Kaiserslautern’s city council extended the park-and-ride service at Messeplatz, seen here during the farmer’s protest in January, until 2025, while also approving free bus rides on Advent Saturdays to ease congestion. (Alexander Riedel/Stars and Stripes)

The park-and-ride service between Messeplatz and the city center will continue until at least September 2025, Kaiserslautern’s city council announced.

Introduced in September 2023, the service allows commuters and shoppers to park at Messeplatz and ride bus line 101 free of charge by showing their parking ticket. The service is available for groups of up to five people and operates Monday to Saturday from 6 a.m. to midnight.

The council also approved the continuation of free bus rides on Saturdays during Advent in 2024, subject to budget approval. This service, which officials said received positive feedback in previous years, aims to ease traffic congestion and parking demand.