NEWCASTLE commuters will get a free ride for another month, with council fees for the Broadmeadow park and ride service waived until February 26.
The council had planned to transition from the free service introduced last year to a $2 fee from Monday, but will instead move the deadline into late next month.
The extra time will allow the council to finalise an app to make payment more convenient for travellers, Newcastle City Council chief executive Jeremy Bath said.
“There’s still some more work to do on the development of the app before it's ready to go,” he said.
More than 1000 people have registered for the service.
Those users were surveyed about how it could improve, and nine in 10 of the 243 respondents said they had recommended the service to a friend.
More than half said they use it at least three days a week.
Extra services are an option as demand grows, Mr Bath said.
"We will look at the scheduling to see if we can move the pm starting time forward from 4.30pm to 3.30 or even 3pm in line with the feedback," Mr Bath said.
"Council is doing everything it can to make it easier for workers to get into the city during what is clearly a time of significant disruption, but which we know will ultimately lead to a vastly improved city for all."
The bus runs from McDonald Jones Stadium every 15 minutes between 7am and 9am on weekdays.
Return trips run at the same frequency between 4.30pm and 6.30pm.
Matt Carr
Matt began his Newcastle Herald career as a cadet in 2009. He is a Walkley nominated reporter who has covered councils, police and general news rounds across the Upper Hunter, Port Stephens, Maitland, Lake Macquarie, Cessnock and Newcastle. Now his focus is on digital storytelling and breaking news.
Matt began his Newcastle Herald career as a cadet in 2009. He is a Walkley nominated reporter who has covered councils, police and general news rounds across the Upper Hunter, Port Stephens, Maitland, Lake Macquarie, Cessnock and Newcastle. Now his focus is on digital storytelling and breaking news.
