, albeit before the main shopping hours. The first arrival is now at 0910 rather than 0748 - earlier services from Beverley into Hull operate on other routes. The 0915 Beverley to Hull is withdrawn and the 0902 Pocklington to Hull truncated to a 0945 Beverley to Hull.

The X47 no longer operates Monday to Saturday daytimes. Two morning peak journeys into York continue, one from Market Weighton and one from Pocklington, serving both Wilberfoss and Dunnington.

Monday to Saturday evenings see fewer alterations. The X47 continues to operate and as per the morning peak, serves both Wilberfoss and Dunnington. The last departure from York, now slightly later at 2320 extends from Pocklington to Market Weighton, giving a 70 minute later last service than previously available. The 2250 from Hull to Pocklington now operates at 2215.

Friday and Saturday evening only variations also returned, with two new York to Dunnington and return X46 'shorts' at 2050 and 2150 from York, and 2120 and 2220 from Dunnington. East Yorkshire now offer an approximately half hourly service from York to Dunnington all day until 2220 Friday and Saturday (plus the later 2320). These evening journeys appear to be interworked with the Friday and Saturday evening only service on the 747.

On Sundays the corridor goes from hourly daytime Hull to York alternating between the X46 and X47, to half hourly daytime Hull to York (i.e. the same frequency as Monday to Saturday), still alternating between the X46 and X47. This means that East Yorkshire are now serving Dunnington on Sundays with the X46. On Sunday's however the X47 does not serve Dunnington, sticking to it's old route via Wilberfoss 'only' - a bit 'messy' to have a different route one day of the week, but serving Dunnington would have a time penalty, and a Sunday only service number would also add complexity.

Overall more impressive growth from East Yorkshire on this corridor. However from Stamford Bridge's perspective, have to hope that the East Yorkshire growth in Dunnington isn't adversely impacting First's route 10 between Stamford Bridge, Dunnington and York too much. There is a little bit of competition built into these developments amongst the genuine growth.

Monday to Saturday services return to Ellerker

The village of Ellerker in the East Riding of Yorkshire regained a six day a week bus service penetrating the village (as opposed to serving the outskirts) on Monday 21st July. The Brough/Elloughton/South Cave local service 558 - operated by East Yorkshire Buses - was diverted via Ellerker on it's three South Cave journeys; these operate as an Elloughton-Ellerker-South Cave-Elloughton loop, before and after providing links around Elloughton and Brough. 

It is worth noting however that whilst three journeys are provided, Ellerker passengers effectively only have one service into Brough, and once service back, able to spend 65 minutes shopping at Brough Aldi, or slightly longer at Morrisons (assuming passengers alight/board on Elloughton Road or Skillings Lane). There is a bit more flexibility on a Wednesday and Saturday, thanks to the afternoon service on route 143 providing an alternative later return option from Brough to Ellerker.

Whilst there might not be much flexibility provided for Ellerker passengers, it's better than just the 143, and the 558 serving the village can be achieved in marginal time.

Hull to Louth

Two of the main longer distance bus services from Grimsby got some 'love' on Sunday 1st June, service 51 to Louth and service 250 to Hull via Barton. 

One of the main elements to the changes was to interwork the 51 and 250 and to formally promote this to the public as a through/same bus Hull to Louth service. On one hand this was a rather 'risky' move, with the risk of delays in Hull impacting services as far away as Louth, and vice versa. However I do wonder if the journey time of each route played a part in the interworking decision? Grimsby to Hull can be done as a four hour round trip, but with little recovery time. Grimsby to Louth is around a two and half hour trip. Combine the two and there is a seven hour round trip time with sensible layover. The interworking means that as well as Hull access from the 51 route, the 250 route gains a link to Grimsby Hospital and Louth.

For a brief historical diversion, this isn't the first time Louth and Hull have been linked. Lincolnshire Road Car's X21 in the 1990's provided such a connection. From a June 1993 Humberside County Council timetable there were five journeys each way Monday to Saturday on the X21 between Cleethorpes and Hull via Grimsby, Immingham and Barton, with one starting back in Louth, operating via Grimsby to Cleethorpes then as per the main route, so serving Grimsby twice in each direction. The 0740 from Louth took three hours to reach Hull, and the 1555 from Hull got back into Louth for 1840. Today the 0745 from Louth reaches Hull at 1050 without serving Cleethorpes, and the 1600 from Hull reaches Louth at 1900, again without serving Cleethorpes.

Back to 2025 and the 51 remained hourly Monday to Saturday daytimes with the new interworking. The first arrival into Louth moves from 0655 to 0630 and the first arrival into Grimsby is at 0753 rather than 0803. Last departure from Grimsby is slightly later at 1840 rather than 1815, and from Louth at 2000 rather than 1930.

The bigger change came to the 250, which went from every 90 minutes Monday to Saturday daytimes back to hourly. A very welcome return after cuts in 2023 from hourly to 'hourly with some 90 minute gaps' and then in 2024 to every 90 minutes. The 0550 from Grimsby to Hull that still used the old route via Great Limber and the A15 became a 0515 service via the main route through Ulceby and Barrow. Weekday evening peak services to Hull no longer divert into Wren Kitchens at Barton, but still serve Falkland Way outside the factory. Last departure from Grimsby became 1830 rather than 1750, and from Hull became 2030 rather than 1945. 

The other big improvement was the addition of a two hourly Sunday service to both the 51 and 250. This provided a new Sunday service for Barrow, Thornton Curtis, Wootton, Ulceby, Brocklesby, Keelby, Laceby, Holton Le Clay, North Thoresby, Ludborough, Utterby, Fotherby and Louth, as well as doubling the Sunday service between Barton and Hull from two hourly to once an hour.

Not worth it's own post, but Stagecoach withdrew the Monday to Friday 2235 255 from Hull to Barton Wren Kitchens at the same time; service 350 provides departures from Hull to Barton at 2150 and 2300, so disappointing but not a massive loss.

Finally, the 51 was renumbered as service 251 on 31st August. The 51 had been a longstanding number for the Grimsby to Louth service. My timetable collection shows it was the 551 in 1986 but the Lincolnshire Road Car service had become the 51 by 1989 (Grimsby Cleethorpes Transport also had a service 24 around this time). If the 251 sounds familiar, it was used in the late 90's/early 00's for the Winter Sunday rail replacement service between Cleethorpes and Barton.

Reductions to the 11 and 12 in North East Lincolnshire

Stagecoach services 11 and 12 in North East Lincolnshire were revised on 1st June. Whilst there are some positives, overall it's a cutback. Previously service 11 operated hourly Monday to Saturday daytimes between Grimsby Riverhead Exchange and Waltham via the Grange Estate and Morrisons, whilst service 12 linked Bradley Park and Waltham via Grange Estate, Grimsby Riverhead Exchange, Cleethorpes and New Waltham Monday to Saturday hourly, primarily off peak only.

