‘Green’ fleet aims to reduce city congestion

The project, which includes a fleet of ‘green’ electric buses, saw a new 600-vehicle site open at Poppleton Bar and a larger site at Askham Bar, close to where the previous park and ride was situated.

Major improvements are also being made to the A59/A1237 roundabout to help alleviate congestion.

Coun David Levene, York Council’s cabinet member for transport, said the project was one of the largest single investments in York’s transport infrastructure since the northern ring road was built in the 1980s.

He said: “This has been our stated priority for the last three years and builds on our existing portfolio of Park&Rides sites. This is critical for York’s future economic prosperity and environmental wellbeing and we are delighted to be delivering this major improvement.”

The £1m fleet of electric buses, based at the Poppleton Bar site, was built by Leeds firm Optare and will be operated by First buses. They have significantly lower maintenance and running costs than diesel engine buses.

Ben Gilligan, managing director of First in York, said the investment demonstrated the company’s commitment to improving the quality of life by lowering air emissions and congestion and offering low-carbon travel options.

Both the park and ride terminals, and the fleet of buses, will offer free wi-fi for commuters.