Winnersh Triangle Park and Ride to reopen due to grant money

The 500 service used to run every 15 minutes from Winnersh Triangle to Reading town centre

A park and ride bus service is to be temporarily reinstated after a council received government grant money.

Wokingham Borough Council is to use part of the £800,000 grant to bring back the Winnersh Triangle Park and Ride service into Reading.

However, its long-term future will depend on whether it is a success.

The 500 service used to run every 15 minutes from Winnersh Triangle to Reading town centre but Reading Buses suspended the service in November 2021.

It was so construction work could take place to expand the car park at Winnersh Triangle.

When the work was completed, Reading Buses said passengers numbers would be too low to be worth putting the service back on.

Wokingham Borough Council said at the time it could not afford to subsidise the scheme.

Reading Buses suspended the service while construction work took place to expand the car park

The new grant will also be used to open a park-and-ride car park at Coppid Beech for people catching the Lion4/X4 service on the A329 Reading Road.

Paul Fishwick, responsible for transport at the council, said he hoped the news would be "welcomed by residents".

He said: "We've had a lot of queries about the future of these sites - and we can assure people that we've worked hard to find realistic ways of bringing them back into use despite the massive and unforeseen changes brought about by the pandemic.

"Nobody could have predicted the events of 2020, nor the impact they would have on bus travel, especially park and rides."

He added: "We urge everyone to make the most of these opportunities to leave the car at home - your actions now will decide whether they're still here later."

The service could begin towards the end of November with a Saturday-only service running every 20 minutes.

It will be extended to run Mondays to Fridays after April 2024 as long as there is a "reasonable chance" it is viable beyond March 2025 when the government grant funding stops.

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