YORK today launched its fifth Park & Ride service.

The silver line service will take shoppers and commuters from Monks Cross to the city centre.

The £3.5 million scheme provides 750 parking spaces, with services operating from 7am until 9pm, Monday to Saturday, and from 10am to 6pm on Sundays.

A shuttle bus will also run from the site to the Monks Cross shopping centre and office complexes from Monday to Saturday.

The service, launched by Coun Ann Reid, City of York Council's executive member for planning and transport, is part of the authority's commitment to reduce congestion in the city centre.

She said: "This is excellent news for York, and will build on the success which has been achieved over the past 14 years."

She said Park & Ride had helped keep peak hour traffic in 2003 at the same levels as 1999.

Martin Revill, head of the authority's transport planning team, said that York's first Park & Ride had opened in 1990 and nearly two million people had used the service last year.

"We hope that the opening of the fifth site will make it easier for people, particularly those living to the north-east of York, to travel into the city centre," he said. "The service should help reduce congestion and improve air quality in the city."

He said that a designated bus lane in Malton Road should ensure that commuters beat peak traffic congestion and cruise straight into the city.

Peter Edwards, commercial manager at First York, said the service would go through the city centre as far as the end of Rougier Street, making it much more convenient for people working there.

"We believe that between ourselves and the city council we have a winning formula when it comes to running Park & Ride, and confidently predict that this new site will become every bit as popular as the others."

The new service will stop on request at Heworth Green, Peasholme Green and Stonebow before terminating at Rougier Street.

The return journey starts from Rougier Street and stops in Micklegate, Stonebow (outside Marks & Spencer), Peasholme Green and Heworth Green.

Meanwhile, anyone feeling more energetic can also park their car at the Park & Ride site and cycle into the city centre under a Park & Cycle scheme. Cycles can be stored safely overnight in secure lockers on site.

Updated: 14:20 Monday, July 12, 2004