Service 11 remains operating between Riverhead Exchange and Waltham via the Grange Estate, but now serves Bradley Park instead of Morrisons. The service remains hourly, but the Monday to Saturday morning peak and Monday to Friday afternoon service has been cutback. From Waltham, rather than a departure every 60-70 minutes in the morning peak, there is now a gap between 0640 and 0855. Monday to Friday there is now a gap in departures from Grimsby between 1310 and 1715 and from Waltham between 1355 and 1745.

The section of service 12 between Bradley Park and Grimsby has been withdrawn, replaced by the revised service 11 in Bradley Park - which reinstates earlier and later journeys to Bradley Park but reduces the Monday to Saturday morning/early afternoon frequency between the Grange Estate and Grimsby Town Centre from half hourly combined to hourly. Service 11 and 12 are advertised as through/no change of bus required services at Grimsby Riverhead Exchange, maintaining same bus links to Cleethorpes. Otherwise service 12 is little changed. Monday to Friday the 1427 Grimsby to Waltham, retimed to 1430, now terminates short in New Waltham. There is now a later last departure from Waltham on Saturdays, at 1525, previously 1405.

Gradually Getting Better

Stagecoach North East Lincolnshire service 4 received some small enhancements from 1st June, and will receive a further small improvement next week.

As part of the 1st June changes, additional Laceby extensions were added to the core Cleethorpes-Grimsby-Laceby Road Morrisons service. Monday to Friday the 1630 Cleethorpes to Morrisons was extended to Laceby, with the 1730 Morrisons to Cleethorpes now starting back in Laceby. The Monday to Saturday evening extensions to Laceby were also improved. Rather than just receiving limited early and late evening extenions, into but not outbound from the village, service 4 now extends to and from Laceby approximately hourly service all evening. On Saturday mornings the 0705 Morrisons to Cleethorpes was also extended back to start in Laceby, filling a 70 minute gap in service from the village.

A full Laceby to Grimsby summary timetable is available on the Humber Transport Summary Timetable page.

Then from Monday 1st September, a new Monday to Saturday 0435 from Cleethorpes to Morrisons will commence, an hour earlier than the previous first service.

Blast from the Past

Sunday 1st June saw the return of historic route number 45 between Immingham, Grimsby and Cleethorpes as part of a relatively small but very positive service enhancement. Stagecoach's 45 was renumbered as the 5 on 1st September 2014 to fit in with a wider renumbering scheme in North East Lincolnshire, but is now back alongside the 5 which continues to operate Monday to Saturday daytimes.

Daily evenings the 5 had been operating between Immingham and Grimsby every hour, with a Sunday daytime extension to Hewitts Circus via Ladysmith Road and Humberston Road, meaning that Humberston Road between Weelsby Road and Hewitts Circus had an hourly service Sundays compared to three buses each way Monday to Saturday. When introduced I speculated that operational reasons were behind this, enabling interworking with the 10.

Now the 45 replaces the 5 Monday to Saturday evenings and all day Sunday, operating hourly at all times between Immingham, Grimsby, Ladysmith Road, Clee Road and Cleethorpes Pier. This provides a new evening link from Immingham, Stallingborough, Healing, Wybers Wood and the Willows Estate to Cleethorpes as well as a new evening service for Ladysmith Road and Clee Road. Sunday daytimes, Immingham, Stallingborough and Healing regain a Cleethorpes service, whilst the frequency from the Willows Estate and Ladysmith Road to Cleethorpes and along Clee Road is doubled from once per hour on the 6, to twice per hour across the 6 and 45 (albeit unfortunately at a 15-45 minute interval). 

It is a nice nod to history that the 45 number has returned. However it is out of place compared to the main local routes within North East Lincolnshire being numbered in the 1-12 range, and the only exceptions being the 'also low numbered' 17 and 20. In reality the 45 is the 5 extended to Cleethorpes. There is an argument that using the 5 number could be confusing as one weekday morning service operates from Humberston, Cleethorpes and Grimsby to Immingham via Grimsby Road and Cleethorpe Road rather than Clee Road and Ladysmith Road, although that particular journey is a 5M not a 5.

Improved Service 9

Stagecoach North East Lincolnshire service 9 between Waltham, Grimsby, Cleethorpes and the North Sea Lane terminus (not actually used a terminus these days) gained an hourly Monday to Saturday evening and Sunday daytime service on Sunday 1st June. Unlike the Monday to Saturday daytime service 9 which extends to Hewitts Circus (Tesco Extra), the new evening and Sunday service 9 extends beyond North Sea Lane to the nearby Haven Cleethorpes Beach Holiday Park, supplementing seasonal open top service 17.

Whilst good news for holidaymakers, it's was also good news for other passengers as the Monday to Saturday evening and Sunday daytime frequency on associated route 10 between Waltham and Hewitts Circus was effectively doubled from hourly to half hourly by this improvement, since the 10 shares the vast majority of it's route with service 9, which has been timed at even intervals with the 10. 

Stagecoach's 31st August 2025 Grimsby bus map has a note that the evening and Sunday service to the Haven Holiday Park operates between 1st March and 30th November only, and that Hewitts Circus is not served by the 9 on evenings and Sundays between 1st March and 30th November. My inference from that is that the evening and Sunday 9 will serve Hewitts Circus in December, January and February. I presume Haven is closed during these three months? 

More Buses to Victor Street, Less to Wybers Wood

Stagecoach revised their 1, 2 and 20 services in Grimsby on 1st June. The 'core' remains the 1 and 2 each operating hourly Monday to Saturday daytimes between Grimsby Riverhead Exchange and the Europarc Industrial Estate via the West Marsh area, the 1 serving Lord Street and the 2 Corporation Road.

Service 1 however lost it's extension beyond Europarc to Wybers Wood and instead gained an extension beyond Riverhead Exchange to Victor Street via Victoria Street (Stagecoach Depot) and Cleethorpe Road. Services 1 and 2 now operate as a circular at Victor Street, rather than the 2 performing a short loop via Riby Street to terminate. With the 1 and 2 now sharing start and end points, departures from Riverhead Exchange to Europarc move from a 20-40 minute interval to a 28-32 minute interval between services.

The 20 continues to operate a limited Monday to Saturday early morning and evening service between Cleethorpes, Grimsby Riverhead Exchange, Corporation Road, Europarc and Wybers Wood, but gained a new diversion away from part of the A180 to serve industrial areas along Moody Lane and Gilbey Road. For a small time penalty, the 20 becomes a little more useful.

