Preston to Walton-le-Dale Park & Ride to operate until 2021

The popular Park & Ride service from Walton-le-Dale to Preston city centre has been extended by Lancashire County Council until March 2021.

This decision was taken by the council's Cabinet, who also committed to making improvements at the site to attract more passengers.

The Park & Ride service helps to reduce congestion in the city centre and increases travel options.

Approximately 300,000 passenger trips are made each year, an average of 980 per day on the route.

County Councillor Keith Iddon, Cabinet member for highways and transport, said: "We're pleased that we could add some stability to this service, which will help us to introduce improvements that will benefit passengers and attract new people to use it, which brings in more revenue.

"We're also looking at ways to reduce the cost of running this service and improving the lighting at the site to save energy. It's vital to look at ways we can save money.

"It's a great service that makes it easier to come into the city centre. We'd encourage people who've never used the Park & Ride to give it a try."

No changes are planned to the timetable for the service.

The service will continue to be operated by Preston Bus on behalf of the county council. All revenue from bus tickets will be used by the county council towards the cost of maintaining the park and ride site.

According to vehicle data from June 2017, at peak times for the service, it removed 9% of northbound traffic on London Way. During a full day 4% of northbound traffic on London Road was removed by the Park & Ride.