A park and share facility that will provide spaces for over 700 cars opened in south Belfast on Thursday.
The centre at Cairnshill on the Saintfield Road is designed to provide a safe site for commuters who want to share transport across the city.
It has been built as part of the transport department's programme of promoting sustainable travel.
Transport Minister Conor Murphy said: "It is an important element of the Department's commitment to promote more sustainable travel, by offering commuters on this corridor an alternative for their journey into the city centre."
To encourage members of the public to use park and share, the new building will be opened for free usage during an interim period.
In the coming months the department also has plans to introduce a park and ride bus service from the centre.
"Plans for the introduction of the park and ride facilities are well advanced and a public tender for the provision of bus services will issue soon," he said.
"I hope to be able to announce the outcome of that procurement exercise in the Autumn.
"These new bus services together with the more intensive bus priority measures on the Saintfield Road and Ormeau Road will improve the reliability and journey speeds both for the new Park and Ride service and existing bus services."
However an SDLP spokesperson has expressed his disappointment that the park and ride service will not be installed for some time.
"Everyone will be happy to see this facility open but many will wonder why there is no park and ride service in place," said Regional Development Spokesperson Conall McDevitt.
"There have been too many delays already with this project. DRD has invested £8million in it.
"What the commuter is being offered today is a car park and a five minute walk to the nearest bus stop. That is just not good enough."
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