BUS ROUTES around Green Park are set to see additional services following funding from Reading Borough Council.
The council has announced that the GreenWave and Mereoak services are set to see further provisions as part of a £26 million plan for public transport improvements.
From Sunday, December 3, the Route 650 to Mereoak Park and Ride is set to begin its new regular Sunday services.
Buses from the town centre to the Park and Ride will run hourly between 8am-8pm, linking the Mereoak hub with Imperial Way, Longwater Avenue, and the train station.
Return trips will run hourly from 7.30am-7.35pm, and the council is making an introductory offer on the service by making the 650 route free to travel on for every Sunday in December.
It comes after the council secured £26 million of funding for its Bus Service Improvement Plan, spread over two years.
It is part of the council’s continued efforts to encourage public transport usage, which include the recent introduction of Reading All-Bus tickets and the Tap on Tap off payment scheme.
Mereoak Park and Ride offers the usual park and ride services in Three Mile Cross, on Junction 11 of the M4, and a point of pick-up for services such as National Express coaches.
Cllr John Ennis, lead councillor for climate strategy and transport, said: “As Reading grows, it is important that our public transport network also grows so that residents and workers have a sustainable way of travelling around the borough.
“The 650 bus will give people living in and around Green Park Village another option for getting into town on Sundays, along with the hourly train service from the excellent new Green Park station.
“The new Sunday 650 route will also boost Reading’s park and ride services which is one of the key elements of our Bus Service Improvement Plan.
“On top of that, it is free to use throughout December, so there is every reason to take the bus into town.”