Service 20 also gained Sunday and Bank Holiday journeys operating at similar times to the Monday to Saturday service - anyone who wants to travel from Cleethorpes to Grimsby at 0500 on a Sunday morning can now do so! Seriously though, if there are factories on Europarc operating seven days a week, then a six days a week bus service isn't very attractive. Whether the 20 actually aligns with Sunday shift patterns I don't know, lets hope it does.

Slightly Quicker to Lincoln - but not all good news

As part of Stagecoach's service changes in North East Lincolnshire on 1st June, most journeys on Monday to Saturday service 53 between Grimsby and Lincoln were re-routed within Grimsby to provide a more direct routing. Previously, with the exception of the first morning morning departure, all service 53 journeys arrived into and departed Grimsby Town Centre via Hainton Avenue and Weelsby Road to Fryston Corner (Grimsby Institute). Now, with the exception of one journey each way on schooldays, all services operate from Grimsby Town Centre to Fryston Corner via Bargate.

The positive side to this is reduced journey times. Previously off-peak Laceby Market Place to Grimsby Riverhead Exchange was timed for 25 minutes, now Laceby Caistor Road to Grimsby Riverhead Exchange is timed for 17 minutes off peak.

On the other hand, the section of Weelsby Road between Hainton Avenue and Fryston Corner is now only served by buses on schooldays. Hainton Avenue retains an hourly Monday to Saturday off-peak service with route 7.

New Goole + Howden Hopper Timetable

As expected, the Sweyne Coaches operated Goole+Howden Hopper/J36 service received a revised timetable recently, with the start date for the amended provision being Wednesday 11th June - exceptionally unusual for a Monday to Saturday service to be amended midweek.

Out goes the frequency of every 25-50 minutes with occasional longer gaps, and in comes a new timetable with services every half hour off peak daytimes (except for a lunch break), approximately hourly at peak times and every two hours in the evening. I haven't had chance to review how this impacts rail connections, but certainly for local travel, it's a much more simple and memorable offering. 

The aim of the new timetable is to reduce the reliance on public subsidy, so hopefully the revised timetable as well as the fare increase introduced at the same time will help achieve that.

Revised timetable.

Original Blog Post on the service introduction in May 2024.

Another tender for 21 Transport

This week (starting on Tuesday 6th May), 21 Transport have taken over the North Lincolnshire Council tendered service 260 between Barton and Immingham from Stagecoach, along with the interworked 254 Barton Town Schools Service. There is no change to the timetable, which operates Monday to Saturday daytimes.

The 260 was launched around 2003/2004 time and was initially operated by North Lincolnshire Council 'in house'. Stagecoach took over from 31st January 2011 until Saturday 3rd May 2025. Between 2017 and 2020 the Saturday service was run as a CallConnect timetabled service, operated by Hornsby Travel.

This is 21 Transport's second tendered public bus service in North Lincolnshire, joining service 60.

Hull returns to the Moorsbus Network

As expected, Hull and East Yorkshire have returned to the Moorsbus network for the first time in a number of years - though many of the 'in between' years had the East Yorkshre Buses Moors Explorer route which was a commercial service rather than a contracted Moorsbus operation. The Moorsbus M1 started today - 4th May - and operates every Sunday and Bank Holiday until 28th September between Hull and Pickering. East Yorkshire Buses are the operator.

In detail the M1 operates from Hull Paragon Interchange via Hull University, Cottingham, Beverley, Leconfield, Hutton Cranswick, Driffield, Wetwang, North Grimston, Norton, Malton and Eden Camp. Historically Moorbuses from Hull, as well as the Moors Explorer, operated direct from Beverley to Wetwang via Bainton. The M1 departs Hull at 0900 and Pickering at 1715, with the driver and vehicle operating between Pickering and Danby during the day.

Changes Coming to the Goole + Howden Hopper

Changes are coming in the future to the Goole + Howden Hopper/J36 service between Goole and Howden, currently operated by Sweyne Coaches. I have reposted the full press release from the Goole Town Deal below which explains their reasoning, though one thing notably missing is an exact date for a revised timetable to be introduced. 

As the Goole Town Deal Board continues to explore the potential to extend the hugely popular Goole + Howden Hopper bus service beyond its initial pilot phase, it has agreed to introduce a revised timetable and increase fares in a bid to make it less reliant on public subsidy.

Almost a year on from the launch of the Goole + Howden Hopper, the Goole Town Deal team has been gathering feedback from local communities to determine how well the bus service is being used, what benefits it brings and how people feel about it. Almost 800 people took the opportunity to share their views as part of a recent consultation exercise and this feedback has been used to develop a revised timetable that incorporates an additional stop at the Ozone Business Park near Howden, where Yara UK’s new £50 million fertiliser factory will open later this year, and another opposite the Tesco supermarket in Goole. Further changes have been made to better align the timetable with train services at both Goole and Howden Stations, and, because there’s lower demand for the service on weekday evenings, only one of the two Goole + Howden Hopper buses will run at those times. This will also make it easier for the buses to be serviced and maintained.

According to the survey results, a large majority of respondents would be willing to pay higher fares to ensure that the service can continue. Therefore, the Goole Town Deal Board has agreed to increase the fare for a single journey from £1 to £2, and the cost of a weekly ticket from £5 to £7. Both fees will still be well below the national bus fare cap of £3 per journey. The timetable and fare changes will be implemented  in due course, following a six-week statutory notice period.

Phil Jones, Chair of the Goole Town Deal Board, explained: “The Goole + Howden Hopper service is currently operating as a pilot project but has proved incredibly popular, with between 5,000 and 6,000 journeys being made each month. Our goal is to ensure that it’s able to continue beyond the lifespan of Goole Town Deal. If we achieve that, there could also be potential to expand the service because the survey showed that there’s a huge appetite for more villages and stops to be served by the Hopper. In the short-term, we’ve tried to accommodate some of these requests for additional stops within the existing route by making changes to the timetable.

“As a Board, we allocated £550,000 of revenue funding to set up the Goole + Howden Hopper service and operate it during the 2024/25 and 2025/26 financial years. With the support of East Riding of Yorkshire Council officers, a further £100,000 of match-funding was also secured. 

“We don’t want the service to simply stop when that funding runs out next year, so we’re exploring alternative sources of funding for the future. However, we’ve been advised that the success of any funding bids that we submit would largely depend on the service becoming less reliant on public subsidy. This means that we need to carefully balance the need to retain an affordable and effective transport service for local people with the need to make the service more self-sustaining so that external funders would look upon it more favourably. We’ll then be able gather more evidence about how it’s used, with a view to working towards it becoming a commercially viable service that local bus operators would be interested in tendering for, which could also potentially be replicated in other areas where we know there’s demand.”

