COUNCIL taxpayers in York could be forking out up to £150,000 a year for local authority staff to get free bus rides into work.

The Evening Press has learned that City of York Council provides about 500 of its workers with free passes on Park & Ride buses - with a daily bill of £650, equivalent to £152,750 over 47 five-day working weeks.

The council maintains that, in practice, it costs £50,000. It feels it should set an example by reducing the numbers of cars in the city.

Commuters today gave mixed reactions to news of the payments.

One service user, who asked not to be named, claimed it was a misuse of public money at a time when the council is cutting services and rising taxes to plug a £4 million budget gap.

"Many people will be earning a good deal less, but they have to pay and does the council consider it fair that we are having another council tax increase while they are losing this revenue?" she said.

"If you work for City of York Council you are given a yearly Smart Card completely free of charge, while we, the council tax payers, are paying indirectly."

Currently, a return journey on a Park & Ride bus costs £1.60.

But the council has negotiated special fares of £1.30 - making a daily bill of about £650 which is paid by the authority.

The council staff are allowed free travel only at times when they are going to or from work.

Another commuter using the service from Tadcaster Road today said: "If the council needs to give incentives for people to work there, then free transport is a good incentive.

"I don't think they (the council) should be paying for it. They should get to work under their own steam."

Guy Kilner, from Fishergate, said: "If the council wants to fund a reduction in the amount of traffic in the city, they should be giving discounted prices to all of the city's residents.

"The fact that council tax is about to rise is a straw that breaks the camels back.

"I'd rather see them cut expenses like this than see any cuts to our services."

Helen Porter, of Alma Terrace, Fulford, said: "I think Park and Ride is a really good idea, but I don't think it's right that the council is using public money for the staff to use it. It amounts to an abuse of public money."

A spokesman for City of York Council said: "This is a long-standing benefit for council staff which also benefits the city in terms of keeping traffic out of the city centre and out of city centre car parks.

"The people of York

have told us time and again they want us to tackle congestion and pollution in the city centre.

"They have backed our radical £50m local transport plan.

"The council is encouraging businesses and other organisations in the city to adopt green travel plans and it would be extraordinary if City of York Council - as the city's biggest employer - didn't take a lead.

"This is costing us around £50,000 a year based on the number of net trips taken.

"The old York City Council used to give free city centre car parking to staff but when the new unitary, City of York Council, came into being it was felt such a benefit would be impractical not to say environmentally unsustainable."

Updated: 14:46 Wednesday, February 20, 2002