VISITORS to Leicester over the festive season will be able to make use of a range of flexible bus tickets and sustainable travel options this Christmas.
The city’s three Park and Ride services, based at Enderby, Meynell’s Gorse and Birstall, will be operating a special Sunday service throughout December to make it easier than ever for shoppers and people enjoying the city’s hospitality to get in and out of the city.
On the first four Sundays in December – from 1-22 December inclusive – services will operate between 10am and 5.30pm, with the usual 15-minute frequency.
There is no Park and Ride service on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Sunday 29 December or New Year’s Day.
Regular Park and Ride services operate Monday to Saturday from 7am to 7pm, with buses running every 15 minutes.
A range of ticketing options is available for individuals, groups and concessions, with full details available at the Choose How You Move website.
An Adult Day ticket costs £3.50, with a Park and Ride Group Ticket (up to five people arriving in the same car) costing just £4. Concessionary fares allow travel for just £1.
Children under five, and NHS pass holders, all travel for free.
In addition, a range of flexible bus options is available under the Leicester Bus Partnership services. They include a family flexi ticket, which allows up to two adults and three children to travel all day for £11 during term time or £8 during the school holidays.
Throughout Leicester’s bus network, single fares are capped at £2 – meaning passengers will pay a maximum of £2 on any single fares when travelling.
‘Tap on tap off’ technology is also available on most buses, allowing passengers to tap on and tap off with their bank card when they travel, without needing to buy a ticket upfront.
As well as being a quick, easy and flexible way to travel, it offers the best value fares on daily and weekly travel across the city’s bus network.
Christmas festivities are in full swing in the city centre, with the streets illuminated with thousands of lights and Leicester’s ice rink getting ready to open next Thursday (5 December), taking its place alongside the spectacular Wheel of Light in Jubilee Square.
Passengers can travel for free around the city centre on the Hop! shuttle service, linking key locations around the city centre including Highcross, Leicester Market, Jubilee Square and Leicester station.
The distinctive green Hop! buses, featuring a quirky frog “ribbit” effect bell, operate every 10 minutes between 8am and 6pm from Monday to Saturday (excluding bank holidays).
For those who prefer to travel on two wheels, the city’s expanding network of dedicated cycling routes and free city centre bike parking at Town Hall Square make it easier than ever to access the city centre by bicycle.
And if you do choose to drive into the city, most council-operated city centre car parks offer a Night Owl rate, meaning it costs just £2 to park for up to three hours if you arrive after 5pm. Parking for Blue Badge holders is free.
Leicester assistant city mayor for environment and transport, Cllr Geoff Whittle, said: “With a very successful switch-on of our Christmas lights in Leicester last week, the festive season is now in full swing in the city centre.
“Shops, bars and restaurants in the city are busy welcoming shoppers, as is our new Christmas market. There’s also plenty for families to enjoy, with our ice rink coming soon, the big wheel in Jubilee Square and Santa preparing to make an appearance at the Haymarket and Highcross shopping centres.
“Leicester also has a fantastic range of smaller specialist independent shops, and lots of places to eat and drink. So you don’t need to bring your car into the city over the Christmas and New Year period - and instead, you can make the most of our public transport options, using modern, clean, electric vehicles and routes which serve neighbourhoods across the city.”
For full details of all bus services and flexible tickets operating over Christmas and New Year, visit the Leicester Buses website at leicesterbuses.co.uk
Information on Park and Ride services is available at choosehowyoumove.co.uk/park-ride/
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