Stagecoach Grimsby-Cleethorpes

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Stagecoach Grimsby-Cleethorpes
Stagecoach Grimsby-Cleethorpes 37187 (YY64 GUC).jpg
A Stagecoach Grimsby-Cleethorpes ADL Enviro200 in Cleethorpes in 2019.
Founded1993
HeadquartersGrimsby, Lincolnshire
Service areaNorth East Lincolnshire
Service typeUrban and Interurban bus services
DestinationsGrimsby, Cleethorpes, Scartho, Waltham, New Waltham, Humberston, Great Coates, Healing, Stallingborough, Immingham, South Killingholme, Habrough, Ulceby, Wootton, Thornton Curtis, Barrow upon Humber, Barton upon Humber, Laceby, Keelby, Humberside Airport, Lincoln, Hull, Market Rasen, Caistor.
FleetAlexander Dennis Enviro200
Alexander Dennis Enviro400
Wright Eclipse Urban
Alexander Dennis Enviro300
Wright Eclipse Gemini (Open-top)
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter (Minibus Variant)
OperatorStagecoach Group
WebsiteOfficial Website

Stagecoach Grimsby-Cleethorpes is a subdivision of Stagecoach East Midlands that operates buses in and around North East Lincolnshire, England, serving a population of over 150,000. It runs town services in its main hubs of Grimsby and Cleethorpes, as well as services to Immingham and nearby villages. Buses operate via the Riverhead bus station, opened in 1989, which is situated next to the Freshney Place Shopping Centre in Grimsby town centre.

History[]

Grimsby and Cleethorpes Corporations[]

Main articles: Trolleybuses in Grimsby and Trolleybuses in Cleethorpes

In 1881 the London-based Provincial Tramways Company established a system of horse trams in Grimsby and Cleethorpes under the management of the Great Grimsby Street Tramways Company. Provincial also operated tramways in Cardiff, Portsmouth, Gosport and Plymouth. These horse trams would be withdrawn in 1901 and replaced with electric trams.

In 1925 Grimsby Corporation bought the tramway system running within its borough for £125,000. However, faced with the expense of relaying damaged track on Freeman Street, the new company acquired single deck Garrett and later double deck AEC trolleybuses, with trolleybus services first operating on 3 October 1926. This started the gradual process of replacing the ageing trams with the Grimsby trolleybus system.[1]

In 1927, Grimsby Corporation Transport bought its first motor buses, these being centre entrance single deck Albions. The first double deck motor bus, an AEC Regent with a centre entrance, was purchased in 1930.[2] Grimsby Corporation introduced motor bus routes to outlying areas of the town and in 1934 bought routes from the Ada bus company and Provincial[who?], thereby extending services to New Waltham/Humberston (route 8) and Waltham (route 9). Following World War Two, routes were further extended to the new housing estates.

Cleethorpes Council introduced motor buses in 1930, operating routes within the town and also to Humberston. A joint service with Grimsby (route 6) ran from Grimsby town centre, along Bargate, Weelsby Road and Clee Road to Cleethorpes Bathing Pool. In 1936 Cleethorpes took over the tramways within its area and in 1937 tram services run by the two boroughs finally ended, when a second joint service (route 11) was established along the main road between Grimsby Old Market Place and Cleethorpes Bathing Pool using trolley buses.[1]

Grimsby-Cleethorpes Transport (GCT)[]

In 1953, plans to amalgamate both Grimsby and Cleethorpes' transport departments were first explored.[3] However, Cleethorpes' department's managing director was initially opposed to the plan, and so discussions continued until an agreement was made in 1957.[4][5] Both councils then merged their bus companies to form Grimsby-Cleethorpes Transport (GCT), run by a joint committee. The crimson/cream livery of Grimsby and the blue/grey colours of Cleethorpes were replaced with the blue and cream of the new company. The Cleethorpes depot at Pelham Road was closed down, the buses and staff moving to the Grimsby depot in Victoria Street.

Prior to the amalgamation in 1956, Grimsby introduced its first one-person operated service on its Corporation Road route 1, using new dual entrance single deckers The last trolleybuses were taken out of service in 1960. During the 1960s the first rear-engined Daimler Fleetline double deckers arrived. These had the driver inside, with automatic doors opposite where they sat. Later dual-door Fleetlines were acquired and these were used to gradually extend the one-person operated bus system to the double deck routes. In 1982 the role of conductor was abolished and Grimsby-Cleethorpes Transport changed entirely to one-man operations.

1981 saw GCT change its livery to caramel and cream. In 1986 bus services were deregulated, which resulted in some competition between RoadCar and GCT. RoadCar began running buses from Grimsby town centre to the Grange, Nunsthorpe and Bradley Park estates, areas previously served only by GCT. In 1987 the fleet colours were changed again, to orange and white.

Resulting from government policy that municipal transport undertakings should be privatised, Grimsby and Cleethorpes councils decided to sell off GCT. Bids submitted included offers from Stagecoach, Yorkshire Rider and a management/worker team. The Stagecoach bid was accepted and on 19 November 1993, Stagecoach Holdings bought the company for £4.4 million.[6] The company was soon rebranded to Stagecoach Grimsby-Cleethorpes and initially made part of the East Midland division, before the 2007 acquisition of Lincolnshire Roadcar lead to Grimsby-Cleethorpes being amalgamated into the Stagecoach in Lincolnshire subdivision.

Following the acquisition of Lincolnshire RoadCar, buses and staff based at the former RoadCar's Grimsby depot in Garden Street were transferred to the Stagecoach Grimsby-Cleethorpes depot in Victoria Street, although they remained part of Stagecoach in Lincolnshire. The Garden Street premises was briefly used for the storage of old buses before being put up for sale in 2008, where in that same year, Stagecoach closed its Louth depot transferred operations of Louth-area routes over to Grimsby-Cleethorpes.

In October 2002, arsonists set fire to the bus depot and a number of vehicles were destroyed. Stagecoach briefly brought in buses on loan from other depots to maintain services in the area, including some from Stagecoach London.[citation needed]

Services[]

Simplibus network[]

Prior to 2014, bus services in Grimsby-Cleethorpes operated on most of the traditional route numbers from Grimsby-Cleethorpes Transport, with some alterations.

In November 2014, Stagecoach Grimsby-Cleethorpes became the first Stagecoach East Midlands subsidiary to launch a 'Simplibus' network. This involved the renumbering of most services into numerical order, as well as the rerouting or withdrawal of some services. This coincided with a £4 million investment of 28 new single-deck buses for the fleet, all delivered new with Simplibus branding.[7]

Humber Flyer[]

Stagecoach's Grimsby and Hull depots operate the weekday hourly Humber Flyer service from Cleethorpes, via Grimsby, Laceby, Keelby, Barton upon Humber and the Humber Bridge to Hull. Originally, the route also served Humberside Airport and so was branded the 'Humber Flyer', with the service being upgraded to four route-branded single deckers in 2014.[8]

In September 2020, the 250 was rerouted to no longer serve Humberside Airport, instead serving the villages of Barrow upon Humber, Thornton Curtis, Wootton and Ulceby. With the advent of a new national livery scheme, Stagecoach Grimsby-Cleethorpes have currently begun a process of phasing out the 'Humber Flyer' brand.

Phone 'n' Ride[]

Stagecoach Grimsby Cleethropes are contracted by North East Lincolnshire Council to run the 'Phone 'n' Ride' demand-responsive transport service. First established by the council in 2005, this is currently operated with a fleet of Mercedes-Benz Sprinter minibuses, which operate around Grimsby, Cleethorpes and surrounding areas.[9][10]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Ruston, Abbey (27 December 2017). "When trams and trolley buses ruled the streets of Grimsby and Cleethorpes". Grimsby Telegraph. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  2. ^ "Grimsby's Buses Do Well". The Commercial Motor. 11 August 1931. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  3. ^ "Cleethorpes and Grimsby Merger?". The Commercial Motor. 7 August 1953. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  4. ^ "Disagreement over amalgamation". The Commercial Motor. 23 October 1953. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  5. ^ "Expert to advise on merger". The Commercial Motor. 20 November 1953. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  6. ^ Forster, Frank (20 November 1993). "GCT purchased by Stagecoach". Coach and Bus Week. Peterborough: Emap Response.
  7. ^ "Stagecoach's Simplibus raises money for Cancer Research UK". Coach and Bus Week. Peterborough: Emap Response. 21 December 2015.
  8. ^ Knight, Steven (20 August 2014). "Face to Face: Michelle Hargreaves". Coach and Bus Week. Peterborough: Emap Response.
  9. ^ "Phone 'n' Ride". nelincs.gov.uk. North East Lincolnshire Council. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  10. ^ "Phone 'n' Ride returns to full service". nelincs.gov.uk. North East Lincolnshire Council. 2 July 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2021.

Further reading[]

  • 100 Years of Public Transport, 1881–1981 (Grimsby-Cleethorpes Transport)
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