Commuters have expressed their delight at the return of a “priceless” park and ride service - although critics still believe it is a “waste of money”.

The site in Sturry Road along the A28 in Canterbury was mothballed by the city council in July 2022, with the then-Conservative administration citing the dwindling numbers using it.

The authority is now run by Labour and the Lib Dems who have brought it back at a cost of £232,500, while hiking parking charges elsewhere in the district.

The move comes as part of the coalition’s wider plans to adopt a “bus-first” strategy.

KentOnline visited the Sturry Road Park and Ride at 8.15am yesterday and saw seven vehicles in the car park, which has almost 600 spaces. Within the next hour, 19 more cars arrived.

While it was far from full, those making the most of the facility during the Easter holidays were glad it had reopened.

Dora Kelly, who works at H Samuel in the city and lives in Margate, says she will use the service every time she commutes.

The 57-year-old told KentOnline: “I'm very pleased to see it open.

“We're halfway home when you come to Sturry Road because I’m in Margate and my friend lives in Ramsgate and we car share to come in, so this is absolutely priceless.

“My journey into work was absolutely awful because you'd have to traipse all the way across Canterbury - and they're trying to cut down emissions and at the end of the day.

“Sometimes when the traffic's really bad, coming down Rheims Way it can take you over an hour to get through, let alone the rest of your journey.”

Mrs Kelly believes that as more people realise the park and ride has reopened, it will become busier.

The day rate to leave your car and hop on the bus is £4, or £3.20 for district residents with a permit.

Another fan of the Sturry Road service is Lois Barker from Ramsgate.

The 22-year-old, who intends to use it every working day, said: “It’s definitely a good decision. Transport into Canterbury is really difficult and it's quite expensive.

“This is the cheapest alternative and it means that you don't have to go and park in the city.”

Miss Barker, who works in a bank, has also tried to use Canterbury’s other park and rides, but has found them difficult to reach.

However, not everyone is so happy to see the site active again.

Green Party city councillor Andrew Harvey said: “Empty buses running because there’s no one using it are a big issue.

“The problem is it would be cheaper for them to buy me a Range Rover and drive people into the city.

“I think it will be a waste of money in the long run.”

Another councillor opposed to the reopening is Dan Watkins, who supported its closure under the Conservatives’ rule.

Now, the Tory does not believe it will bounce back as hoped.

“My concern with Sturry Road Park and Ride is it wasn’t succeeding before we mothballed it,” he explained.

“There were roughly 80 cars coming in each day.

“When you talk about environmental issues there, the buses are more polluting than the 80 cars using it.

“It doesn't make sense unless you can make it much more popular. It needs to be twice as popular.

“Reopening it was a manifesto promise from the current leaders, but it was not a wise decision.”

Cllr Watkins also noted the parking hikes across the district, overseen by cabinet member for transport, Alex Ricketts.

“Taxpayers’ money is being spent on this when times are hard and we’ve just had a rise in parking,” he added.

“Maybe they will get lucky and it will bounce back. I don’t think it will.”

Cllr Ricketts previously pointed out in a council meeting that the cheap fares at the park and ride would help offset the expensive parking elsewhere.

The Lib Dem cabinet member has now urged people to give it time.

He said: “I would imagine the numbers will increase.

“We had to open on the first of April due to the new financial year, which was a bank holiday.

“Obviously this is always going to be a quiet period.

“On a normal week, we would be seeing students and staff from Christ Church University using it.”

While it is “too soon to tell” whether the reopening is money well spent, he is confident it will be.

“The team has been working really hard on the marketing campaign. We handed out flyers and used the radio,” Cllr Ricketts said.

“Hopefully more and more people will hear about it.

“We would expect it to be a bit quiet to start with but I think more people will be using it over the coming weeks, months and years.

“It’s not a bad thing that it’s not super busy right now, as it allows us to sort out any teething problems that may arise.”

A city council spokesman said: "Relaunching the Sturry Road Park and Ride site during the Easter holidays, when things are naturally a little quieter because people are away and the schools and universities are on a break, has been the perfect way to make sure everything is working as it should be for our customers before we get to a normal working week.

"Having said that, the feedback we've had from those customers who have already used the service has been absolutely fantastic. They're really pleased it's back.

"This week we launched an extensive advertising campaign across east Kent, that includes the KM Group, to let people know Sturry Road Park and Ride is back after a short interlude.

"And we're confident the number of customers using the service will grow especially when they realise a vehicle with a driver and up to six people can be parked for a day for only £3.20 if they live in the district and have registered for the resident rate and £4 if they don't."