Phil added: “We’re very grateful to everyone who took the time to respond to our survey. It’s clear that people want the Hopper to continue and are willing to pay higher fares to make that happen. We hope that the timetable and fare changes that we’ve agreed will take us one step nearer to securing the longer-term future of the service.”

Launched in May 2024, the Goole + Howden Hopper is funded by Goole Town Deal as part of the £2.4 million Station Hub project, which aims to support Goole’s employment growth and an anticipated increase in the number of visitors to the town centre by creating an enhanced transport hub and arrival/departure experience at Goole Station and connecting with Howden.  It’s also supported by East Riding of Yorkshire Council, whose officers have played a key role in its development. The Goole + Howden Hopper connects Goole Station with major employment sites on the outskirts of town and with Howden Station, which offers regular train services to York, Leeds and beyond, as well as London. The aim is to make people’s onward journeys from Goole Station easier, provide local people with low-cost transport to key employment sites and make the town more attractive to potential investors by improving transport connections for those travelling from major cities across the North of England and as far afield as London.

Two Goole Town Deal-branded buses, each of which seats 19 people, provide the service and they’re operated by local firm Sweyne Coaches. 

 Last year's blog on the service launch is available here.

Back to once a week

Last April the Goole GoFar operated 358 'shopper' route between Holme on Spalding Moor and Goole gained a Wednesday service in addition to it's existing Tuesday service. As off April 1st 2025, the route has been reduced back to Tuesday only.

Coastal Positives and Negatives

For most of the past few years, East Yorkshire's Bridlington to Scarborough via Filey corridor has comprised:

-A year round hourly daily service 12

-An hourly daily 'full route' service 13 from early March to early November

-An hourly daily 'short' service 13 from Filey to Scarborough between early March and early November

In Summer 2023 the Filey 'shorts' were dropped on Sundays, and I seem to recall they were also dropped early on Monday to Saturdays last year at the end of August. This wasn't advertised at the start of the season, so possibly weather related?

Summer 2025 sees more cutbacks 'around the edges'. No seasonal uplifts commenced until Saturday 5th April, a month later than usual. In addition the Monday to Saturday Filey shorts do not commence until Saturday 24th May, and again finish at the end of August.

On a positive note, when the Filey shorts recommence, the first two shorts into Scarborough, and the last two from Scarborough are extended from/to Primrose Valley Holiday Village south of Filey. The 1730 and 1825 from Filey to Scarborough are withdrawn to help facilitate this.

In addition the 2040 and 2140 service 13's from Scarborough to Bridlington and the 2200 service 13 from Bridlington to Scarborough, previously Friday and Saturday only during the Summer, gain a Monday to Thursday service between 27th May and 29th August only. 

On service 14 between Bridlington and Flamborough, the Summer early/mid evening service is operating Monday to Saturday rather than Friday and Saturday only this year. In addition, whilst last year the evening service finished at the end of August, this year no end date has been advertised.

Saturdays to Sledmere

Service 535 between Driffield and Sledmere gained a Saturday service last week (19th April - Easter Saturday), funded by East Riding of Yorkshire Council's Bus Service Improvement Plan allocation. The 535 was previously a Tuesday and Thursday only 'shopper' service operated by East Hull Community Transport, with two journeys journeys in a one way loop operating Driffield-Wetwang-Fridaythorpe-Fimber-Sledmere-Driffield. These are now joined by an East Yorkshire Buses operated Saturday service which also operates two journeys via the same loop, albeit with the afternoon service operating in the opposite direction. The Saturday 535 is timed to connect with the seasonal 200 between Pocklington and Thixendale at Fridaythorpe. 

Significantly Improved Monday to Friday 399

A major enhancement was made to the Monday to Friday Hornsby 399 between Scunthorpe and Doncaster via the Isle of Axholme on Monday 7th April. Previously there were two Scunthorpe to Doncaster round trips every weekday along with two Scunthorpe to Misterton round trips, a Scunthorpe to Epworth round trip, a Belton to Westwoodside journey and a Westwoodside to Scunthorpe journey.

Now the service has been significantly enhanced and simplified, with five roundtrips between Scunthorpe and Doncaster Monday to Friday - clockface every two hours for most of the day - and one additional journey in each direction between Scunthorpe and Westwoodside, extending to Misterton on college days only. (The Stagecoach evening peak service between Scunthorpe and Westwoodside remains as well). Apart from the the morning peak service not serving the Yorkshire Wildlife Park, all journeys are now 'full route' - no more omitting Althorpe Village/West Butterwick/Beltoft and/or Owston Ferry on certain 'contra-flow' journeys.

One notable aspect about the revised 399 is the provision of suitably timed journeys for commuting to/from Doncaster. As a result First service 357 between Doncaster and Finningley no longer has Monday to Friday extensions to/from Epworth via Haxey and Westwoodside. The Saturday peak extensions remain, retimed to run slightly earlier.

Overall a significant improvement has been made for not much extra mileage, There are still the same number of journeys from Epworth to Scunthorpe for example, and only one extra in the opposite direction. Even from Westwoodside to Doncaster it's not a significant increase when taking into account First's 357. However everything is much simplified compared to previously, which taken with a small increase in mileage makes a big difference.

60 to 21 Transport?

Rather quietly - i.e. I can't find a formal announcement anywhere - North Lincolnshire Council tendered service 60 between Scunthorpe and Whitton seems to have passed from Stagecoach to 21 Transport. The service operates Monday to Saturday daytimes on a somewhat variable frequency throughout the day. Stagecoach cancelled the 60 from Sunday 30th March, with 21 Transport registering from Tuesday 1st April. Not quite sure what happened on Monday 31st March. As per bustimes.org, the timetable is unchanged.

21 Transport have a registered office in Goole and currently also operate North Yorkshire tendered services from Foxholes to Malton and Harrogate to Wetherby, with an additional Esk Valley to Whitby tender due to commence next week. Last year they also briefly operated from Horton and Settle in North Yorkshire to Clitheroe in Lancashire - quite the disparate operation!

Twice a Week to Gainsborough

This week the service level on the Stagecoach operated tendered 398 from Belton to Gainsborough via Epworth, Haxey, Owston Ferry and Walkeringham is doubled, as the current Tuesday only service starts running on Friday's as well from 4th April. The service leaves Belton at 0945, arriving in Gainsborough for 1047, before departing back at 1310. I'm guessing this is a Bus Service Improvement Plan funded initiative, but can't find any documents or press releases to substantiate that. 

Peak Time Park and Ride to East Yorkshire

Since I think Summer 2023, the Stagecoach service 20 Priory Park and Ride in Hull has been subsidised by Hull City Council Monday to Friday until 0900 and after 1400. During these times the service is half hourly and operates via the A63, as opposed to operating every 20 minutes via Askew Avenue off peak and on Saturdays when the service is provided commercially. 

It's an odd situation how a park and ride can be commercially viable for just five hours in the middle of the day - it's not an off peak shopping route. Are Stagecoach just doing the minimum necessary to keep access to the Park and Ride for MKM Stadium match day and Hull Fair services?

Also odd, Stagecoach providing a 20 minute frequency commercially pre 0900 on a Saturday when it's a tendered half hourly service at this time on a weekday.

Just to make things even more bizarre, the commercial/tendered split Monday to Friday becomes very apparent from tomorrow - Monday 31st March - as the tendered peak time service passes to East Yorkshire Buses on an initial one year contract (with option to extend) costing £113,802 per annum, funded from Bus Service Improvement Plan funding. East Yorkshire were the only operator to submit a compliant bid and included a "satisfactory quality submission".

I'm not sure this is a good look for East Yorkshire Buses when temporary timetable reductions remain in operation on other Hull routes.

Hull Nightbuses Withdrawn

Tonight - Saturday 29th March (or to be precise, the early hours of Sunday 30th) - is the last night of operation for Hull's nightbuses. They were introduced at the start of December 2023 for an initial three months, funded from Hull City Council's Bus Service Improvement Plan allocation, and have lasted for sixteen months. Their withdrawal is very disappointing, but they have clearly be given sufficient time to try and gain sufficient custom, before 'pulling the plug'.

Impacted are the 0010 and 0110 departures from Hull City Centre on the following routes:

• Stagecoach 5: Hull City Centre to Kingswood Retail Park - last departure to become 2330
• Stagecoach 6: Hull City Centre to North Bransholme - last departure to become 2330
• Stagecoach 8: Hull City Centre to Bransholme North Point - last departure to become 2100 (or similar service 11 at 2330)
• Stagecoach 13: Hull City Centre to Bilton Grange - last departure to become 2330
• East Yorkshire 57: Hull City Centre to Asda Bilton - last departure to become 2325 on associated service 56
• East Yorkshire 58: Hull City Centre to Hessle - last departure to become 2300 (Stagecoach service 2 has a 2330 departure covering part of the route)
• East Yorkshire 104: Hull City Centre to Cottingham - last departure to become 2240 (Stagecoach service 5 has a 2330 to the Avenues, and East Yorkshire service 45 offers a 2310 from Hull to Cottingham)

How Hull proposes to spend Bus Service Improvement Plan Funding

The March 13th meeting of Hull City Council's Economy and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Commission included a report detailing how Hull City Council is proposing to spend it's Bus Service Improvement Plan funding for 2025-2026. Some interesting proposals, especially items 4, 5 and 6.

1. Continuation of frequency Enhancements 

This will see a continuation of the financial support to the bus operators of a minimum 10-minute frequency on all key routes, Anlaby Road, Holderness Road, Beverley Road, and Spring Bank West.  

2. Continuation of Connective Services 

To continue the service links to Castle Hill, Beverley Town Centre, Chamberlain Road. 

3. Continuation of the Marfleet Community Bus

Revenue To continue the service with East Hull Community Transport, providing a community link 3 days per week. 

4. New service to provide a transport link to Clough Road 

Proposal to link with service 8, operating an 8C via Clough Road.  The importance of doing the circular with the 8 would be to increase the locations that Clough Road would be linked too, such as Bransholm, Sutton Fields, Howdale Road.   

5. New Service 12a 

This scheme would see half the service 12 turn right out of Noddle Hill Way and operate via Wawne Rd, Pioneer Way, Medical Centre, Richmond Way, Barnes Way, Retail Park and Bude Rd to Bransholme Centre, forming a loop with the existing 12 route which would increase the buses to Kingswood by up to four an hour.  

6. New Moors bus Service 

Joint funded service with East Riding and North Yorkshire. The service will operate from Hull Interchange to access the Wolds, Pickering, Kirkbymoorside, Hutton le Hole on to Danby. Proposed operating season 3rd May to 28th September 2025 Sundays and Bank Holidays only. One departure from Hull per day at 0900 and returning at 1900.  

7. Discounted Fares 

Focus on set campaigns, care leavers under 19, student travel, Katcard day rider and social support schemes such as Food Bank travel. 

8. Improved Customer Information 

Promotions of joint corridor travel and bus stop information.  

9. Park and Ride Peak Journeys 

To continue the financial support for the peak hour’s journeys for the Park & Ride AM /PM (Monday to Friday).  

10. Bus Priority and Bus Gates 

To identify, design and complete dedicated bus priority and bus gate schemes across the cites key corridors to improve bus services punctuality 

11. Moving Traffic Violation Investment 

For the initial development of the MTV cameras and enforcement scheme for the yellow box junction between Brook Street and Hull Paragon Interchange, to support bus accessibility and improve punctuality. 

12. Real time investment 

To have a city-wide investment programme to identity new locations and replace existing on street Real Time Displays with new improved technology. 

12. Bus Shelter Investment 

Investment for increasing the current council owned bus shelter asset, by purchasing up to 30 new bus shelters that will compliment with 19 bee friendly bus shelters. 

14. Hull Interchange Accessibility 

Investment Focusing on the accessibility for passengers accessing bus services in the Interchange. Improving the information and creating dedicated walkways. 

15. Bus Stop Accessibility 

To improve bus stop accessibility city wide, includes raised bus boarders, TROs, seating, signs and lines. Number of schemes is subject to further detailed designs. 

16. Park and Ride Development 

Improvements to the facilities and new bike parking to support multi modal travel 

17. Pinch Point Investment 

Investment in carriageway improvements that have previously been identified by the Enhanced Partnership as causing pinch points on the bus network which leads to punctuality issues 

18. Community Bus 

In partnership with East Riding Yorkshire Council, purchasing a zero emissions vehicle that can be utilised for public consultation. 

19. Modelling of Key corridors transport gaps 

A review of the current public transport offer, to identify and gaps in the network which supports a social need which would identify scope for future developments, modelling key corridors, Bus Rapid Transit. 

20. Modelling of Transport Hubs 

A project to scope locations for future transport hubs to support active travel and multi modal travel.  

21. Traffic and Travel Traffic Cameras  

Supports the Traffic & Travel Team Project, widen visual access across the cites road network to support improved bus punctuality.  

The report also contained some proposed Stagecoach commercial changes:

6.8. In addition to the proposed funding allocation, Stagecoach have also agreed to operate two services commercially which supports the overall ambitions for increasing access to public transport and increased frequency. Service 15 operating via Staveley Rd to Hopewell Road then via Amethyst Road to Barham Road thus providing a regular service to Hopewell Road. Service 33, will see the contracted journeys that need to service Kestrel Avenue numbered 33C.  The peak time journeys would remain as Service 33's and operate from Leads Rd via Wawne Rd, to Diversity Drive, Medical Centre, Richmond Way, Barnes Way, to Kingswood Retail Park. 

