Are you ready for stress-free commuting, shopping and visiting with Colchester Park and Ride?
82% of Colchester Park and Ride users say they would recommend us to others.
‘It’s brilliant. We use it whenever we go to Colchester or the general hospital. The drivers are very good. The bus was waiting for us.’ Park and Ride user
- The Colchester Park and Ride service offers a sustainable travel option - park your car and enjoy a relaxed journey on a premium vehicle on dedicated bus lanes to your office or shops, bypassing the congestion.
- Located with A120, A14 and A134 connections close by, Colchester Park and Ride is situated just off the A12. Follow the blue signs from the Junction 28 roundabout.
- There are several nearby facilities offering convenience for the busy driver: BP petrol station and M&S Simply Food store and McDonald’s.
- Park your car with the confidence of the Park Mark® Safer Parking Scheme – a Police Crime Prevention Initiative aimed at reducing both crime and the fear of crime in parking facilities.
Colchester Park and Ride stops
- Colchester General Hospital (Hospital Path stop)
- Colchester Station (Colchester North Station stop)
- The Octagon and other business premises (Middleborough stop)
- Town Centre (High Street, St. John’s Street and Head Street stops).
Travel along dedicated bus lanes, by-passing the traffic. On your return journey from the town centre, you may save time by getting on board at Head Street. Look out for our black bus shelters and electronic displays in town.
A daily ticket allows unlimited travel on Park and Ride buses along the route. Tickets issued on the Park and Ride service in Colchester are not valid for use on the Park and Ride services in Chelmsford.
How to buy your ticket
- Tickets are available from the on-site ticket machines, which take cash or credit/debit card.
- Tickets may be purchased from the driver if you are not driving and/or are joining the bus along the route.
- Group fares are only available from the driver or via the Arriva m-ticket (see below).
Buying tickets online
- You may purchase any fare online from the Arriva m-ticket. For more information go to the Arriva m-ticket website
- Using Park Jockey online ticketing in advance is a good option for parking on large event days and for other fares. For more information go to the Park Jockey website
Fares
- Adult daily: £3 (Monday to Saturday)
- Adult weekly season ticket: £12
- Adult monthly season ticket: £48 (per calendar month)
- Group daily: £5 (Monday to Saturday after 9am)
- Children (aged between 5 and 15 years inclusive) - daily £1
- Children under 5 years’ old travel for free at all time
Group fare
If you travel in a group, please purchase your ticket from the driver for travel after 9am. The deal applies to up to two adults and up to three children. The group must travel together to qualify for this fare.
Sit back, relax and enjoy your time together.
Concessions
Concessionary pass holders travel free after 9am Monday-Friday and all day Saturdays. If you have an older person’s bus pass you do not need to use the ticket machines.
When you use the Park and Ride for the first time you need to take your pass and vehicle registration details to the help desk in the Park and Ride building to register, which you only need to do once.
Event Parking
Parking for football matches and events at the Weston Homes Community Stadium is sometimes available. Prices may vary for football matches, special events and concerts. The car park has extended opening times on these occasions.
Comments
Want to make a comment about our service? We’d love to hear from you. Please email Passenger.Transport@essex.gov.uk or Tweet @Essex_pt
Business
Are you looking for safe and stress-free travel facilities for your staff in Colchester? There are now bulk ticket discounts for businesses wishing to relocate their staff to Park and Ride.
Colchester General Hospital became the first organisation to take advantage of the bulk ticket discounts.
David Cohen, Capital Project Manager at Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust said:
“The Trust is committed to improving travel options for staff, visitors and patients to the Colchester General site, particularly with the forthcoming closure of Essex County Hospital, and work undertaken in partnership with Essex County Council will enable us to further promote the use of Colchester Park and Ride.”
“The bulk business deal means we can offer staff a reduced ticket rate and this is likely to significantly boost the use of the service, which together with the extended hours will help to reduce congestion on the roads around north Colchester.”
Please contact us to arrange your no obligation showcase of the facilities. Email essexparkandride@essex.gov.uk or Tel: 0345 743 0430.
Routes and timetables
Buses leave site at least every 15 minutes Monday to Friday from 05.30am. Last bus leaves town just after 9pm. Saturday from 7am – 7pm. No service on Sundays or bank holidays unless otherwise stated. Bus priority measures along the route and journey times of as little as 8 minutes to Colchester Station and 12 minutes to the Town Centre.
The routes and timetables for this service are available from Traveline or you may download a PDF version below.
Environmentally-friendly travel
Park and Ride is a green travel option. By using it, you are helping to reduce costly congestion and improve air quality in Colchester. Every full bus would remove up to 37 vehicles from Colchester town centre. In 2018, new technology will bring all of the Colchester Park and Ride buses up to a tough Euro 6 environmental standard, thanks to new Government funding.
Please Note:
The Out of Hours number to call in the event of arriving at the site after it has closed is 0333 207 6606 (the site reference is 254917). It could take up to 2 hours for the release.