LATEST figures show that more than one million miles have been clocked by Leicester's electric Park and Ride buses since the fleet was launched in May 2021.
The 10 electric buses link the sites at Birstall, Enderby and Meynell’s Gorse with the city centre and have covered nearly 1,100,000 miles since their introduction, with more than 13,000 cars using the sites in September alone.*
The fleet of city council-owned zero-emission electric buses have brought cleaner, greener travel between the county and the city for the last three years and were the first phase of the Leicester Buses Partnership-led £60.5m Electric Bus Project, which now has 134 electric buses, covering over half of the city’s fleet.
Park and Ride services are run jointly by Leicestershire County Council and Leicester City Council, and are operated by Roberts Travel Group.
Assistant city mayor for environment and transport Cllr Geoff Whittle said: "We're pleased not only to have reached this milestone, but to also see the number of Park and Ride users continue to grow.
“People choosing to complete their journeys into Leicester on these electric buses not only save time and money, but they also help to improve our inner-city air quality and reduce congestion.
“We're keen to carry on supporting these services as part of the award-winning Leicester Buses partnership."
Councillor Ozzy O’Shea, Leicestershire County Council's cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “We are committed to encouraging more people to make sustainable travel choices, which have huge benefits for both physical and mental health, as well as helping the environment.
“The Park and Ride is a fast and frequent service that offers residents and visitors a quicker, greener alternative to get to the city.
“It is great to see it reach this milestone three years on, and I’d encourage people to give it a go and take advantage of the fantastic bus services on offer
The distinctive green buses - which are named after the Leicester City players who helped secure victory at the 2021 FA Cup final – are equipped with USB points at every seat, free wi-fi and on-board digital screens with next stop audio-visual announcements by BBC Radio Leicester presenter Ady Dayman.
Alex Niemczyk, managing director at Roberts Travel Group, said: “We are delighted to support the operation of the Park and Ride services and continue to champion sustainable travel into and around Leicester.
“This milestone supports people's dedication to reducing emissions within our city, and we’re looking forward to seeing the number of passengers grow.”
The Park and Ride service costs just £3.50 for a day ticket, £4 for a family/group ticket, £1 for concessionary bus pass holders and children under 5 years can travel for free.
The service is currently subsidised so that health workers can travel free of charge when showing a valid NHS ID card.
All three Park and Ride sites also hold a Park Mark award which is given by the national Safer Parking Scheme – an industry standard for UK car parks that have low crime and measure in place to ensure the safety of people and vehicles.
More information on weekly and saver tickets can be found on the Choose How You Move website and on the Leicester Buses website.
*Total figure for car counts taken at the terminals for September 2024: 13,475