96 and 97/97A to stay 'in house'

Last month I posted that North Lincolnshire Council were to put the 96 Barton to Brigg and 97/97A Isle of Axholme Local Services out to tender. These services are currently operated 'in house' but finding driver cover has proven difficult. 

However that procurement exercise has now been abandoned due to TUPE implications.

East Yorkshire Mostly "Temporary" Changes

Today - Sunday 23rd February - East Yorkshire are introducing timetable changes in the Hull area. Almost all of the changes are "temporary" for an undefined period due to "staffing shortages". An open letter to customers also mentions a "shortage of spare parts".

Service 44 between Hull Paragon Interchange and Cottingham Road is almost entirely withdrawn on a temporary basis, apart from the two evening services in each direction. The 44 was only introduced in November and the temporary change leaves the University/Cottingham Road with half hourly service 45 Monday to Saturday daytimes, down from every 10 minutes across the 44/45 Monday to Friday and every 15 minutes on Saturdays.

Service 51 between Hull Paragon Interchange and Wymersley Road is reduced on Saturday daytimes from every 20 minutes to half hourly on a temporary basis. It is perhaps worth noting that the 51 also spent two weeks over Christmas and New Year reduced to every 20 minutes; the every 20 minute frequency on Saturdays returned on Saturday 11th January and operated for the last time - for now - on Saturday 22nd February. 

Similarly the 56 and 57 between Asda Bilton, Hull and either Castle Hill Hospital (56) or Hessle (57) are reduced on Saturdays only on each route from every 20 minutes to half hourly on a temporary basis. Again this also happened for two weeks over Christmas and New Year. The common section of route has a 15 minute frequency with the temporary timetable.

Service 58 from Hull Paragon Interchange to Hessle is temporarily reduced from every 15 minutes to every 20 minutes Monday to Saturday daytimes. This is a much better compromise than reducing to half hourly as occurred over Christmas/New Year.

Finally on a positive note, on a "permanent" basis, the 26 from Hessle to Beverley gains a 'part route' 0715 journey from Hessle to Castle Hill Hospital Monday to Saturday, as well as retiming afternoon services. The 0715 fits in between the 0630 and 0930 full route services and appears to be aimed at anyone needing to be as Castle Hill for 0800. Presumably this extra journey can be done with no extra drivers, using a driver and vehicle that would otherwise run 'dead' to Castle Hill or Cottingham?

Proposed new East Yorkshire Buses Depot and Park & Ride in Dunswell

There is currently a live planning application with East Riding of Yorkshire Council for a new East Yorkshire Buses depot and Park and Ride at Dunswell - reference 24/03336/STPLF - occupying the space of land between Raich Carter Way, Beverley Road and the Hull built up area. Restaurants and a petrol station are also proposed.

I won't comment on the non-bus elements of the proposal, nor on the local concerns raised. However there are a lot of interesting aspects as far as buses in the region are concerned. 

The new East Yorkshire Buses depot is proposed to replace both the existing Anlaby Road and Elloughton depots. The planning application covering letter states the new depot will "be more efficient, better for staff and allow the company to expand its routes and make it easier to introduce electric buses". The Planning Statement refers to Anlaby Road and Elloughton depots as making "vehicle maintenance and movement difficult", "difficult to make up to date" and "not well located for staff". The Planning Statement also notes the potential for the new depot to "reduce operating costs through savings in utility bills".

The argument being made in favour of the new depot being more modern, cheaper for utilities and easier to service electric buses is logical and easy to understand; Anlaby Road and Elloughton are old depots on constrained sites. Presumably there are also some economies of scale from combining two depots into one.

Is it the right location though? Firstly there isn't going to be much choice for East Yorkshire Buses. Hull doesn't have much industrial development land within the City Council boundary, hence the big push when Smith & Nephew said there were leaving the city to ensure their current site remained in commercial use, not redeveloped for residential. Within the East Riding of Yorkshire Council area, options aren't great. The Saltend area is earmarked for energy and port related developments, Melton would be rather remote from most of the Hull area East Yorkshire Buses network. I'm not saying it would be impossible to find another site, but neither would it be easy.

Dunswell is in a good location to serve both Hull and Beverley from one location. The flipside though is the significantly increased distance from Paragon Interchange compared to Anlaby Road depot. It won't be as easy or quick to move staff or vehicles between the two. A five minute journey becomes around twenty minutes. 

As for services within the Elloughton/Brough area, Dunswell is poorly located. Dunswell to Elloughton is half an hour at best (discounting roads not suitable for buses). Dunswell to Goole is forty five minutes. Some services could be worked from the Hull 'end' of the route, but otherwise dead mileage is set to increase. However Elloughton is a small depot, so maybe the savings generated by depot consolidation outweigh the dead mileage? It's also worth noting that extensive dead mileage doesn't seem to be off-putting for operators these days, especially on tendered work.

For the staff it will largely depend on where they currently live. Any East Yorkshire Buses staff in the Elloughton area for example face a significantly longer commute. Orchard Park, notably shorter.

As for the park and ride, the application proposes diverting existing services via the site, which to be fair can be done with a limited time penalty. Given the low usage of Hull's existing Park and Ride at Priory Park, it seems a sensible approach to finally deliver the long talked about Northern Park and Ride with low operating costs. It's also in a reasonable location for a Beverley southern Park and Ride. The application also talks about being used as a hospital Park and Ride - though there is currently no service past the site to Hull Royal Infirmary and an unattractive hourly frequency to Castle Hill Hospital.

Overall I'm a bit 'on the fence'.

New Barton to Hull Summary Timetable

The Humber Transport Summary Timetable page now contains a Barton to Hull summary timetable; Stagecoach used to produce one but stopped including it with their 250/350 pdf timetables last year.

Better Buses for Scawby

In recent years Hornsbys X4 between Scunthorpe and Brigg via Lakeside Retail Park and Scawby had become a primarily positioning service, albeit one that did give Scawby a peak time service to/from Brigg - with a 0750 departure from Scunthorpe to Brigg and a 1745 from Brigg to Lakeside Retail Park Monday to Saturday.

Since Thursday 2nd January, Monday to Friday the X4 has been significantly increased and has become a lot more useful, offering a direct Scawby to Scunthorpe service (as opposed to travelling via Brigg on the 4/94) as well as improving the Scawby to Brigg service. It also reinstates an 'all day' service for Brigg Road in Scunthorpe. New journeys depart Brigg at 0810, 0910, 1210, 1410 and 1540, Scunthorpe Bus Station at 1115, 1315, 1515 and 1715, plus a Greetwell Crossroads to Brigg 'short' at 0855. The 1515 and 1540 omit Scawby, instead operating direct between Scunthorpe, Lakeside Retail Park and Brigg, what the X4 did when first introduced.

