JUDGING by the hundreds of empty spaces in the car parks, Doncaster's latest and most expensive park and ride scheme is yet to prove just the ticket with those travelling into town.

But everything is in place for the ambitious project to become a long-term success.

At Parrot's Corner on Monday morning just seven cars were parked up at 8am as rush hour loomed - and at least two of those belonged to members of staff.

It was enough to make anyone involved in the delivery of the £15.4m project as sick as a parrot.

The people of Doncaster are clearly going to take some persuading that ditching their cars out of town is the best way to travel to work.

But following my smooth journey to the Frenchgate Centre motorists might be advised to consider the benefits of the scheme - which include CCTV-monitored car parks, free parking and faster journey times.

After familiarising myself with the touch-screen ticket machine - found inside a smart, albeit small, waiting area - for my £2 return, it was time to board the new 638 express service for town leaving at 8.34am.

Very quickly the major selling point of the service became evident as we (the driver and his two passengers) sailed past a huge queue of traffic at the Cantley Lane traffic lights before cruising past the Dome and into town.

The buses, which run every ten minutes, are permitted to stop at the Dome, Doncaster Racecourse, South Parade, Hall Gate and Cleveland Street - but this was an uninterrupted journey direct to the Frenchgate Centre lasting just 15 minutes.

The success of the A638 Quality Bus Corridor may not be so fast - but it would be wrong to quickly write it off as a white elephant.