YORK now has the UK’s biggest all-electric Park and Ride bus network.

First Bus and City of York Council have made the announcement as they have introduced a double-decker zero emission bus on the Rawcliffe Bar Service 2 circular, west of the city centre, which replaces an articulated diesel vehicle.

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It means the York Park and Ride, operated in partnership by First Bus and City of York Council, is now fully served by an electric fleet comprising of 33 buses, also the largest of its kind in the country, and provides more than 5,000 car parking spaces.

Tom Donnelly, Operations Manager of First Bus in York, said: “We’re proud of this achievement in bringing greener transport to every part of the Park and Ride network. Our fleet carried close to four million customers in 2023 and we firmly believe that awareness of this accolade in zero emission travel and its environmental benefits for York can encourage more people to use the network and leave cars on the outskirts of the city.”

Councillor Kate Ravilious, Joint Executive Member for Environment and Climate Emergency at City of York Council, added: “York’s Park & Ride offers one of the best, and now one of the biggest all electric, frequent, low-floor, wheelchair accessible services in the country.

“Together with our discount where up to 3 under-16s accompanied by a fare-paying adult will travel for free, and anyone aged from 5 to 18 will pay no more than £1 for a single fare when travelling unaccompanied by an adult, there’s never been a better time to get the bus in York.”

The York Park and Ride fleet of First Bus comprises 21 electric Metrodecker double-decker buses and 12 mid-sized Versa single-deckers, which have been reintroduced over recent months following a repower programme to replace a fully electric drivetrain.

The distance travelled by the Metrodecker fleet in 2023 totalled more than 553,000 kilometres which saved over 560 tonnes tonnes of carbon.