It should be noted the new journeys, funded by North Lincolnshire Council, are a trial, initially to 31st March 2025.

Between Brigg and Scawby the X4 is fairly well co-ordinated with the 94 - the 94 departs Brigg at 0940. 1140, 1340 and 1540. From Scawby the X4 departs the Church at 0809, 0857, 1132, 1332 and 1732, with the 94 departing Mill Lane at 1029, 1229, 1429 and 1629.

Co-ordination with the 4 between Brigg and Scunthorpe is also good; the 4 departs Scunthorpe Bus Station at 45 minutes past the hour and Brigg Cary Lane at 40 minutes past the hour, so in the hours the X4 operates it will give half hourly departures (although there is a 1540 4 and 1540 X4 from Brigg).

The 0750 X4 from Scunthorpe was however cutback to depart Lakeside Retail Park at 0800; this journey and the 1745 continue to operate Monday to Saturday.

Hornsby 399 Changes

Hornsbys amended service 399 between Scunthorpe, Epworth and Doncaster on 2nd January, with the main changes falling into two distinct parts.

In the morning peak a service 399 had previously operated year round from Westwoodside to Scunthorpe, extended to the Scunthorpe Colleges on College Days, supplemented by a college day only 499 from Misterton to Scunthorpe via the Isle of Axholme, but omitting Westwoodside. The same provision was also provided late afternoon from Scunthorpe, albeit with the colleges served as an en-route diversion rather than route extension. Now though these services have been consolidated into a year round 399 from Misterton to Scunthorpe via Westwoodside with no service 499; in Westwoodside these journeys 'skirt' the eastern end of the village and don't serve the Pond. The associated 'positioning journeys' from Scunthorpe in the morning and return in the evening peak are amended to run to/from Misterton rather than Westwoodside, giving two services between Scunthorpe and Misterton in each direction. It will be interesting to see if there will be any demand to/from Misterton during College Holidays. This change restores a timetabled college holiday bus service on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to the village of Graizelound, as well as over the North Lincolnshire-Nottinghamshire border.

Elsewhere Hornsby service 399 journeys to Doncaster - which operate Monday to Friday - now serve the Yorkshire Wildlife Park. The equivalent Stagecoach operated journeys on a Saturday have not been amended to do the same.

Barton Town Service alteration

The 254 Barton Town Service was revised on 3rd January 2025 with an addition and a removal from the route. The service is operated by Hormsby Travel under contract to North Lincolnshire Council and with a financial contribution made by Barton Town Council. The 254 remains a Monday, Wednesday and Friday service operated hourly around the town in the morning and every 45 minutes in the early afternoon.

First though an extract from the Barton Town Council Environment Committee Minutes in October 2024, that provides some useful background:

North Lincolnshire Council Bus consultation is taking place.  Members were not happy that the  Leisure Centre stop will be removed, however it is evidenced that it is not used enough.  Members queried whether the stops are advertised enough.  It was agreed to request a stop at the Interchange as although there is one at Tesco, the Interchange would also be popular.    

It is important that advertising the service is widespread.   The service that is being offered is the same service but operating in a different way. 

Cllr L Bennet Proposed and Cllr N Pinchbeck Seconded. To remain with the current route and add a stop to the Interchange and clearly sign the bus stops. Unanimous 

Barton Town Council's suggestion to re-add Barton Interchange to the 254 was accepted and introduced as part of the January change. I doubt there will be much demand personally as the 254's limited operational hours mean the 254 cannot be used a connecting service for a trip 'out of town' in both directions. However the time penalty for serving the Interchange is minimal.

Sadly the double run along Brigg Road to Baysgarth Leisure Centre has been removed, presumably due the low usage mentioned in the Town Council minutes. The Leisure Centre is also home to the town library - it was the relocation of the library to the leisure centre that first saw the 254 amended to serve the leisure centre. 

New Pocklington Market Day service 594

Back on 3rd December 2024, a new Tuesday (market day) service was added to Pocklington - the 594 from Fridaythorpe. Operated on behalf of East Riding of Yorkshire Council and funded from it's Bus Service Improvement Plan allocation, the 594 is operated by York Pullman. The service departs Fridaythorpe at 0945 and Pocklington at 1230 taking 27 minutes in each direction and serving Millington en-route. Both Fridaythorpe and Millington were served by the Summer weekend service 200 'Wolds Explorer' between Pocklington and Thixendale last year, whilst Fridaythorpe also has a year round service to Driffield every Tuesday and Thursday.

New Barton-New Holland-Goxhill Bus/Rail Combined Summary Timetable

The Humber Transport Summary Timetable page now contains a combined bus and rail summary timetable for travel between Barton, New Holland and Goxhill.

North Lincolnshire Community Bus Service Updates

The 'Isle Shopper' service 97, operated directly by North Lincolnshire Council, became the 97A on Tuesdays and Fridays from 12th November. Service 97 continues Monday, Wednesday and Thursday between Sandtoft, Wroot, Westwoodside, Haxey, Epworth, Belton, Ealand, Crowle, Eastoft, Luddington and Garthorpe.

Service 97A departs Sandtoft at 0945 (as off 4th February) and operates per the 97 to Belton, before then routing via the A18 to Gallagher Retail Park on the western edge of Scunthorpe. From here it then operates to Crowle (effectively a positioning service), down to Epworth as per the 97 route, back to Gallagher Retail Park and back to Sandtoft. Following a lunch break, the 97A then operates from Epworth to Crowle, Gallagher Retail Park and back a final time to Epworth. Overall the main 'traffic objectives' seem to be Epworth and Gallagher Retail Park.

The thing that stands out to me most is the overlap with Hornsby service 399 that already links Westwoodside, Haxey, Epworth and Belton to Gallagher Retail Park. The only new link is that from the small villages of Sandtoft and Wroot to Gallagher Retail Park. 

As it happens, this week North Lincolnshire Council decided to put the 97/97A, and also the 96 between Barton and Brigg out to tender.

COMMUNITY BUS SERVICES IN NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE – SERVICES 96 AND 97/97a – The Director: Communities submitted a report seeking approval to tender the council’s Section 22 community bus services to external operators, effective from 1 April 2025.

 

Service 96 was a registered Section 22 community bus service operated by the council, running between Barton and Brigg via the Low Villages. The service was vital for connecting these communities, providing essential transport for residents. It currently operated from Monday to Friday and had successfully carried 5,560 passengers in the current financial year up to 30 November 2024.

