Oxfordshire Network Review - Introduced from 2nd January 2022

Page last updated: 04/01/2022

Oxfordshire Network Review - Introduced from 2nd January 2022

Oxfordshire County Council has been undertaking a detailed review of the Oxfordshire bus network with the major operators, which includes Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel. This follows a clause in the National Bus Strategy that encouraged local authorities to work with its operators to try and remove as much ‘wasteful duplication’ in the network as government spending on buses increases - both through recovery funding and the Bus Service Improvement Plan.

After extensive negotiations, we’re pleased to say that this network review has now been concluded and it will be introduced by Oxford Bus Company, Thames Travel and Stagecoach from Sunday 2nd January 2022. Details are as follows and timetables are now available below.

Services 3 and 3A

Stagecoach services 3 and 3A will cease to operate and Stagecoach will no longer serve the Iffley Road, Rose Hill or Littlemore. Oxford Bus Company will be providing an increased timetable on the city3 (every 15 minutes) and city3A (every 30 minutes). Thames Travel River Rapids services X39 and X40 will also continue to serve the Iffley Road (every 30 minutes). Between them, these services will ensure that an appropriate level of service continues to be offered on the Iffley Road corridor and for Rose Hill, Littlemore and Sandford, with an improved evening service for Littlemore and Sandford between services city3A and X40.

City3A will see its route amended, to serve a greater proportion of Greater Leys due to the withdrawal of Stagecoach service 12. The section of the city3A route between the Oxford City Centre and Oxford Rail Station will be withdrawn.

city3/3A Timetable - Valid from 2nd January 2022 (PDF, 613 KB)

city3/3A route map - Valid from 2nd January 2022 (PDF, 146KB)

Service city5A

Stagecoach services 12 and 16 will cease to operate. A new city5A service operated by Oxford Bus Company will commence replacing elements of these services and will operate every 30 minutes on Mondays to Saturdays, and every 60 minutes on Sundays between Minchery Farm, Templars Square, Cowley Road and Oxford City Centre. Florence Park is covered by the revised Oxford Bus Company city20 service on a more limited basis and Donnington Bridge Road is served by the Thames Travel service ST1.

city5A Timetable - Valid from 2nd January 2022 (PDF, 276KB)

city5A route map - Valid from 2nd January 2022 (PDF, 253KB)

Services X1 and X32

Stagecoach service S8 will cease to operate. A new Thames Travel service X1 will be introduced, connecting Wantage, East Hanney, Marcham, Abingdon and Oxford, with most journeys extending to Headington to provide connections between the Oxford City Centre and the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre (mainly at off-peak times). The service will also provide direct connections to Harwell Campus for residents of Grove and East Hanney as the X1 will interwork with the X32 service on arrival in Wantage, which will be retimed as a result. From Grove, the X1 will operate via Main Street, Grove Road, Mabley Way, Denchworth Road and Mill Street to Wantage Market Place.

X1 Timetable - Valid from 2nd January 2022 (PDF, 205KB)

X32 Timetable - Valid from 2nd January 2022 (PDF, 263KB)

Service 34

Stagecoach service 34 will cease to operate. A new Thames Travel service 34 will be introduced, providing Monday to Friday peak-time commuter journeys between Abingdon and Harwell Campus.

34 Timetable - Valid from 2nd January 2022 (PDF, 46KB)

Services 91 and 92

Whites Coaches’ Didcot town services 91, 92 and 93 will cease to operate. New Thames Travel services 91 and 92 will be introduced to provide a replacement for the majority of the withdrawn services on Mondays to Fridays daytimes. The route will be amended to provide connections to Southmead Industrial Estate and to provide an improved service for residents of the Sandringham Road area.

91 Timetable - Valid from 2nd January 2022 (PDF, 34KB)

92 Timetable - Valid from 2nd January 2022 (PDF, 51KB)

Services X36

Thames Travel service X36 will be extended to serve Willowbrook Park and Southmead Industrial Estate in Didcot. Unfortunately, this has been delayed with the road yet to open. In Wantage, the X36 will divert to serve Charlton at off-peak times.

X36 Timetable - Valid from 2nd January 2022 (PDF, 48KB)

Service 38

Thames Travel service 38 will be withdrawn. The new service X1 will provide a link between Wantage Market Place, Mabley Way, Grove Main Street and Oxford Lane. Stagecoach service S9 will link Brereton Drive and Mabley Way. Thames Travel service X36 will serve Charlton Village Road and Harcourt Road.

Service 97

Unfortunately, due to further delays related to the bus gate, Thames Travel service 97 will not be able to commence on 2nd January 2022 as originally planned. We hope to introduce this service (connecting Great Western Park South and the Park Road area to Didcot town centre and Didcot Parkway) as soon as possible following the completion of the bus gate.

Services 33, 98, 99A/99C

Thames Travel services 33, 98 and 99 will be retimed to improve reliability and to ensure improved spacing of journeys between Didcot Parkway and Milton Park following the changes to the X36 and X32 services.

New service 99 will be introduced during Monday to Friday peak time. The route will operate in one direction around Milton Park to reduce disruption caused by traffic at the Milton Interchange roundabout. Service 99A and 99C will continue to operate during off-peak times. 

33 Timetable - Valid from 2nd January 2022 (PDF, 56KB)

98 Timetable - Valid from 2nd January 2022 (PDF, 57KB)

99/99A/99C Timetable - Valid from 2nd January 2022 (PDF, 716KB)

Services 11 and River Rapids X39/X40

Thames Travel River Rapids services X39/X40, and service 11 will transfer to be operated by the Oxford Bus Company. Service 11 will see an additional journey to Watlington added to the timetable as a result of this change, while the timetables for the X39 and X40 services will continue unchanged.

city11 Timetable - Valid from 2nd January 2022 (PDF, 40KB)

X39/X40 Timetable - Valid from 2nd January 2022 (PDF, 407KB)

Service city6

The Oxford Bus Company city6 service will be enhanced to operate every 15 minutes on Mondays to Saturdays. The route in Wolvercote village will be amended to no longer serve Home Close and Clifford Place, with services now terminating in Baynhams Drive in the new Wolvercote Mill development.

city6 Timetable - Valid from 2nd January 2022 (PDF, 45KB)

city6 route map - Valid from 2nd January 2022 (PDF, 77KB)

Service city2

The Oxford Bus Company city2 service will cease to operate and thus we will no longer serve the Banbury Road and Kidlington. Stagecoach will be continuing to operate their service 2 between Kidlington and Oxford and will be introducing a revised timetable on this corridor.

Service park&ride500

The Oxford Bus Company park&ride500 service from Oxford Parkway will cease to operate. Stagecoach will be amending the route of their service 7 to serve the Oxford Parkway Park&Ride car park. In addition, frequent services from Oxford Parkway will continue to operate to both Kidlington and Oxford.

Any Oxford Bus Company customers on the city2 and park&ride500 who hold tickets with ongoing validity after 2nd January 2022 are advised to contact us via [email protected], by phone at 01865 785400 or at our travel shop at Gloucester Green coach station, to request a refund. These will be given pro-rata to any remaining time on the ticket, and no administration fees will be charged for refunds resulting from service changes associated with this network review.

---

We appreciate that elements of this review may come as a surprise to some of our customers. However, these changes are necessary to protect as many services as possible and better position the local bus operators for what the future may hold.

For more details regarding Stagecoach services, please visit their website: www.stagecoachbus.com.

---

Zone maps

Your new zone maps are available to view below. 

- Oxford cityzone map
- Oxford cityzone EXTRA map
- South Oxfordshire Zone map
- Oxford SmartZone map
- Didcot travel zone map

---

Frequently asked questions

I use the Oxford Parkway Park&Ride on a regular basis and have a park&ride product on my key card that I use to travel on the park&ride500. Will I be able to use it on the Stagecoach 2 or 7 services? 

Unfortunately not. You should contact us once the park&ride500 services come to an end and we’ll arrange a pro-rata refund for the remaining balance. 

I use the Banbury Road services regularly and hold a cityzone pass. Can I still use this to travel on the Stagecoach 2 or 7 services? 

Unfortunately not. The cityzone only covers the Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel services, and unfortunately, this will not be valid on the Stagecoach buses. Please get in touch with us once the service changes have taken place and we will arrange a pro-rata refund for the remaining balance. 

I commute on the River Rapids services to Oxford and hold a 13 weeks Thames Travel Network Pass. Can I continue to use this on the X39/X40 services? 

Unfortunately not. As the River Rapids will be operated by Oxford Bus Company, the Thames Travel Network Pass will no longer be valid. You will require a cityzone + South Oxfordshire Zone pass instead. Please contact us after the changes come into effect and we will arrange a pro-rata refund for the remaining balance. 

