New fares and more flexible tickets have been introduced to encourage more people to use Park & Ride in Maidstone.

However, while some will be saving money, some fares are going up by 25 per cent.

Last year Maidstone council carried out a survey to find out how they could encourage drivers to ditch the car.

People wanted more discounts and more flexible tickets so the weekly ticket has been replaced with a 10-trip ticket that can be used whenever people like. The cost is just £10 for 10 single tickets, a discount of £2.50 on the standard fare.

The council is also encouraging car sharing by introducing a new Saturday price, of £1 return, for adults travelling together. This fare will last until October, 2009. Adults on a single journey still have to pay £1.50 on a Saturday.

However, peak fares are to rise by 25 per cent, including peak return, 12-weekly tickets and annual seasons.

All changes will start from Monday, February 2, 2009.