The Norwich Airport park and ride site took over as the busiest of Norwich's six routes last year.

An increase of 39,326 passengers took the Airport to a total of 611,706 to surpass a rise of 30,048 at the Thickthorn site to a total of 604,661.

Norwich's park and ride system as a whole also saw an increase, of 96,800 to an overall total of 2,975,508.

It is signs of a revival for the service, that Norfolk County Council's (NCC) head of passenger transport Tracy Jessop defended earlier this week having seen passenger numbers drop from around 3.7m a year in 2005.

Price rises and reductions to some services are being introduced at the start of April as a result of enforced government cuts.

Now Graham Plant, cabinet member for travel and transport at NCC, has backed his colleague's calls for people to keep making use of the service to protect its future.

He said: 'We have managed to protect the essential services on all six of the Park and Ride sites in Norwich by making savings wherever we could.

'We know how important the park and ride is, to the thousands of people who use it, and indeed to Norwich as the shopping capital of the east of England.

'Norwich still has the most comprehensive park and ride service of any city in the country. Many people wouldn't choose to travel into the city in any other way and I would encourage anyone who hasn't tried park and ride to give it a go.'

Harford remains the third-busiest site despite a drop of 7,444 passengers, leaving an overall 2010 total of 544,375, while Sprowston saw a boost of 37,857 but remains fourth-busiest with 510,760 overall.

Postwick rose 5,062 to a total of 438,682 but Costessey fell 8,049 to remain significantly the quietest site, with a total of 265,324 passengers last year.