February 3, 2017 4.01 pm This story is over 84 months old

Long-awaited Lincoln park and ride to open this month

A park and ride service will finally open in Lincoln later this month. The service from Waitrose on Nettleham Road will start from Monday, February 20 and operate from Monday to Saturday. Buses will leave Waitrose from just before 7am in the morning, with the last services leaving the city centre at 6.20pm. Parking at…

A park and ride service will finally open in Lincoln later this month.

The service from Waitrose on Nettleham Road will start from Monday, February 20 and operate from Monday to Saturday.

Buses will leave Waitrose from just before 7am in the morning, with the last services leaving the city centre at 6.20pm.

Parking at Waitrose will be free and the adult daily return fare will £2.50. The charge is payable on the bus.

Accompanied children will travel free. Concessionary bus pass holders will be able to use the service, for free, after 9.30am on weekdays.

Buses will normally leave every 15 minutes, although services at peak times early and late in the day may vary.

Stops will be at:

  • Nettleham Road opposite the Waitrose car park
  • Northgate next to Lincoln Cathedral
  • Broadgate
  • Lincoln Bus Station

The service will be operated by Lincoln Business Improvement Group (Lincoln BIG) in partnership with Stagecoach East Midlands and Waitrose, with the support of the City of Lincoln Council and Lincolnshire County Council.

Lincoln BIG chief executive Matt Corrigan said: “We are delighted to be able to offer this service. We hope that the combination of local buses and dedicated vehicles will provide a sustainable solution that we give people an easy and good value alternative to city centre parking.

“We hope that the service will appeal to a wide range of users – including commuters, as it will start early in the morning and the last bus will be after 6pm – shoppers (who will find it easy to park with plenty of spaces) and tourist visitors who may prefer not to have to navigate right into the Cathedral Quarter.

“The partnership with Waitrose is warmly welcomed. The company has been very generous in allowing us to use its car park. We hope that the service is successful, and that many customers will shop in Waitrose too, but we also recognise that we will have to withdraw it if it proves so popular that it deters regular customers.

“We appreciate that this is not a perfect solution, using dedicated parking and buses, which would cost millions, but we think that it is one that could work for Lincoln.

“If it works well in this location, for both customers and for Waitrose, then the style of service could be replicated elsewhere in the city, using Lincoln’s extensive bus network.”