Park and Ride changes are a real blow for the north of Plymouth' warns MP

Plymouth Moor View MP Fred Thomas says he is 'extremely disappointed' at plans to introduce long-stay parking charges at the George Park and Ride - warning the move 'will isolate residents in the north of the city'.

From June next year, anyone using the site for long stay purposes - including many NHS staff working at Derriford Hospital - will be charged for parking as well as the bus fare into town.

The MP said: "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.

"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"

Fred Thomas 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. They fear the charges will make it much harder to access what the city has to offer.

It's after Plymouth City Council said: "Measures are being taken to make sure the George Junction Park and Ride is used for its original purpose – for people to park and ride a bus – rather than as a free long-stay car park."

Councillor John Stephens, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Transport added: “We’re taking the park and ride back to its roots. It’s fair to say that its intended use has become blurred and more people are parking there all day but not necessarily catching the bus.

“This facility is a park and ride – people should be able to park there and take the bus into the city centre, or the hospital or Home Park for a match.”

Occupancy surveys that were carried out over seven days at the end of 2024 showed that the five-day average for the site was 96 per cent. Across seven days, including a weekend, it was 73 per cent. However, the figures were not reflected in the number of people getting on board buses.

He said: “This is about getting the right balance between enabling people to use the park and ride to get to the hospital, city centre and Home Park without incurring any extra cost other than their bus fare.

“This is not a decision we have taken lightly but we need to better manage parking demand and to allow the George to function as a park and ride.

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