The first of the town’s new buses, to be run by the Scarborough and District bus company, went on display in Aberdeen Walk over the bank holiday weekend to promote the scheme to visitors and residents.

Staff were on hand to give out leaflets and answer questions about the park and ride service, which will offer 1,200 parking spaces and is set to be introduced in November as part of a £30 million project designed to reduce traffic congestion in Scarborough and improve travel for customers..

Cllr Eric Broadbent, chairman of Scarborough Council’s transport and telecommunications overview and scrutiny committee, said: “We now have these bright new park and ride buses built locally at Plaxtons.

“I am looking forward to seeing them in service. We know they will ease congestion in Scarborough and provide an excellent service for tourists in Scarborough and locals alike.

“It is a brilliant investment from a Government initiative to ease all the bottlenecks that have happened over the past few years and will be very welcome.”

Each of the park and ride sites – on the A165 Filey Road and on the A64 at Seamer Road – promise high quality facilities, with bus services at least every 12 minutes from 7am to 7pm, and state-of-the art vehicles offering easy access and low emissions.

County councillor Clare Wood, executive member for public passenger transport, said: “The introduction of park and ride services is important to the future development of Scarborough.

“The creation of a separate identity is essential, particularly for visitors who need to be confident that they can easily identify the bus they need to return to their car. The colour scheme is clean, bright and attractive, reflecting a high quality, modern service.”

The town centre promotion coincided with the launch of a dedicated park and ride website as part of a joint marketing strategy between the bus company, the county council and Scarborough Council, at www.scarborough parkandride.co.uk