By Carmelo Garcia – Local Democracy Reporter
Work is underway to secure a vendor to run the planned cafe at Arle Court park and ride.
Gloucestershire County Council leaders view the £35m transport hub off the A40 Arle Court roundabout on the outskirts of Cheltenham as a huge success.
But questions have been raised over when travellers can expect to see the cafe open on site.
Public transport campaigner David Redgewell asked for an update during the meeting at Shire Hall on July 16.
He also asked what progress is being made on bus links from Arle Court Transport Interchange to the town centre.
Sustainable transport and strategic highways cabinet member Roger Whyborn (LD, Benhall and Up Hatherley) replied saying securing the £35m funding for the Arle Court, which opened almost a year ago, represented a huge success for the county.
“I’m extremely pleased that the hub is now well established and that additional bus and coach services are being routed to make use of the site.
“The proposed enhancements to services 99 (hospital link) and 100 (park and ride) using bus service improvement plan funding (BSIP) is planned for late summer/early autumn.
“The planning for this includes new arrangements for Sunday access to Arle Court which requires more preparatory work than other timetable enhancements.
“Plans to enable service K users to access Arle Court are well developed and due to take effect later this year bringing even more connectivity to Arle Court and the surrounding area.
“The cafe is undergoing a procurement exercise and will be advertised for a suitable vendor shortly.”