This facility officially opened on Monday 2nd August although when I visited at 11.00 there was only one car within the car park - and that was mine!! I did not see any bus operating - but as there were no potential passengers not a major issue.
Today (Tuesday 3rd) I was able to ascertain more information about the scheme and on my afternoon visit a (mini) bus was waiting by the facility. Again my car was the only one to be parked and sadly I disappointed the driver of the bus who thought that I was to be the first customer of the day!!!.
Flintshire County Council have sent details of the provision to local employers and I have been kindly supplied with a copy of the brochure <<LINK>>. Details ascertained are :- Car parking charges will be free of charge for an introductory period. Once this period has ended, tickets will be priced at £48 for a yearly permit and £1 all day for the pay and display option. Ticket holders will be able to ride on the connecting Shuttle Bus into Zone 2 as well as a return journey back to the car park facility. The timetable for the shuttle service is a 30 minute frequency (xx10 and xx40 from the car park). On Monday to Saturday this starts at 0540 until 1840 but there is a one off run at 2210 from Iceland Frozen Foods. On Sundays there are just four journeys at 0540, 1340, 1410 and 2210.
The vehicle being used is MX18AVR a Peugeot Boxer 440 / Minibus Options which was new to its current owner Flintshire County Council in August 2018. However despite the legal notice on the vehicle indicating P and O Lloyd it is actually being operated by Wrexham Prestige Taxis who are employing two drivers during the week to work the long day.
The site looks very impressive with some 275 parking spaces well laid out and marked with a number of both charging points for electrical vehicles and disabled parking bays. However I am sure the Council will be aware that to make this a success there is a lot to be done. Currently there are no signs whatsoever to direct users to the site and even from the adjacent Drome Road the site is not easily seen. There is no signage to indicate the timetable or the route of the Shuttle Bus. There is no indication where the bus departs and no facilities in the certain event of inclement weather. As yet there are no details of this provision on the Flintshire County Council website.
