Introductory offer to mark relaunch of Winnersh Park & Ride
- £1 return fares into town, including parking, for a limited period
- Winnersh Park & Ride 500 service relaunched alongside opening of the new London Road bus lane
Passengers will benefit from a special introductory price of just £1 for a return journey on the newly relaunched Winnersh Park & Ride 500 service into Reading town centre from next week, which includes parking.
Saving a total of £4, the discount price will also apply to the Mereoak Park & Ride 600/650 services in south Reading. A special rate is also being offered on the Hospital Park & Ride 300.
The Winnersh P&R 500 service is being reintroduced alongside the opening of a new bus lane along London Road towards Cemetery Junction. Work is currently taking place to install the bus lane which will open this Thursday 15 August.
Reading Borough Council is funding 50,000 discounted return journeys on the three park and ride services to encourage visitors to experience the benefit of taking a bus into town and help reduce traffic congestion. Users of the Winnersh and Mereoak P&R services will make a total saving of £4 per return fare with the temporary discounted price.
The 500 Winnersh P&R, located at Winnersh Triangle, is being reintroduced by Wokingham Borough Council and Reading Buses from Monday 19 August. The service will operate every 15 minutes into Reading, Monday to Saturday.
The Mereoak P&R 600 offers a fast and frequent service into the town centre up to every 15 minutes, Monday to Saturday. On Sundays the Mereoak P&R 650 service offers an hourly service via Green Park.
Customers taking the Hospital P&R 300 from Mereoak P&R will pay just £1 for a return ticket during the promotion including parking, but if travelling from Thames Valley Park P&R, will have to pay for parking separately at the machine. The service links the Royal Berkshire Hospital with the Mereoak and Thames Valley Park and Ride sites, via Christchurch Green for the University of Reading. Buses run up to every 20 minutes, 6am-7pm, Monday to Friday.
The discounted tickets are being paid for out of the £26 million funding secured from the Department for Transport by the Council in 2022 as part of the Council’s Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP).
Cllr John Ennis, Reading’s Lead Councillor for Climate Strategy and Transport, said:
“The special £1 return park and ride fares are brilliant value for money for anyone planning to come into Reading town centre.
“It is great news that the Winnersh park and ride service is being relaunched from 19 August and will be able to benefit from the introduction of the new inbound bus lane along London Road.
“Cheaper, faster, more reliable and more frequent bus services will make public transport an even more attractive option for people travelling to Reading and around the borough, and will lead to less traffic, cleaner air and better health for residents.”
Cllr Stephen Conway, leader of Wokingham Borough Council, said:
“We’re delighted to see the return of a full service from Winnersh Triangle park and ride.
“It is great that Reading Borough Council is supporting the return of the park and ride service by funding discounted tickets. This, alongside funding Wokingham Borough Council used from a Department for Transport grant to subsidise the re-introduction of the services, means that it is cheaper, easier and more sustainable than ever for people to get to and from Reading town centre for work, education, leisure, visiting friends and families and many of the other great things on offer.”
Robert Williams, Chief Executive Officer of Reading Buses, added:
“The Winnersh Triangle park & ride 500 will benefit from bus priority along almost the entire route into town, and offer a really compelling alternative to the private car alongside the rest of the bus network. Just one single decker bus can save a huge amount of carbon, pollution and congestion.”
Details of park and ride services can be found on the Reading Buses website: