Go Thames Valley launches new £2m bus fleet in Bicester area

A £2 million investment is supporting the launch of Go Thames Valley’s new bus fleet in Bicester and North Oxfordshire.

The area is benefiting from enhanced bus services from Go Thames Valley, the group behind Oxford Bus Company, Thames Travel, Pulhams and Carousel Buses.

Six new double-deckers and one new single-decker have been purchased from UK manufacturer Alexander Dennis for £2m and are having bespoke Bicester branding applied.

The brand-new vehicles will boast various passenger benefits, including Wi-Fi, USB chargers, and tap on, tap off payment.

Following contract wins, new bus services came into effect from Sunday 20th September, bringing improved connections and more frequent services to the area.

The existing 21 service transferred from Oxford Bus Company to Thames Travel and gained additional daytime journeys.

On weekdays, the first journey of the day will start from Bowmont Square rather than Chesterton.

Chesterton is instead being served by a new 25 route, which will provide a regular daytime bus service to the village for the first time in many years.

Delivered in partnership with Oxfordshire County Council, the new 25/25A service brings together Thames Travel’s existing 25 service, and Stagecoach routes H5 and 29 to improve connections across the area.

The 25 service will operate hourly between Upper Heyford and the John Radcliffe Hospital via Heyford Park, Chesterton, Bicester and Ambrosden. Late evening journeys will also operate between Bicester, Heyford Park and Upper Heyford, with the final departure from Bicester Village Station at 11pm.

Together, the two routes will provide up to two buses per hour between Upper Heyford, Bicester and Ambrosden. Sunday journeys between Upper Heyford, Bicester and Upper Arncott will continue to be operated by Stagecoach.

Luke Marion, Managing Director of Go Thames Valley, said: “We’re really pleased to be providing new links for bus passengers in the Bicester area.

“These new services form part of our ongoing objective to enhance our network and improve connectivity across Oxfordshire with frequent routes and timetables.

“We’re particularly proud to be providing a regular daytime service in Chesterton, providing the village with important transport links, and I’d like to thank Oxfordshire County Council for their support with these service enhancements.”

Councillor Gareth Epps, Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for transport, said: “These improved services will help encourage more people in the north of the county to use the bus for more journeys. Restoring bus services to Chesterton and restoring a bus link between Heyford Park and Oxford are improvements I’m particularly proud of.

“Alongside our preservation of the Bicester Bee services for our villages, this is another example of our excellent partnership work between the council and bus companies to make bus travel more convenient for those who rely on them and for those who want to reduce their reliance on the car.”

There will be road closures in Islip and Heyford Park over the coming months that may affect journeys on the new 25/25A. All known updates and diversions will be communicated via www.oxfordbus.co.uk/service-updates

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