Park and ride to reopen following U-turn

Postwick Park and Ride has been dormant since the coronavirus lockdown began in 2020

A park and ride service is due to reopen following a U-turn by Norfolk County Council.

The authority had previously announced it would not open the Postwick site, east of Norwich, due to low passenger numbers.

Following requests by local villages to reactivate bus services, the council has committed to a trial lasting a minimum of four months.

The bus service will start on 4 September, running every 20 minutes from Monday to Saturday, starting at Postwick from 07:30, with the last journey back at 18:10.

The Postwick site was used as a medical testing centre during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Graham Plant, council cabinet member for transport, previously told the BBC that the service would be reopened once passenger numbers returned to 75% of pre-pandemic use.

He added that levels at the city's other park and ride sites were at 45%, meaning the council was having to subsidise services to keep them open.

'Use it or lose it'

The usage of the Postwick service during the four-month trial would determine whether the council would continue subsidising it in the future.

"This really is a case of use it or lose it," said Mr Plant.

"We know how important this service is – particularly to those living in villages to the east like Brundall, Blofield and Acle.

"We have to be honest that budgets are limited and so we need to see passenger numbers increase across all of our sites to help keep Norwich park and ride sustainable and running for the future."

Gavin Smith, Konectbus’s managing director, said: "We're thrilled to be providing the Postwick 503 service to residents again and we really hope that people make the most of the fantastic service.

"Using the park and ride means not having to worry about traffic or lengthy car park queues... and we hope to encourage more people to travel into the city by bus."

Ticket prices were under review with plans to use part of the funding from the Department for Transport for the Norfolk Bus Service Improvement plan to reduce fares, the council said.