Borough-owned Ipswich Buses has won back the contract to run park-and-ride services in the town from later this year.

The company ran park-and- ride in Ipswich when the first centre at Copdock Mill was set up in 1997 until 2008 when First Group took on a five-year contract. That contract expires at the end of October, and now Ipswich Buses has won back the business and will be taking over services after November 2.

There are now just two centres, at Copdock Mill and Martlesham, after the Bury Road centre closed in early 2011.

A spokeswoman for the county council said Ipswich Buses was the clear winner because it submitted a tender that includes improvements and ideas that are both innovative and financially viable. Improvements include CCTV, next stop announcements on buses, reduced prices for group tickets and improved integration with other Ipswich Buses services.

Ipswich Buses also said it would support young people and long term unemployed into work as part of the successful bid. The firm’s managing director Malcolm Robson said: “We are delighted to have won back the tender to operate the Ipswich park-and-ride services.

“We look forward to working together with Suffolk County Council to provide a high quality service which we hope will attract even more users to the services.”