New charge for park and ride buses to Doncaster Royal Infirmary launched this week

Following improvements to the Park and Ride service between the two destinations, patients and visitors will be charged a small fee of 50p to travel on the bus.

The Park and Ride service is provided by the Trust at a substantial cost, and due to the need to upgrade the buses this cost has recently increased.  Since 1November, the Trust has been working with a new Park and Ride bus provider and has seen positive improvements from the refreshed service, which is now operating newer and more modern buses.

Whilst parking will remain free for all users, regardless of how long you park, from 2019 patients and visitors will be charged a small fee of 50p each way to travel on the bus to the Hospital, with a maximum charge of £2 return for family groups traveling in the same vehicle.

There will be no charge for those showing a Local Authority Bus Pass or a Disability Permit, in addition to an extension of the same concessions offered by the Trust for on-site parking for patients and their visitors in connection with renal, cancer, intensive care, critical care, palliative care, parents and guardians of children on neonatal and special care baby units.

Staff presenting an official NHS ID badge will also travel free.

These changes will not apply to the shuttle bus services that run between Doncaster Royal Infirmary and Montagu Hospital, or the service which connects Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals. Patients, visitors and staff who use these buses to travel between sites will continue to do so for free.

Any income generated by the Park and Ride will be used to fund the shuttle service and also enable the Trust to look into improvements and repairs to the car park.

Kirsty Edmondson-Jones, Director of Estates and Facilities at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals, said: 'We know that the extra parking spaces the Park and Ride service provides, reduces a lot of anxieties our patients and staff can have about finding somewhere to park before an appointment or a shift. The small fee which will now be applied means that we can continue to run this valuable service at Doncaster Royal Infirmary, on suitable buses.'