York Without a Car: Planning Arrival and Local Travel
Plan a Park & Ride visit to York with clear fare comparisons, practical Askham Bar arrival advice and checks for your return journey.
Published
York’s Park & Ride lets you leave your car outside the centre and continue by bus. A standard return costs £4, but the right ticket depends on who’s travelling and when you board. For a day visit, plan the arrival and return together: your chosen site, its parking conditions and the timetable for your travel day all matter.[1][2][3]
Choose Your Site Before Setting Off
The iTravel York Park & Ride fares page names six sites: Askham Bar, Designer Outlet, Grimston Bar, Monks Cross, Poppleton Bar and Rawcliffe Bar. Its listed Park & Ride fares cover journeys from a site to the city centre and back. Choose your arrival site before checking the corresponding service, rather than treating every Park & Ride bus as interchangeable.[2][3]
Askham Bar is a specific option for an approach from the south-west. It sits at the A64/A1036 junction, with an address on Tadcaster Road, YO24 1LW. The site has 1,100 parking spaces. That gives you a location to plan around, although a stated capacity can’t promise a space when you arrive.[1]
Getting Into Askham Bar
Use the public entrance from Tadcaster Road near the A64 junction. The road behind Tesco is reserved for buses. It is a single-track route without footways, and the site guidance warns that it is unsafe for pedestrians, cyclists and private cars. Check that your directions take you to the public entrance.[1]
For a camper van or another larger vehicle, Askham Bar provides ten spaces reached by taking the first left after entering. If your vehicle is taller than 2.1 metres, stop before entering or leaving the parking area and use the push-button device to ask the supervisor to open the barrier. Coach parking is unavailable at Park & Ride sites.[1]
Compare Tickets for the People Travelling
| Ticket | Listed Fare | Purchase and Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Standard return | £4 | Buy from the driver or First Bus app for a journey from a Park & Ride site to the centre and back. |
| Child return | £2 | Buy from the driver or First Bus app. Check the accompanied-child offer before paying. |
| First Group Day | £13 | For up to five people travelling together after 9am on weekdays or at any time at weekends. |
For families, the accompanied-child condition makes a substantial difference. Up to three children aged 16 or under can travel free with an adult boarding at a Park & Ride site using one of the tickets listed on the fares page. An adult buying a £4 standard return can therefore take up to three eligible children without buying separate child returns.[2]
For adults travelling together, compare the group ticket with separate returns. Four £4 standard returns total £16, so the £13 group ticket saves £3 when its conditions are met. Three standard returns total £12, making separate returns cheaper for that simple out-and-back trip. These comparisons use the listed fares and assume everyone travels together.[2]
Where you board also changes the fare basis. The listed Park & Ride returns apply to trips starting at a Park & Ride site. Journeys beginning in the city centre or at intermediate stops use First York’s local network fares. If you’re planning another bus trip during your visit, check its ticket requirements separately.[2]
Use Route 3 as a Specific Timetable
Bus operator First Bus identifies service 3 as the Askham Bar to York City Centre Circular, also called the White Line. The linked timetable is a Monday-to-Friday version with a stated validity period. Check that it covers your travel day, and select the appropriate Saturday or Sunday timetable for a weekend visit.[3]
Before leaving the site, identify your city-centre boarding stop for the return and check its departures in the operator’s timetable or route map. Allow time to reach that stop. A late time elsewhere in a circular timetable can refer to a different point on the route, so use the departure for the stop where you’ll actually board.[3]
A Ticket for Repeat Visits
If you expect to return on several separate days, the £18 Smart 5-day carnet is worth comparing with individual returns. Its five travel days needn’t be consecutive, but they must be redeemed within 12 months of purchase. A York by bus smartcard costs £2 and needs a ticket loaded before travel. The carnet is also available as a mobile ticket through the First Bus app.[2]
Check Site Closing Separately From Bus Departures
Park & Ride sites prohibit overnight parking. Askham Bar’s guidance also says you may park only if you use the Park & Ride bus or cycle into the centre. Vehicles left after the site closes incur a penalty charge. For an evening visit, confirm both your return bus and the site’s closing time before leaving your car, then choose a return that gives you time to collect it.[1][3]
Sources and checks
These sources were used for this article. Availability, prices and service details can change after the stated check date.
- Askham Bar – iTravel York
Checked 20 October 2026.
Askham Bar is south-west of York at the A64/A1036 junction, on Tadcaster Road, YO24 1LW. The site has 1,100 parking spaces. Parking requires use of the Park & Ride bus or cycling into the centre. Overnight parking is prohibited and vehicles left after closing incur a penalty charge. Public access is from Tadcaster Road, while the road behind Tesco is bus-only and unsafe for other users. Ten larger-vehicle spaces are reached by the first left after entering. Vehicles taller than 2.1 metres require supervisor assistance at the barrier. Coach parking is unavailable at Park & Ride sites.
- Park & Ride fares and passes – iTravel York
Checked 20 October 2026.
The fares page names Askham Bar, Designer Outlet, Grimston Bar, Monks Cross, Poppleton Bar and Rawcliffe Bar. Standard returns cost £4 and child returns cost £2, available from the driver or First Bus app. Listed Park & Ride fares cover journeys starting at a site and returning from the centre. Trips starting in the centre or at intermediate stops use First York local network fares. Up to three children aged 16 or under travel free with an adult boarding at a Park & Ride site using a listed ticket. The £13 First Group Day ticket covers up to five people travelling together after 9am on weekdays or at any time at weekends. Calculated from the listed fares, four standard returns cost £16 and three cost £12. The Smart 5-day carnet costs £18, permits non-consecutive travel days and must be redeemed within 12 months. A York by bus smartcard costs £2 and requires a loaded ticket before travel.
- Timetables | First Bus
Checked 20 October 2026.
First Bus identifies service 3 as the Askham Bar to York City Centre Circular, called the White Line. The linked timetable is a Monday-to-Friday version with a limited validity period. The operator page provides timetable downloads and a route-map option for checking the journey.