Interconnect –
rural transport
a Lincolnshire success story L
incolnshire is a large rural county which most people think of as flat and featureless. It then comes as a surprise to discover the rolling hills of the Wolds or Lincoln Cathedral high above the city – Lincoln even has a street named Steep Hill! Lincolnshire is a very sparsely populated county with considerable distances between small settlements. So running a public transport service is a huge challenge. The county has a well developed network of bus routes serving traffic free roads, historic towns and quiet villages. The major operator is Lincolnshire Road Car Co., known simply as Road Car, which, in partnership with the County Council, has taken major initiatives to improve services.
In 1998 HM Government announced extra funding through its Rural Bus Challenge scheme and Lincolnshire County Council became the first major recipient. For many years the Lincoln to Skegness (route number 6) had survived on three journeys a day
each way for years, so as a starting point, two new vehicles were bought for the service. It was rebranded as Connect 6, with six round-trips each day, and passenger numbers immediately increased. In 1999 feeder services were introduced at three interchange points: Wragby, Horncastle and Spilsby, which further increased passenger numbers. In 2000 three more buses were bought and the service went hourly from 5am to 10pm with twelve feeder services. By March 2000 passenger numbers had increased by a massive 80%. The service is now operated entirely by low-floor double-deckers and passenger numbers continue to grow. £2.4 million has now been invested in vehicles and infrastructure.
The company and County Council have built on the success of Connect 6 by introducing more Quality Partnership services so that there are now five Interconnect routes: the Lincoln to Skegness route; Spalding to Kings Lynn (interchanges at Holbeach and Long Sutton); Lincoln
to Boston (interchange at Coningsby); Lincoln to Grantham (hourly) and Lincoln to Grimsby (hourly with interchanges at Market Rasen and Caistor). All operate with modern route-branded low-floor vehicles and are publicised through high quality, easily read timetable brochures.
The result of the investment has been more people using bus services, fewer car journeys and less pollution, as well as vastly enhanced transport opportunities for people living on these routes. Interconnect has won national recognition and Lincolnshire receives visitors from home and abroad to see how this innovative scheme operates. n
For more information contact: Lincolnshire County Council, 01522 553146 Lincolnshire Road Car Co. Ltd, 01522 522255 Traveline (for all UK bus service details and times): 0870 608 2608
Graham Wise
www.arthurrankcentre.org.uk 7
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