Slump in number of passengers using resort’s park and ride service

THE NUMBER of passengers using park and ride services in Yorkshire’s most popular seaside resort has slumped by more than 40 per cent in a five-year period, according to new figures.

North Yorkshire County Council has spent almost £2m on the Seamer Road and Filey Road sites in Scarborough between 2011 and last year.

The authority has also paid nearly £1m in expenses for the two facilities since 2011 with the costs including maintenance, rates, cleaning and electricity.

However, passenger numbers dropped by 42 per cent at the Seamer Road site from 238,694 in 2011/12 to 137,948 in 2015/16, while numbers at the Filey Road park and ride location fell from 294,468 to 162,762 in the same time period – a decrease of 45 per cent.

The scheme, which is operated by East Yorkshire Motor Services (EYMS), was introduced in 2009 to increase visitor numbers to Scarborough and reduce congestion in the town centre with users praising the service which is provided.

The county council claimed the decline is down to a revised scheme introduced in 2012 which meant concessionary fare pass holders could no longer travel free of charge.

A council spokesman: “Right from the start of the service the council knew that the service would always require financial support from the council to be operational.

“It is not viable for an operator to run the services on a commercial basis without financial support from the authority.”

The current contract with EYMS ends on April 7, with a deal already agreed for the transport provider to continue to run the service for the next two years.