What is happening to the nightbus service for Rose Hill? 

Connections will be provided on the NX40 service on Friday and Saturday nights only. This service serves Rose Hill parade (not the circle) as well as Littlemore and Sandford before continuing to Wallingford. 

What are the major changes happening in Oxford?

11, X39, X40	These services will be operated by Oxford Bus Company.	Revised timetable for service 11
3, 3A	These services will only be operated by Oxford Bus Company.	Revised timetable
2, 2A, 2B	These services will be operated by Stagecoach.	Revised timetable
500	This service will be withdrawn.	Replaced by Stagecoach 2 and 7 services
12, 16	These services will be withdrawn.	Replaced by new 5A service and amended 3A service
S8, 34	These services will be operated by Thames Travel.	Replaced by new 34/X1 services

What is happening to the Oxford Bus Company services?

3A	This service will have a slightly amended route and timetable.
3, 3A	These services will only be operated by Oxford Bus Company.
6	This service will terminate in the new Wolvercote Mill Estate, not Home Close.
2, 2A, 2B	These services will no longer be operated by Oxford Bus Company.
500	This service will be withdrawn and Oxford Parkway will be served by Stagecoach 7 service.

What new services will there be in Oxford?

5A	This new Oxford Bus Company service replaces the Stagecoach 12 and 16 services, operating up to every 30 minutes.
X1	The X1 service will be operated by Thames Travel, replacing the Stagecoach S8 service.
34	This service will now be operated by Thames Travel to the same pattern and route for Harwell Campus commuters.

The new X1 service will replace Stagecoach’s S8 service and will provide an improved service between Wantage, Hanney, Marcham, Abingdon and Oxford, with most off-peak journeys extending to Headington to provide easy connections between the city and the Nuffield Orthopedic Centre. 

This service will work together with the X32 and 34 services in Wantage. Passengers will be able to use the normal Thames Travel South Oxfordshire Zone tickets between Abingdon and Wantage, and cityzone EXTRA tickets between Abingdon and Oxford. 

What changes are happening in Didcot?

91, 92	These are new Didcot Town Services, previously operated by White's Coaches.
97	New service operating between Great Western Park South and Central Didcot.
33, 98, 99A, 99C, X32	Timetable changes will take place to improve reliability.
X36	This service will operate via Southmead Park and Willowbrook Park.

Thames Travel will be operating three new services, 91, 92 and 97, with other changes happening to improve the reliability of your services.  

Services 91 and 92 replace the previous Didcot Town Services operated by White’s Coaches, linking several estates including Ladygrove, Queensway and Sandringham Park. Additionally, the 91 service will operate via Southmead Industrial Estate. 

The X36 service will also operate via Willowbrook Park (new housing estate on the A4130 Link Road) and Southmead Industrial Estate, allowing easier access to our depot for visitors and our colleagues. 

Service 97 will operate between Great Western Park South, Park Road Estate and Central Didcot, as the bus gate on Diamond Drive has been completed. This service will provide up to two journeys per hour. 

In addition to this, services X32, 33, 98 and 99A/99C will see changes to improve the reliability and improve the spacing between journeys on the Milton Park/Harwell Campus - Didcot Parkway section of the routes. 

What changes are happening in Wantage?

38	This service will be withdrawn. The service X1 will serve Mably Way with the service X36 serving Charlton at off-peak times.
X36	This service will operate via Charlton Heights (off-peak).
X32	Tweaks will be made to the timetable to improve reliability, inter-working it with the X1 service.
X1	This is a new service X1 operating between Wantage, Abingdon, Oxford and Headington.

Service 38 will be withdrawn, with Mably Way being served by the X1 and S9 services and the Charlton Heights arc being replaced by off-peak journeys on the X36 service. Unfortunately, the Mayfield Estate in Grove will no longer be served. Passengers should use the X1/X36/S9 services from Oxford Lane or the X1 service from Bosley’s Orchard to go to Wantage.

The new X1 service will replace Stagecoach’s S8 service and will provide an improved service between Wantage, Hanney, Marcham, Abingdon and Oxford, with most off-peak journeys extending to Headington to provide easy connections between the city and the Nuffield Orthopedic Centre. 

In addition to this, the X32 service will operate to a revised timetable.