Bus, Trolleybus and Tram Routes of Kingston upon Hull Corporation, Predecessors and Successors. 1899 to 1986

Bus, Trolleybus and Tram Routes of Kingston upon Hull Corporation
Predecessors and Successors. 1899 to 1986

Chapter Twenty

Night and Sunday Morning Services

Tramway services were operated by the Corporation between the hours of 5am to 11pm on Mondays to Saturdays, and between 1.30pm and 11pm on Sundays. Demand for travel outside these hours was low, and any receipts from them would not cover the operating costs. This situation continued until the early ‘twenties. As motorbuses were by now becoming more reliable, it was decided that using motorbuses would be both cheaper and more flexible for use outside normal running hours.

In October, 1923, night services were commenced by motorbuses on the following tram routes:- AP, DP, M, P, S and SWC. These commenced after the end of tram services on Mondays to Saturdays. November, 1926, saw the first motorbuses running along Beverley Road over a tram route, but this time it ran before the commencement of tram services on Sunday mornings. These special services were not limited to tram routes only, as in December, 1927, a night service commenced between the City and Norton Grove, this was the bus service which was to be numbered 8. Further bus routes were covered in June, 1930; Willerby Road, and July, 1930; Greenwood Avenue, also a Sunday morning service commenced to Norton Grove.

Prior to the implementation of the co-ordination agreement between the Corporation and East Yorkshire Motor Services Ltd, in July 1934, the following services were being operated:

NIGHT SERVICES: 3 (Pickering Road), 8 (Norton Grove), 9 (Anlaby Common), 11 (Willerby Road), 15 (York Road), 20 (Chanterlands Avenue), 22 (Newland Avenue), 39 (Gillshill Road, 45 (Marfleet Lane), 47 (Marfleet) and 50 (Corporation Pier)

SUNDAY am SERVICES: 8 (Norton Grove), 15 (York Road), 18 (Endike Lane) and 39 (Gillshill Road). To these were added upon co-ordination:

NIGHT SERVICES: 19 (Greenwood Avenue), 34 (Sutton), 42 (Bellfield Avenue), 46 (Suttonway) SUNDAY am SERVICES: 20 (Chanterlands Avenue), 22 (Newland Avenue), 34 (Sutton), 41 (Ings Road), 45 (Marfleet Avenue), 46 (Suttonway), 47 (Marfleet). Both types of service were added to the 16A (Ellerburn Avenue North) route upon commencement of the normal daytime service in 1938. A Sunday morning service also commenced between Newcomen Street and the Eastern Cemetery on Preston Road in late 1938, it was given the service number 46B. It must be emphasised, however, that the existence of night and Sunday morning services on both the 16A and 46 services have not been officially confirmed, but both of these were held on Road Service Licences with two adjacent licences for which the services are not known, and their existence has been surmised from these gaps, and both of these services were important enough to warrant them.

Most of the services were discontinued in the early period of the Second World War, most likely to ease the consumption of fuel, and was also part of the reduction in services during the war years. The only service to remain was the Sunday morning 46B service to the Eastern Cemetery. In February, 1942 it was renumbered 41 and remained in operation until 1955.

Diagram showing Night and Sunday Morning Services.

Keith Easton
01/2012

Click here to view the seperate Index for Chapter Twenty

Click here to view Chapter 21

16/04/12

Another good piece Keith. Very difficult to keep track of KHCT routes and timetables in the 1930s since very litle public information was reeleased. However some infomtaion has survived and is often found in a most unlikely place. Here is some additional info.
At 27 February 1933 the following services were operated:
3 Carr Lane - Pickering Road
8 Carr Lane - Askew Avenue
9 Carr Lane - Pickering Road
11 King Edward Street - Derringham Bank
15 King Edward Street - York Road
18 King Edward Street - Endike Lane
22 King Edward Street - Newland Avenue - Cottingham Road - Hall Road
33 Dock Offices - Garden Village - Sutton Church
42 King Edward Street - Ings Road
45 Dock Offices - Newbridge Road (Marfleet lane)
47 Savile Street - Marfleet
All night routes ran at 20 minute intervals from 10:55 pm (outer terminus) and 11:10 pm (city) until 12:15 from city and 12:35 am from the outer terminus - with odd variations.
Sundays saw buses every 20 minutes from 9:15 am ex city until 12:55 pm on most but a 40 minute service on the 11/15/33
Apart from the last journeys to the city centre some buses ran across the city centre as 3/42, 8/45, 11/33, 18/47
It is not clear what subsequent alterations were made since regualar issue of timetable booklets did not occur but the night and Sunday morning services at one time had their own little booklet.

Malcolm J Wells

17/04/12 - 07:09

Thanks for the comment, Malcolm. As you said information has the knack of turning up in the most unexpected places. Since writing the chapter on night services, I have received information concerning early licences granted to Hull Corporation, and this does quite materially alter the information in this chapter, and the index is now in need of extensive revision. Other pieces of information to come to light, was the short term licences for air displays at the Municipal Aerodrome (sic) for "Air Pageants" in the early 'thirties; a service to Beverley in 1932. What the purpose of this was I am unaware, perhaps someone out the may know the answer. Also there were a couple of services for Hull Fair. The biggest surprise was twelve separate licences for late night services from local dance halls to a number of places served by Corporation 'buses. I will amend all of this i due course, but not yet!

Keith Easton

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