BUSES on key routes into York - including a flagship Park & Ride service - are running almost without any passengers.

Ten buses using the A19 Fulford Road were checked by The Press and at least four had no passengers on board, with the remainder having only one or two.

And at the Designer Outlet at Fulford, which has closed down, the Park & Ride site had just two cars parked up, with two buses standing by, empty of any passengers.

Empty or near empty Park & Ride buses and other buses were also seen in Stonebow.

Operator First York announced last week that Park & Ride departures would run every 15 minutes this week instead of the previous 10-minute intervals.

Asked whether services could continue with so few passengers, First York managing director Marc Bichtemann said that with much of the UK effectively ordered to stay at home, First's focus was on devising timetables to ensure key workers, including health service and emergency staff, could get to and from their places of work.

It also wanted to ensure those without a car could still collect medical prescriptions or do their essential shopping.

He said it was a 'challenging, dynamic and rapidly evolving situation' and First York was monitoring and responding to it day-by-day, hour-by-hour, and drivers had responded superbly.