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Following representations from the Bus Users’ Group, passengers and employers on Caton Road, it appears that a compromise has been reached over the proposed withdrawal of stopping places on the Park & Ride service.

Our previous post reported that with effect from today (2 December), following an edict from the county council, passengers would no longer be allowed to use the service to travel to and from anywhere other than the Infirmary, city centre or the Park & Ride site, thus inconveniencing many people using it to get to work at the businesses along Caton Road.

However, Lancashire County Council, which contracts Lonsdale Buses to run the service on its behalf, has confirmed that stops at the Holiday Inn / Lancaster Business Park will remain open to passengers. It is also asking Lonsdale Buses to add the stops in Parliament Street to the registered list of stopping places.

Limited Stops

Notwithstanding a comment made on our previous post, the Council maintains that the service was always intended – and registered – as a limited-stop service and it is still unclear to the Bus Users’ Group when and how local passengers began to be carried.

In an official statement the Council said:

“The Caton Road Park & Ride service is operated by Lonsdale Coaches (sic) under contract to LCC and has operated on the basis of a limited-stop service between the Park & Ride site and the city centre from the outset.

“However, over the years a number of customers (sic) have been using the service to/from the Business Park on Caton Road

“Following concerns raised by them after it was decided to revert back to the original limited-stop arrangement we have agreed with Lonsdale Coaches to include the Business Park stops as official bus stops on the route.”

Separately, the Council has confirmed to the Bus Users’ Group that the full list of stops to be observed is as follows:

On journeys to the Park & Ride site:

Lancaster Royal Infirmary

Queen Square

China Street

Lancaster Bus Station (Stand 4)

“Skerton Bridge” (by which they mean Parliament Street)

Lancaster Business Park (Holiday Inn)

Park & Ride Site.

On journeys towards the Infirmary:

Park & Ride Site

Business Park (Premier Inn)

opposite Sainsbury’s (on North Road)

opposite Infirmary (to set down only)

Lancaster Royal Infirmary.

Unfortunately, the council does not feel able to open up any further stops on Caton Road as it feels this would jeopardise timekeeping on the service.

Compromise

Again notwithstanding the comment on our previous post, the Council has confirmed that the service registration will be amended to reflect the new position and to ensure that online information sites such as Google Maps and Traveline are correct and a revised timetable leaflet will be issued and bus stop displays amended.

Whilst the reason for this change that has caused so much upset remains unclear, LBUG is just pleased that an acceptable compromise has been reached and that passengers can still get to and from their place of work.

UPDATE: We have heard unofficially that buses will continue to observe the stops at the Holiday Inn and Lancaster Business Park, but this has not been officially confirmed.

Lonsdale Buses has announced that with effect from Monday, 2nd December use of Lancaster’s Park & Ride service will be restricted to passengers travelling between the Caton Road Park & Ride Site and Lancaster City Centre and Infirmary.

When introduced, in 2016, the service was always intended as a non-stop link between the parking site just off junction 34 of the M6 and the city centre. In 2019 it was extended to run to and from Lancaster Royal Infirmary and doubled in frequency to cater for staff and visitors at the hospital.

Despite requests from the Bus Users’ Group and potential passengers, including employers of factories and workplaces along Caton Road, the County Council, which sponsors the service, always insisted that it was not for local use.

The buses have never been particularly well-used. Provision of the Park & Ride car park was a planning condition of construction of the then-controversial Heysham Link Road (now known as the Bay Gateway), although that requirement did not extend to funding a bus service! Eventually, no doubt embarrassed by the existence of an underused car park, the powers-that-be managed to come up with some funding to provide a bus service into the city.

The initial service was not very attractive, with buses running just once every 30 minutes into town and with no bus priority to give passengers any advantage over using their car. Unsurprisingly, despite dropping plans to charge for car parking as well as for the bus and allowing concessionary pass holders to ride for nothing, passenger use remained low.

In 2019, the NHS, struggling with a shortage of car parking space for staff at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, provided extra funding that allowed the service to be extended to the Infirmary and doubled in frequency. Ridership rose, although there were still plenty of empty seats.

Local passengers carried

At some stage, the service was altered so that buses observed all stops, which resulted in more passengers using the service, especially to reach various workplaces along Caton Road.

This was good news for passengers, but the public record of the service’s registration with the Traffic Commissioner was never altered and this states that only the following stops should be observed.

Lonsdale Buses doesn’t produce a timetable for the service, but the county council’s version, both in print and online, also appears to confirm it as a non-stop service.

Now, for reasons that are not entirely clear, County Council has instructed Lonsdale Buses to stick to the registered bus stops only.

Unsurprisingly, the move has not gone down well with passengers or with employers at businesses on Caton Road. A spokesperson for one of these said:

 “This decision has disrupted the daily routines of many working professionals. Several of my colleagues are now unable to arrive at work on time, as the added walking time from the park and ride stop is incompatible with their start times. This adjustment has caused unnecessary stress and forced changes to work patterns and is causing significant stress.“

“This decision severely impacts individuals with limited mobility, who now face an unreasonable expectation to walk from the Park and Ride to their offices. Caton Road is not fit for safe pedestrian use—its poor maintenance and lack of gritting during icy weather render it treacherous, particularly in winter conditions. Additionally, the pedestrian pathways along Caton Road are unsafe during and after rainfall due to poor drainage and maintenance. The road frequently floods, leaving pedestrians no choice but to navigate puddles or risk being soaked by passing vehicles splashing water onto the path. This issue exacerbates the already dangerous conditions on Caton Road and further demonstrates why expecting Park and Ride users to walk from the main stop is impractical, unfair and hazardous.“

Jim Davies, Chair of the Bus Users’ Group said:

“The Park & Ride service requires significant funding from the county council to operate and it appears illogical and unfair that this public money is not being used fully to benefit the travelling public”.

The alternative services to the area, the 81 and 82, are infrequent and have a shorter operating day than the Park & Ride. They also do not serve the hospital, which is an important destination for people living near Caton Road.

The Bus Users’ Group has therefore joined employers and passengers in calling for the County Council and Lonsdale Buses to allow the full use of the service to all passengers at the earliest opportunity.