Passenger numbers on bus services to and from a North East Lincolnshire business park have risen sharply over the past year, according to the latest figures.

The number of people using the 1, 2 and 20 bus service to Europarc increased by 29.27 per cent between the 2012/13 financial year to 2013/14.

North East Lincolnshire Council agreed a contract with Stagecoach earlier this year that will keep the service running for at least the next two years.

And a new Saturday service from the town centre to Europarc via Lord Street and Gilbey Road started running on 31 May.

Dave Skepper, commercial director Stagecoach East Midlands, said:

“We are pleased to have recently renewed our partnership with North East Lincolnshire Council to run the weekday bus service between Grimsby and Europarc via West Marsh, which has proved to be extremely popular with local people.

“We regularly meet with North East Lincolnshire Council through our Bus Quality Partnership to consider future plans for bus services and following feedback from local residents using the West Marsh bus services we are delighted to confirm that we have been able to agree terms to offer a Saturday timetable on the route, which started running from 31 May 2014.”

Ivan Hinchliffe, Europarc travel coordinator from IH Consultants Ltd, said:

“This is encouraging news and further evidence of the success of the Europarc Sustainable Travel Initiative.

“Site developer Wykeland Properties Ltd is committed to sustainable development and has funded the post of Europarc Travel Coordinator since they launched the Initiative in 2007.

“I work closely with North East Lincolnshire Council and their operational partners Cofely whose support is a key factor in the success of the initiative.

“I have also undertaken a number of travel surveys since 2007 and the results clearly show that an increasing number of people who work at Europarc are also car sharing and cycling to work.

“This is important not just for the environment but in attracting new employers, especially those looking for sites such as Europarc which offer a wide range of travel options for their workforce.”