There’s no money to bring back the Winnersh Triangle park and ride bus, Wokingham Borough Council has said—after spending millions on its bus station.

Reading Buses, which ran the park and ride to Reading town centre, suspended it in 2021 while Wokingham Borough Council expanded its car park.

But with construction completed, Reading Buses said it “lacks the means” to put the bus back on without more funding from the council.

Now a lead councillor has said Wokingham Borough wants to spend money elsewhere—despite having spent at least £6.8 million on adding a second deck to the Winnersh Triangle car park specifically for the service.

Liberal Democrat councillor Paul Fishwick, executive member for active travel, transport and highways, said: “We completely appreciate Reading Buses’ position that this service would need to be commercially viable for them to bring it back.

“Unfortunately, because of our own financial position, we can't afford to subsidise the significant gap between the cost of providing the service and the amount of revenue it is likely to make.”

Cllr Fishwick said that plans to enlarge the car park began before the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic. The project began when Wokingham Borough Council was controlled by the Conservatives.

READ MORE: Will council bring back Winnersh Triangle park and ride?

Since then, Cllr Fishwick added, demand for park and ride services has fallen and not recovered.

He said: “The landscape for this project has changed dramatically in recent years, and in ways that no-one could reasonably have foreseen. When it was planned and the funding identified, there was clear demand for the service.”

“However, there's been a drastic decline in demand for park and rides since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020, with more and more people working from home and little sign that this will change soon. This is a national issue and not specific to this scheme or to Wokingham Borough.”

He added: “Given the cost of living crisis and the unprecedented financial pressures we’re facing, we have to prioritise funding for services which our more vulnerable residents depend on, like social care for children and the elderly.”

Cllr Fishwick hinted the service could come back if the council and Reading Buses decide it is “viable” to run. He also said the ground floor of the car park is open for users of the Winnersh Triangle train station. But he said the new, second deck would stay closed “while usage remains low.”

His statement came just hours before former users of the service were set to demand it be reinstated, at a council meeting on Thursday, May 18.

Heather Howath was set to tell the council: “I travel on this bus service regularly to Reading and the bus was very popular.

“What a White Elephant and waste of money the car park is unless the 500 Park and Ride Bus continues to run.”