Go Thames Valley launches new bus services following Botley Road reopening

A variety of cross-city bus services have begun following the reopening of Botley Road on Sunday.

New timetables and routes have been introduced across the Go Thames Valley network after the region’s largest bus operator won new and existing contracts with Oxfordshire County Council.

A trial run saw a Thames Travel double-decker and a City Sightseeing Oxford open-top tour bus successfully pass under the new Botley Road rail bridge last week, while Oxford Bus Company’s 400 service became the first bus to officially go under the new bridge after the road reopened.

The 400 is among a range of improvements being made, with the service reintroduced to Seacourt Park & Ride, serving all stops along Botley Road and providing a frequency of up to every 10 minutes with a new timetable for the full route.

A new 4 service has replaced some links in East Oxford previously provided by Stagecoach’s 14 route and has combined with Oxford Bus Company’s 4A to operate every 30 minutes, seven days a week, between Risinghurst, Headington, the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford city centre and Elms Rise.

The 4B has been renumbered the 200 and has extended into Oxford city centre, terminating at Magdalen Street, while the recently improved 600 continues to circulate the Churchill Hospital.

The 44 and 63/63S services are once again serving the city centre following the reopening of Botley Road, calling at Speedwell Street, the Westgate, and Frideswide Square, while the 6 and 35 routes have combined into a new cross-city 6 service operating between Abingdon, Radley, Kennington, Oxford city centre and Wolvercote up to every 20 minutes Monday to Saturday and half-hourly during the evenings and on Sundays.

Luke Marion, Managing Director of Go Thames Valley, said: “We’re pleased to see Botley Road reopen and passengers using our new services.

“It has been a challenging period for customers living to the west of Oxford city centre, but we are focused now on moving forward and raising awareness of our revamped offering.

“The network has been expanded, providing improvements for Botley residents and the wider community.”

Go Thames Valley has introduced a variety of changes across the network, designed to improve connectivity across Oxfordshire, with more frequent services, new connections, and more buses during evenings and on weekends. Revised timetables aim to improve punctuality and reliability.

In addition to services in and around the Botley Road area, highlights include new and enhanced services across Bicester, and more frequent buses serving Abingdon, Risinghurst, Southmoor and Wantage.

For a full list of the timetable changes, please visit www.oxfordbus.co.uk/service-changes-20th-september-2026