On the buses: How rural services are faring

A man in a pink hoodie, jeans and a checked flat cap prepares to board a single decker bus at a bus stop. The bus display says it is the 129 to Withernsea. The bus is yellow and black, and Ian has his back to the camera.

Ian Ross boards the 129 from Hornsea to Withernsea

Crispin Rolfe, East Yorkshire & Lincolnshire

After a report this summer highlighted a decrease in rural bus services and a government announcement of a £1bn investment to improve reliability, BBC reporter Crispin Rolfe took a bus trip through East Yorkshire to find out what passengers think.

I don't go on buses very often.

But today, I'm taking the number 24 Hull to Hornsea. It runs hourly now, I'm told later by East Yorkshire Buses managing director, Ben Gilligan.

Being under 75, there's a fare to pay. I've already got my £3 cash-in-hand; a pleasant fee in a cost-of-living beleaguered world.

And yet, it used to be £2.

A man with short cropped grey hair sits on a bus seat. He's wearing a blue and grey bomber jacket and a grey t-shirt.

Tony Blakeston says bus users need more Sunday services

On the bus, most are travelling for free. It's a sunny day and Hornsea's seaside attractions are still evident. I introduce myself to the other passengers.

First to chat is Tony Blakeston. He's heading home having dropped his car for repairs.

He's not a regular and today's service exceeds his expectations, although he says he feels Sunday services are too infrequent.

It was in June that the County Councils Network published a report showing bus services decreased by 18% in rural areas between 2019 and 2024.

A man and woman sit next to each other on bus seats. Jim, on the left is wearing a black jacket and teal coloured shirt. Doreen on the right has a lace white top, black jacket and a black handbag. The both have grey hair.

Jim and Doreen are off to Hornsea by bus for a free day out

Jim and Doreen Barratt are off on a seaside date - the allure of fish, chips and beer.

They've been married for 57 years.

"It works for us perfectly," says Jim. "Better than going in the car," echoes Doreen.

Two women sit next to each other on a bus. There is a white van driving by out of the window. Both women have neck length brown hair and are smiling. Susan, in front and on the right, is wearing a white blouse and a Hull Kingston Rovers red hoodies, which is open at the neck.

Susan Beetham uses her over 75s bus pass to tour the county

As Hull's sprawl starts to recede along Holderness Road, another couple jump on board.

"We go to Scunthorpe, Grimsby, Hornsea, Bridlington – you name it," says Susan Beetham, proudly making the most of her over 75s pass.

An hour later, I'm stepping off at Hornsea where the rosy picture of bus travel becomes thorny.

Christine Youngson needs a taxi to finish her trip to see family in Atwick.

It's just two miles away, but the 130 bus isn't coming anytime soon.

"There's only like three a day," she says. "My son-in-law brings me back."

A woman with short grey hair is wearing a white t-shirt and a beige hoodie. Seated on a bench under clear skies, Christine is framed by a backdrop of brick architecture and a classic British red phonebox.

Christine Youngson, 78, has to rely on taxis or lifts to complete her journey

Coastal services to Bridlington or Withernsea are too infrequent to be relied upon, I'm told by others.

So I wait and catch one – the 129.

On it is Ian Ross. He is travelling to Roos but says he fears the timetable means "you miss connections."

A man wearing a grey and brown checked cap, stands beside a black iron fence overlooking a green area with trees and a bandstand. He has sunglasses on, and grey moustache, and wears a pastel pink hoodie.

Ian Ross, 74, says a new timetable doesn't work for him

The 129 is a scenic but long trip, with the bus driver having to navigate Holderness's tinier coastal haunts.

Eventually, I arrive in Withernsea. It's a town blessed by half-hourly services to Hull - there for commuters as well as those seeking a blast of North Sea air.

Time then for the number 75 - my final bus on this five-hour round trip.

I'm on the top deck - along with a passenger having an expletive-ridden chat on their phone.

Still, I'm a journalist. I've heard worse.

An aerial view of a yellow and red above passing by a park on one side of the road and approaching Withernsea's Pier Towers; two small yellowing towers with thin, narrow windows. The're surrounded by rocks and sand on oneside, and the pavement and road on the other. Steps lead from the towers down to the beach.

A bus approaches Withernsea's Pier Towers

A man in a light blue open-necked checked shirt sits in front of glass door, with white walls and a picture on the wall. He has a receeding hairline and is smiling.

Ben Gilligan is the managing director of East Yorkshire Buses

Back in Hull, I speak to Ben Gilligan, managing director of East Yorkshire Buses.

He says recent government money has improved timetables, especially in previously underserved areas.

But, he wants long-term government funding guarantees to improve services.

Mr Gilligan says the fare cap increase from £2 to £3 had put passengers off.

"It may not sound a lot, but for some it's made a difference," he says.

Staff costs, including National Insurance increases are also factors for operators, he tells me.

The government's got back to me too, reiterating a promise to end scrapping bus routes at short notice and its £3 fare cap commitment until March 2027.

Overall then, it strikes me that East Yorkshire's bus service could be worse. But, in an age of Net Zero and Levelling Up, it could also possibly be better.

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