Newcastle City Council has extended the free introductory period for the park and ride service from McDonald Jones Stadium until February 26.
Originally the service would start costing commuters $2 return from the 26th of January, but, council says the extra time will be used to finalise a mobile phone app designed to make the payment as convenient as possible for commuters.
Council CEO Jeremy Bath said there is still some work to do on the development of the app before it is ready to go.
Council recently surveyed users of the service to understand what improvements could be made.
More than nine in 10 of 243 respondents said they had recommended park and ride to a friend and more than half said they used it three days a week or more.
The vast majority of respondents or 86 per cent said the service times suited their commuting needs.
But earlier starting times were raised as a possible improvement for the return afternoon leg.
"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.
"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," Mr Bath said.
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| The Park and ride bus at McDonald Jones Stadium. Image Supplied. |
