A PARK and ride service for Bournemouth beach returns this weekend – but the Sandbanks offering has been scrapped.

The BCP Council public transport scheme will run from the car park at King's Park to Boscombe Pier.

Buses leave every 15 minutes from 9am and the last return bus sets off at 6.45pm, with it costing £5 to use the service.

However, the park and ride from Poole Civic Centre to Sandbanks is not being offered this year.

A BCP Council spokesperson said: "To actively try and reduce congestion on the main route to Sandbanks beach last summer the council trialled a park and ride service from Poole Civic Centre.

"The existing Morebus route 60 bus was enhanced to a 15 minute frequency service during the six weeks of the school summer holidays.

"Whilst this resulted in an additional 1,630 journeys the increase was not large enough to justify running the 15 minute service again this summer.

"The route 60 service continues to operate between Poole Bus Station to Sandbanks and runs every 30 minutes from May 28. We’d encourage the public to use this service to get to and from the beach in a sustainable way.

"Another option is to utilise a Beryl bikeshare bike or e-scooter."

In a change from last year, the King's Park to Boscombe beach buses will now include pick up stops along the route with varying fares in place.

The park and ride will run every day during half term from Saturday, May 28, to Sunday, June 5 and continue at weekends only in June and July before returning to a daily service over the summer holidays from Saturday, July 23, to Wednesday, August 31.

It will not operate when AFC Bournemouth are playing a home match at Vitality Stadium. The fixtures for the 2022/23 season are due to be released in mid-June.

The spokesperson said: "We know that people are eager to make the most out of our award-winning beaches this summer.

"We will be running the park and ride service at King's Park again - it proved successful last year with over 6,500 users.

"The service improves the ability to welcome people to the area and manages the anticipated additional demand on the network. This will also help to ensure that visitors can enjoy a relaxed, memorable and safe experience at the busiest time of the year.

"Following requests, the park and ride bus will also pick up at stops along the route, with bargain fares available from the driver of the bus. This will provide a convenient service to and from the beach for residents."

As reported, the King's Park park and ride service was introduced by BCP Council last year. An additional service between Poole Civic Centre and Sandbanks was brought in over the summer months.

After an initial slow uptake, both services were reportedly used by a combined total of 3,000 during the 2021 Bournemouth Air Festival.