Plymouth park-and-ride charge fury intensifies

He has visited the site, at Derriford, and spoken to users and said he was “deeply disappointed” by the decision and will continue to “fight this cause”.

Mr Thomas said parking charges at the park-and-ride “penalise” people using public transport and said he would be meeting senior councillors from his own party this week.

Last week, Labour-led Plymouth City Council said motorists will have to pay to park at the site from June 2027 - despite 98% of people being opposed to the move during a public consultation.

The council said too many people are taking advantage of the site’s current free parking and not using the bus.

It wants to discourage long-stay commuter parking and make sure more spaces are available for short-stay bus passengers.

But when charges come in for anyone parking for more than six hours, it will mean motorists, who might commute to the city centre or Derriford Hospital for example, will have to pay twice: for the car park and the bus.

Mr Thomas, MP for Moor View, yesterday visited the park-and-ride site and posted on social media saying: “Speaking to residents and users of this facility, there is real anger that Plymouth City Council are moving to introduce these ‘long-stay’ charges.

“This comes despite my continued campaigning for better public transport for the north of the city.

“I am deeply disappointed and will continue to fight this cause. I am meeting with the relevant city cabinet member next week and will update you.”

Mr Thomas has warned that the introduction of long-stay charges at the large car park will isolate residents in the north of the city.

The MP said he has already been contacted by a number of constituents in communities such as Southway who rely on the park-and-ride for work, hospital appointments and to watch Plymouth Argyle at Home Park.

He said they fear the charges will make it much harder to access what the city has to offer and has raised his concerns regarding the north of Plymouth's transport links on a number of occasions.

Mr Thomas said he would meet Cabinet Member for Transport Cllr John Stephens, this week, to discuss the reasoning behind the decision, as well as road safety at the site.

He said: "I’m extremely disappointed. This is a real blow for those who rely on the George Park and Ride, whether that's for work, hospital appointments or a match at Home Park.

“It penalises anyone doing the right thing by using public transport,” he said and added: "Transport links in the north of Plymouth simply haven't been good enough for a long time.

“Communities here can already feel isolated, and adding costs like this will only make that worse.

"When I meet with the cabinet member for transport next week, I'll be pushing for measures to improve connectivity, not ones that isolate people further"

The new charges will come into play next year after the expansion of the park-and-ride by 83 spaces as part of the Woolwell to the George Transport Scheme.

Anyone staying beyond six hours will have to pay £3.50 for 24 hours. Reduced weekly and monthly parking tickets will be available, with the monthly ticket reduced to £52.50.

Park-and-ride users will still be charged for the bus which travels to Derriford and the city centre, with a single fare ranging from £1 to £3.

Cllr Stephens last week said the intended use of the park-and-ride had become “blurred” and the council was taking it back to its roots.

He said more people are parking at the site all day but not catching the bus and that the decision to introduce charges had not been taken lightly.

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