Lincolnshire InterConnect is a rural bus network in the county of Lincolnshire in the east of England.
A number of InterConnect-branded interurban bus routes with fixed timetables are complemented by demand-responsive, flexible CallConnect minibuses, on which journeys must be booked in advance. Many of the InterConnect services are provided by Stagecoach in Lincolnshire; CallConnect services are run by a variety of operators including TransportConnect Ltd who are a wholly owned company of Lincolnshire County Council.
InterConnect was first established in 1999, when the existing Lincolnshire RoadCar "Connect 6" Lincoln–Skegness bus (introduced in 1998 as part of Route 6's rebrand) was rebranded and its service frequency increased.[1] CallConnect was established in 2001. The network and its services are subsidised by Lincolnshire County Council and Norfolk County Council. Some services were scaled back between 2011 and 2012, following cuts to local government funding and reductions in the Bus Service Operators Grant fuel duty subsidy.[2] [3]
| Route name | Map colour[4] | Destinations | Route variants | Operator | Date introduced | Timetable link | Does it run on Sundays and Bank Holidays? | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| InterConnect 1 | Orange | — | Stagecoach in Lincolnshire | November 2002 | https://www.stagecoachbus.com/timetable-pdf?ServiceId=XGAO001.O | Yes, every two hours between Lincoln and Grantham and hourly between Lincoln and Waddington. | ||
| InterConnect B5 | Unlisted | Lincoln–Woodhall Spa–Boston[5] | B5X[6] | Brylaine Travel | July 2002 | https://www.brylaine.co.uk/_files/ugd/281a5d_d67bc409d36a4dc89f285d1edb1bc645.pdf | No | |
| InterConnect 37 | Unlisted | — | May 2010 | https://tiscon-maps-stagecoachbus.s3.amazonaws.com/Timetables/East/PETERBOROUGH/PB-37-291023.pdf | Yes, 5 times each way. | |||
| InterConnect 51 | Unlisted | Lincoln-Louth-Mablethorpe | 51B[7] | Stagecoach in Lincolnshire | April 2006 | https://tiscon-maps-stagecoachbus.s3.amazonaws.com/Timetables/East%20Midlands/Grimsby/Gy_051%20091023Rev.pdf | No | |
| InterConnect 53[8] | Green | Lincoln–Market Rasen / Market Rasen–Grimsby[9] [10] | 53a;[11] 53b[12] | Stagecoach in Lincolnshire | February 2004 | https://www.stagecoachbus.com/timetable-pdf?ServiceId=XGEO053.O | No | |
| InterConnect 56 | Yellow | Lincoln–Horncastle / Horncastle–Skegness | — | Stagecoach in Lincolnshire | February 1999 | https://www.stagecoachbus.com/timetable-pdf?ServiceId=XGAO056.O | Yes, 6 times each way for the InterConnect 56. | |
| InterConnect 57/B7 | Hot Pink | Skegness–Boston | X57[13] | Stagecoach in Lincolnshire / Brylaine Travel | March 2005 | https://www.stagecoachbus.com/timetable-pdf?ServiceId=XGAO057.O https://www.brylaine.co.uk/_files/ugd/281a5d_8605038f9913423d853b3d48585b56c4.pdf | No | |
| InterConnect 59[14] | Purple | — | Stagecoach in Lincolnshire | March 2005 | https://www.stagecoachbus.com/timetable-pdf?ServiceId=XGBO059.O | Yes, every two hours during the summer season only. | ||
| InterConnect 100 | Light Blue | 101[15] | Stagecoach in Lincolnshire | April 2006 | https://www.stagecoachbus.com/timetable-pdf?ServiceId=XGAO100.O | No | ||
| InterConnect 505 | Blue-green | — | Stagecoach in Lincolnshire | February 2002 | https://www.stagecoachbus.com/timetable-pdf?ServiceId=XGAO505.O | Yes, every hour. |
The various models of double and single-decker buses used by Stagecoach in Lincolnshire for its InterConnect services are painted in a special purple livery with the strapline "Connecting people with places" and the logos of the network's council partners also applied.[16] Before the network was rebranded in 2023, buses formerly had a version of the previous Stagecoach livery in purple-and-gold branding, with some buses featuring route-specific numbered branding, in particular the flagship InterConnect 6 service,[17] and a "Coastal Connect" brand used on the routes serving towns and villages on the Lincolnshire coast. Buses from the other InterConnect operators tend to carry that operator's standard paint scheme.
| Route name | Destinations | Operator | Date introduced | Date removed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| InterConnect 5 | Boston–Spalding | Brylaine Travel | July 2001 | Route Rebranded to B3 (not Newark). The directions stayed the same. | |
| InterConnect 18 (Rail Link) | Lincoln–Sleaford–Spalding–Peterborough | April 2011 | ? | ||
| InterConnect X3 | Lincoln–Newark | Stagecoach in Lincolnshire | June 2010 | April 2011 | |
| InterConnect 3 [18] | Lincoln–Cleethorpes | Stagecoach in Lincolnshire | February 2004 | 2016/ present-day | |
| InterConnect 6x [19] | Lincoln–Skegness (the quick way) | Stagecoach in Lincolnshire | July 2012 | 2014 [20] |
There are two kinds of CallConnect services – entirely demand-responsive 'dial-a-ride' services which serve an area with no fixed route or timetable, and semi-flexible services which run to a timetable but which deviate off the route to serve smaller villages. Journeys on CallConnect must be booked in advance on a mobile app, or on the CallConnect website or over the telephone in areas not served by the app. Fares are calculated in six radial 'zones' based from the pick-up point of the journey.[21]
In 2011, Lincolnshire County Council reported a 23.5% increase in usage of CallConnect compared to the previous year.[22]
CallConnect services operate in 14 named areas across Lincolnshire, including the north side of the city of Lincoln and its nearby villages, and extending into neighbouring counties) – only the remainder of Lincoln and the surrounding area, as well as the unitary authority of North East Lincolnshire, are not covered by CallConnect. The areas covered are:
| Route number | Destinations | Operator | Date introduced | Timetable link | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3L/3X | Louth–Binbrook–Market Rasen | TC Minicoaches | May 2011 | https://web.archive.org/web/20131203001105/http://www.lincsinterconnect.com/call_connect_fix_route_timetables.pdf | |
| 6C | Horncastle–Louth | Kier | April 2001 | http://www.lincsinterconnect.com/call_connect_fix_route_timetables.pdf | |
| 51M | Kier | ? | https://web.archive.org/web/20131203001105/http://www.lincsinterconnect.com/call_connect_fix_route_timetables.pdf | ||
| 65/65A | Sleaford–Woodhall Spa–Horncastle | Kier / Sleafordian Coaches | ? | http://www.lincsinterconnect.com/call_connect_fix_route_timetables.pdf | |
| 635 | Kier | April 2013 | https://web.archive.org/web/20131203001105/http://www.lincsinterconnect.com/call_connect_fix_route_timetables.pdf | ||
| H1 | Horncastle town service | Kier | ? | http://www.lincsinterconnect.com/call_connect_fix_route_timetables.pdf |