A park & ride travel fare offer which makes parking and bus travel more cost-effective at Oxford’s park and rides has been extended by six months until 30 September.
Read more: Cheaper combined park and ride tickets to be trialled in Oxford
Passengers can continue to buy a combined ticket at a reduced price which covers both parking and return bus travel at a rate of £4.00 for a car with only one adult or £5.00 for a car and two adults. With both options, up to three children under 16 can travel for free.
Oxfordshire County Council, Oxford City Council, Oxford Bus Company and Stagecoach said the trial, which was due to end on 31 March, will continue until the end of September 2023 due to its success.
The deal represents a saving of £1 per person for an individual ticket and £1.80 for two people travelling together. Previously, other than a combined £6.80 family ticket, drivers had to pay separately for parking and bus travel.
Since the campaign was launched, park & ride passenger numbers have increased to around 97 per cent of the level they were before the pandemic. The increase has been up to 10 per cent on weekdays and even greater at weekends.
Discover: Park & Ride sites in Oxford
Councillor Andrew Gant, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways Management, said: “This deal will continue to make it cheaper and more convenient for many people to use the park & ride services instead of driving all the way into Oxford city centre. More people on the buses will reduce car use and cut congestion and pollution.”
Councillor Louise Upton, Cabinet Member for Health and Transport at Oxford City Council, said: “I’m delighted that we have been able to extend the park & ride offer for a further six months. Park & ride services are essential for travelling into and across our city, and we want to help make these services as easy to use and as affordable as possible.”
Rachel Geliamassi, Managing Director at Stagecoach West, said: “We’re really pleased to be extending this park & ride ticket offer for Oxford. For those looking to travel from Oxford Parkway to the hospital sites in Headington, as well as into Oxford city centre, this ticket offer will provide brilliant value and convenient travel.”
Luke Marion, Oxford Bus Company Managing Director, said: “This continues to be a fantastic offer for people visiting Oxford and represents the best value for commuters, shift workers and leisure visitors.
“Thanks to key stakeholders working together, we have jointly created an excellent special offer for an extended period designed to encourage people to return to, or try out, the park & ride service.
“We appreciate times are challenging, and the reduced prices represent tremendous value for people to park & travel in and out of Oxford.”
The combined parking and bus ticket remains in place at all park & ride sites in and around Oxford, and drivers are encouraged to purchase a combined ticket through the RingGo parking app or at one of the onsite ticket machines.
RingGo users can buy a combined virtual ticket through the app. Users are encouraged to download the RingGo app in advance of their arrival.
Ticket machines at the park & ride sites have been updated to reflect the trial.
The trial does not impact the prices of parking only, annual, quarterly, or 28-day permit holders. Free parking remains for blue badge holders.
Drivers using the Hozah parking app who would like to use the combined ticket offer will need to pause their membership and use either RingGo or the onsite ticket machines.
Aside from these changes, all other car parking charges at these sites remain the same.
