Portsmouth park-and-ride service begins

A fleet of new double-decker buses is taking passengers from Tipner to the city centre

A new £28m new park-and-ride service for Portsmouth has begun operating.

Double-decker buses run every 12 minutes at peak times from a purpose-built 650-space terminal at Tipner, off the M275.

Marc Reddy of First Bus said it was a "true alternative" to driving into the city centre.

Tickets have been initially priced at £2 a car. A new motorway junction and bus priority lanes have been created to accommodate the service.

The buses serve the city centre, Historic Dockyard and Gunwharf Quays, reaching The Hard transport interchange in about 12 minutes.

Portsmouth City Council's head of transport Simon Moon said: "The park and ride can complement the car parks in the city centre and provide an alternative way in to ease congestion."

Car parks and off-road parking in the city centre can cost up to £3 an hour.

The Department of Transport Department awarded £19.5m for the scheme, with a further £8.5m coming from the city council.