 

Service 97/97a was another registered Section 22 community bus service operated by the council serving the Isle of Axholme. The 97a service ran from the Isle of Axholme to Scunthorpe Tesco (Gallagher Retail Park) on Tuesdays and Fridays, offering crucial access to shopping facilities for the local population. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, the service operated exclusively within the Isle of Axholme. The service had transported 742 passengers in the same period.

 

Both services had been well received by the public. However, there had been occasional issues with finding driver cover, which had impacted service reliability. Since spare drivers were typically home-to-school minibus drivers, they were unable to complete a full day of service. This limitation had sometimes resulted in reduced or even suspended services.

 

Placing these services out for tender could significantly enhance flexibility and reliability for customers.  By engaging external operators, more resources could be allocated, thereby improving service consistency and reducing the likelihood of service disruptions.

 

Resolved – That Option 2, set out in paragraph 3.2, that both services be placed out for tender by an external bus operator, be approved.

Looking at those usage figures the 96 is vastly more popular than the 97/97A. Using an overly simplistic assumption of 20 non-bank holiday weekdays a month, then between the start of April and the end of November (8 months), the 96 is carrying an average 34.75 passengers per day or 3.475 passengers per journey. The 97/97A is carrying an average 4.6375 passengers per day. As I am using an overly simplistic calculation those will not be precisely accurate averages, but should be close and therefore a useful indicator. 

That's an awful average for the 97/97A and indicates the service is a massive over-provision. There may well be non-economic arguments to support the service, but reducing to one or two days per week would seem more appropriate, ensuring Sandtoft and Wroot maintained a timetabled bus service and that a timetabled bus service remains between Crowle and Epworth - but at far less expense. 

That average may also explain the introduction of the 97A - trying something different to make the service work, and serving an important additional retail destination. However is such significant duplication with the 399 the best idea? If Sandtoft and Wroot do need a link to Gallagher Retail Park, does it need to be two days per week - would one suffice? Could the resource be better used to restore a Wroot to Doncaster service, or to increase the number of days per week the Isle of Axholme is linked to Gainsborough (currently Tuesday only)? Or even a link to Thorne one day per week? Or invest in improving the 399, for example filling the three hour gap in the afternoon from Scunthorpe? Personally I think it's time to think more beyond the 'concept' of a five day a week Wroot-Epworth-Crowle service.

Marfleet Community Minibus Service

A new 'Marfleet Community Minibus Service' launched in November 2024, operated by East Hull Community Transport. It is being run on a 'pilot' basis, initially until the end of March 2025 pending the 2025/26 Bus Service Improvement Plan funding and allocation being confirmed - in turn that will depend on "evidence of real demand through the number of passengers using them".

The service starts at David Lister Drive, which is in the middle of the area between Newbridge Road, Preston Road and Southcoates Lane in East Hull. It then serves Endeavour Crescent, just to the west of Marfleet Lane, Marfleet Village, Preston Road Aldi, Marfleet Group Practice Doctors on Preston Road, Bilton Grange (including Diadem Medical Practice) and Holderness Road Morrisons (also convenient for Kingston Health Centre). The service operates twice per day Monday, Wednesday and Friday, departing David Lister Drive at 0930 and 1150, and Morrisons at 1050 and 1400.

David Lister Drive and Endeavour Crescent are not served by the main Hull bus network, whilst Marfleet Village is only served on it's periphery by Hedon Road services, which don't then serve the local doctors surgeries, Aldi or Morrisons. As such the new community minibus service does offer some useful links. It is a rather convoluted route for anyone travelling 'end-to-end', but I suspect it's target market won't complain at that, instead being happy to have a direct bus service.

The full timetable is available in the Hull City Council press release, and doesn't appear to be on bustimes.org.

Can a reduced service be a better service?

Saturday 9th November 2024 might go down in local bus history as a notable day - the last day of East Yorkshire operating a share of the 350 between Hull, Barton and Scunthorpe. Since I think 1981 and the opening of the Humber Bridge, EYMS/East Yorkshire had operated a one bus share of the 350 every three hours Monday to Saturday daytimes, and for various periods in the evening as well, sometimes full route, sometimes just between Hull and Barton. For most if not all of this century, EYMS/East Yorkshire had also provided a one bus share of the Sunday service.

For reasons unknown East Yorkshire pulled of the 350, leaving the route entirely to Stagecoach. Whilst there was a few weeks of uncertainty after East Yorkshire's announcement, ultimately Stagecoach have replaced East Yorkshire's share of the route. Monday to Saturday this was done on a 'like for like' basis, with Stagecoach's Hull depot picking up an extra 'diagram' so that both Hull and Scunthorpe each provide three vehicles during the daytime. Sundays have been revised though.

Previously there were seven journeys each way on a Sunday between Hull and Scunthorpe, with most extending from/to Ashby High Street. Intervals between journeys varied between one hour, two hours and three hours. Stagecoach's Scunthorpe depot provided two vehicles, albeit one only needed until 1051, whilst East Yorkshire provided one.

Since Sunday 10th November, the Sunday 350 is exclusively the domain of Stagecoach's Scunthorpe depot with a new two hourly timetable providing six journeys each way (i.e. one less) using two vehicles and no Ashby extensions. The first service from Hull is notably later at 0940 rather than 0830, as is the last service from Scunthorpe, now at 1815 rather than 1955. There is no attempt to provide train connections at Barton.

That sounds like a poorer service, and for a small number of travellers it may well be. However I think the even interval two hourly frequency makes for a better service - the inconvenient three hour gaps are gone. Connections to a four month a year Summer rail service are no longer dictating the timetable, which I think was a case of the tail wagging the dog. I fully support bus-rail connections wherever possible, but at Barton they sadly seem little used whatever the day of the week. In contrast there are plenty of bus travellers between Barton and Hull and the potential to grow with a more attractive Sunday timetable.

It's also worth noting that the Ashby to Scunthorpe section had received substantially improved Sunday services in 2024, with a new Sunday service on route 6 and extra journeys on route 4. Maybe the Sunday 350 extensions lost their purpose?

For the record, the last remnant of service 355 from Scunthorpe to Barton Wren Kitchens ceased at the start of September; the 1710 departure from Barton. 

Back to Hourly between Hornsea and Hull

A positive change introduced as part of East Yorkshire's 10th November 2024 service changes was the restoration of the frequency of service 24 between Hornsea and Hull back to hourly Monday to Saturday daytimes. The 24 had been reduced to every 90 minutes Monday to Saturday daytimes back in September 2022. The restored hourly frequency has been funded by East Riding of Yorkshire Council's Bus Service Improvement Plan allocation.

Previously when the 24 was hourly, a half hourly frequency was provided with service 25 over the joint section of route between Hornsea and Leven. This time services operate a 10-50 minute interval from Hornsea and at approximately the same time per hour from Leven.