Later hours for Park and Ride Buses (Monday to Friday)
Winchester's Park and Ride bus service is to run later in the evening to encourage rail commuters to use the service.
From Monday 1 November Park and Ride buses will run for an extra two hours in the evening instead of ending at 6.45pm. The last bus will leave Winchester Railway Station at 8.45pm, answering criticism from some commuters that they do not use Park and Ride because of the time their train arrives back in Winchester.
The service will run every 15 minutes between 6.45pm and 8.45pm for an experimental 6-month period.
The first Park and Ride bus leaves the St Catherine's site at Bar End at 7.15am, with commuters able to leave their cars all day for £1.50, or £1.20 with a discounted Smartcard, helping to reduce congestion and pollution in the city centre. The ticket also pays for the bus journey.
"These extended hours will benefit rail commuters but will also benefit people who perhaps want to have a meal in the city centre after leaving work. Up until now they would have had to catch the last bus, which left the Broadway at 6.45pm," said Cllr Richard Knasel, Winchester City Council's Cabinet portfolio holder for economy and transport.
"We will look at the number of people who have used the later service at the end of 6 months and then consider whether it should become permanent," he added.
The St Catherine's Park and Ride site is the largest in Winchester with 591 spaces and is situated at Bar End near the M3 off junction 10. Park and Ride has been developed as a way of reducing traffic volume and as a consequence improving air quality and reducing the impact of traffic in the city centre.
The adjacent Barfield Park and Ride site has a further 194 spaces.
Both car parks are monitored by CCTV and have been awarded "Secured car park" status for security and safety. The ticket machines are Pay & Display, but also accept Smart Cards that offer discounted parking for regular users.
For further information contact Winchester City Council's Parking Office at 6 Middle Brook Street, Winchester, telephone: 01962 848346 or email