News

The free Christmas Park and Ride scheme operating from Creekmoor to the town centre every day until 11 January has already proved to be extremely popular.

On Saturday 7 December, its first day of operation Park and Ride buses carried a total of 1,799 passengers to and from the Town Centre. Only one week later the number of Saturday passengers increased to 2,950 and 982 on the Sunday. The number of users in the first week reached 5,727 and the number of passengers for week two has already exceeded this figure in the first four days.

Jim Bright, Head of Transportation Services, said: "I am delighted the bus service has run so smoothly. The car park is looked after by parking attendants who have received many compliments about the service and when I used it on Tuesday the bus journey took just seven minutes."

The car park at Creekmoor can accommodate up to 350 vehicles and passenger flow into the car park is controlled by a parking attendant with the gates being secured at the end of the day.

Cllr Bob Williams, Executive Portfolio Holder for Environment and Regeneration, said: "The number of people using the Park and Ride has been really encouraging. By the end of the first week over 5,000 people had used the free bus service and avoided the extra Christmas hassle of trying to park in the Town Centre. I'm sure passengers who have used it would agree it has taken a lot of the strain out of shopping for festive treats and will be invaluable when it comes to the January sales!"

The £1.7m used to set up and operate the Park and Ride site at Creekmoor comes from a Local Government grant and forms part of Westminster's Transportation Plan for reducing congestion. The Creekmoor Park and Ride scheme is scheduled to begin operating as a permanent service in the summer of 2003.

The buses chosen for the scheme aim to make the journey easy and comfortable for passengers, with modern low floors allowing easy access for wheelchair users or for families with pushchairs. The site itself is well lit and the bus stop is clearly sign-posted and covered. A security officer is on site during opening times for passengers safety and comfort.