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. 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.
List of InterConnect routes
Current routes Route name Map colour Destinations Route variants Operator Date introduced Timetable link Does it run on Sundays and Bank Holidays? InterConnect 1 Orange Lincoln–Grantham — Stagecoach in Lincolnshire November 2002 Yes, every two hours between Lincoln and Grantham and hourly between Lincoln and Waddington. InterConnect B5 Red Lincoln–Woodhall Spa–BostonThis service formerly continued to Spalding. B5XServes Lincoln and Conigsby only, except for one schoolday service from Tattershall to Boston. Brylaine Travel July 2002 No InterConnect 37 Unlisted Spalding–Peterborough — Stagecoach in Peterborough May 2010 Yes, 5 times each way. InterConnect 251 Spanish Blue Hull–Barton–Grimsby–Holton le Clay–Louth 51BServe colleges and schools in Grimsby and Louth. Stagecoach in Lincolnshire April 2006 Yes, every two hours. InterConnect 53This service was originally numbered InterConnect 3 and the route formerly continued to Cleethorpes. Green Lincoln–Market Rasen / Market Rasen–GrimsbyThis route is divided into two, in order "to comply with Department for Transport guidance". Connections are guaranteed at the route dividing point, and the journey often continues on the same vehicle.From 2010–2011, the InterConnect 3 service was extended to Newark-on-Trent as the 'executive' service X3, in order to meet East Coast Main Line trains at Newark North Gate railway station. This extended service was cancelled in March 2011, with the operator citing a lack of passenger demand. 53ARuns on school days only, serving De Aston School. The morning departure from Lincoln and afternoon departure from Grimsby also serve Linwood Stagecoach in Lincolnshire February 2004 No InterConnect 56 Yellow Lincoln–Horncastle / Horncastle–Skegness — Stagecoach in Lincolnshire February 1999 Yes, every two hours. InterConnect 57/B7 Hot Pink Skegness–Boston X57Continues from Skegness to Chapel St Leonards and back and also has Boston College as the start and end of route. Stagecoach in Lincolnshire / Brylaine Travel March 2005 No InterConnect 59This route originally only ran between Skegness and Mablethorpe, but in 2009, the route was extended to Louth on Monday to Saturday. Purple Skegness–Mablethorpe / Mablethorpe–Louth — Stagecoach in Lincolnshire March 2005 Yes, every hour during the summer season only. InterConnect 100 Light Blue Lincoln–Gainsborough / Gainsborough–Scunthorpe 101College days only. Early-morning departure from Scunthorpe to Gainsborough, connecting with the 100 to Lincoln. Morning departure from Gainsborough serving John Leggott and North Lindsey colleges. Afternoon departues from Scunthorpe colleges to Gainsborough. Stagecoach in Lincolnshire April 2006 No InterConnect 505 Blue-green Spalding–King's Lynn — Stagecoach in Lincolnshire February 2002 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. 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, 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.
Former routes
Route name Destinations Operator Date introduced Date removed InterConnect 5 Boston–Spalding Brylaine Travel July 2001 Route Rebranded to B3 (not to be mistaken as the Lincoln to Newark route). The route is the same. InterConnect 18 (Rail Link) Lincoln–Sleaford–Spalding–Peterborough East Midlands Trains April 2011 ? InterConnect X3 Lincoln–Newark Stagecoach in Lincolnshire June 2010 April 2011 InterConnect 3 This route still runs as Interconnect 53, but with it only running between Lincoln and Grimsby. Lincoln–Cleethorpes Stagecoach in Lincolnshire February 2004 2016 InterConnect 6x Lincoln to Skegness "the quick way": first ran in the 2012 school summer holidays; added to the main timetable in March 2013. 20% faster than the basic number 6 service; does not serve Raithby, Spilsby, Partney or Burgh-le-Marsh. Lincoln–Skegness (the quick way) Stagecoach in Lincolnshire July 2012 2014 For unknown reasons, the 6x was withdrawn in 2014.
CallConnect services 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.
In 2011, Lincolnshire County Council reported a 23.5% increase in usage of CallConnect compared to the previous year.
CallConnect areas
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 Area covered Operator Date introduced Timetable link 7B Boston TransportConnect April 2011 15B Bourne Kier July 2008 53C Brigg, Caistor and Ridge PC Coaches February 2016 100G Gainsborough Kier April 2006 1G/1K Grantham, Newark & Kesteven TransportConnect November 2002 (1G)July 2008 (1K) 5C/6H Horncastle, Coningsby & Woodhall Spa Kier April 2001 (6H)July 2002 (5C) 505H/505L Holbeach & Long Sutton TransportConnect February 2002 51E/51N/51S Louth Kier / TC Minicoaches March 2004 (51N)February 2005 (51S)July 2008 (51E) 9M Mablethorpe & Alford Kier March 2005 3C/3M Market Rasen & Caistor TC Minicoaches February 2004 18M/18S Metheringham & Sleaford Kier April 2008 4P/4R/4S Peterborough, Rutland, Stamford & the Welland Vales TransportConnect September 2009 (4S)April 2010 (4P)July 2010 (4R) 9S Skegness Kier April 2011 16S Spalding Kier March 2009 6S/7W Spilsby & Wainfleet TC Minicoaches April 2001 (6S)February 2005 (7W)
Timetabled CallConnect services
Route number Destinations Operator Date introduced Timetable link 3L/3X Louth–Binbrook–Market Rasen TC Minicoaches May 2011 6C Horncastle–Louth Kier April 2001 51M Louth–Manby Kier ? 65/65A Sleaford–Woodhall Spa–Horncastle Kier / Sleafordian Coaches ? 635 Sleaford-Cranwell Kier April 2013 H1 Horncastle town service Kier ?
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