22/01/2024
First York are introducing some route changes to Park & Ride services 59 (Poppleton) and 2 (Rawcliffe) from Sunday 28th January. The changes enable Park & Ride buses to become fully electric, whilst maintaining low-cost, frequent services for local residents and millions of yearly visitors.
Service 59
As our most local service, 59 from Poppleton will now operate via Leeman Road using 100% electric single-decker buses. Completing a new loop from Poppleton, travelling along Water End, Salisbury Road, and Kingsland Terrace, joining Leeman Road, and then continuing its existing route to serve Clifford Street and return. Leeman Road and the National Railway Museum will now be served by 59.
Service 2/2A
For residents using service 2 from Rawcliffe Bar, this will travel into the city along Bootham and no longer serve Leeman Road, creating a new stop outside the Theatre Royal for inbound journeys. The bus will complete a loop over Lendal Bridge to serve Station Avenue and Museum Street on its return to the Park and Ride. The changes to service 2 are necessary due to the low bridge on Leeman Road and the replacement of the current diesel bendy buses with zero-emission, electric double-decker buses.
The alterations to the route will also have a minor impact on the timetables for these services.
City of York Council has said there will be some improvements required to bus stops along the new route for the number 2 and 2A, from Rawcliffe Park & Ride through Bootham, to make them accessible. Works will progress as soon as possible to ensure these are refurbished, but this is likely to take some time, and not all of the bus stops will be fully refurbished by the time the new routes are in place. These stops include Clifton Green and Bootham Park – if works are approved, the council will install a ‘build out’ for passengers to safely access the Park and Ride bus and pavement.