Oxford to benefit from raft of major bus network improvements

Oxford to benefit from raft of major bus network improvements

• Bus network improvements confirmed following temporary congestion charge
• More services for Cowley, Headington, Littlemore, Rose Hill and Kidlington
• Improved connectivity to hospitals including John Radcliffe and Churchill Hospitals
• Free travel on Park & Ride services part of improvements

Bus passengers will be able to benefit from increased services to various areas of Oxford and improved hospital connectivity from Sunday November 9th.

Following the implementation of a temporary congestion charge, numerous improvements are being made to enhance connectivity across the city, with faster journeys at peak times and better links to key employment areas.

The improvements are part of the Oxfordshire Bus Enhanced Partnership, in which Oxfordshire County Council and bus operators work together to improve bus productivity in the city.

For an initial three-month trial period, bus travel via the Park & Ride network in Oxford has been made free.

From November 9th, there will be more services for Cowley, Headington, Littlemore, Rose Hill and Kidlington, with improved connectivity to the John Radcliffe and Churchill Hospitals.

Links which existed in the past, but were lost to congestion, will be restored. Direct links between Littlemore, Rose Hill, Iffley Road and the Rail Station will be restored on services 3 and 3A, plus the introduction of a Monday to Saturday N3 night bus service between the city centre and Rose Hill.

Several orbital services will be enhanced with increased frequencies, including more buses in the evenings and on weekends thanks to improvements to services 100, 500 and 700. The 700 service will operate every 20 minutes Monday to Friday, and every 30 minutes on evenings, Saturdays and Sundays. The 500 will have an enhanced frequency on Saturdays to every 10 minutes, while service 100 will be extended to serve Cowley Road.

A new 20 service will be introduced, running every 40 minutes Monday to Friday between Rose Hill, Iffley Road, The Plain, St Clement’s, Morrell Avenue, Gipsy Lane, the John Radcliffe Hospital and Marston Road.

Littlemore will benefit from better buses, with the 5A service between Oxford and Minchery Farm increasing to every 20 minutes between Monday and Friday and the evening service doubling to every 30 minutes.

Luke Marion, Managing Director at Oxford Bus Company, said: “This is excellent news for passengers and our network.

“These changes are part of a wider effort to make bus travel in Oxford faster, more reliable, and more accessible.

“The city has been struggling with congestion for a long time and making bus travel a more attractive option is key to improving the situation.

“We have worked closely with Oxfordshire County Council to identify the best ways to improve the network following the decision to introduce temporary congestion charging, using modelling data to predict the impact of traffic volumes across the network.

“We’ve already seen encouraging improvements to traffic flow and bus journey times in the scheme’s first week.”

Free bus travel via the Park & Ride network can be obtained when customers show their valid parking ticket for any of the five Park & Ride sites to the bus driver.

A £2.50 parking ticket is valid for up to 16 hours, and covers two adults and up to three children, while the Park & Ride sites are located at Pear Tree, Redbridge, Seacourt, Thornhill and Oxford Parkway.