Oxford Bus Company contributes £170 million to UK economy

A new report has revealed Oxford Bus Company contributed £170 million to the UK economy in 2025.

The report, published by Oxford Economics, adds that Oxford Bus Group supports 2,500 jobs across its portfolio of businesses.

This includes Carousel Buses, City Sightseeing Oxford, Pearces Coaches, Pulhams and Thames Travel. In total, more than 490 buses are managed across the network.

The Oxford Economics report also highlights that 66,400 customers enjoyed open-top bus tours via the popular City Sightseeing Oxford buses in 2025.

More widely, the report demonstrates how the Go-Ahead Group, the parent business of Oxford Bus Company, contributed £6.4 billion to the UK economy last year.

The findings highlight the scale of Go-Ahead’s contribution to the UK economy. This includes supporting 86,900 jobs nationwide, plus £2.4 billion spent with UK suppliers and 2.8 million tourist journeys delivered across the UK.

Go-Ahead operates more than 6,000 buses in the UK, including the largest fleet of zero-emission buses.

This includes Oxford Bus Company’s current fleet of 110 electric buses. In January 2023, an £82.5 million deal in partnership with Oxfordshire County Council and Stagecoach saw 159 electric vehicles take to Oxford’s roads, with Oxford Bus Company ordering 104 of those.

Collectively referred to as the Oxfordshire Bus Enhanced Partnership, the initiative was recently named the winner of the ‘Best Public Transport Decarbonisation Award’ at the inaugural Decarbonising Transport Awards.

Last month, following an investment of more than £5.1 million, a further 13 electric buses were added to the Oxford Bus Company portfolio, with six already in service and the remaining seven to launch later this spring.

Go-Ahead spent £3.9m, which was backed by a £1.2m investment from Oxfordshire County Council via its Vehicle Improvement Fund grant scheme.

Luke Marion, Managing Director of Oxford Bus Company, said: “This new report published by Oxford Economics is fantastic recognition of the contribution which Go-Ahead makes to the UK economy.

“The numbers are seriously impressive and reflect how important buses are to our society and economy.

“Locally, I’m proud of what our teams continue to achieve day in and day out. Colleagues work tremendously hard and the figures in this report would not be possible without their input.

“Our contribution to both the local and national economy underlies our status as we continue to further enhance and grow the network.”

Patrick Verwer, Chief Executive Officer, Go-Ahead, Rail, added: “We are proud to see the impact of Go-Ahead as a driver of local growth showcased in this report, putting money into communities and helping high streets to thrive.

“Alongside the economic impact we generate to the jobs we support, our people take real pride in delivering for our customers and we know the vital role we play in keeping the country moving every day.

“Whether it’s a commute to work, school or a visit to family and friends, we understand how important these journeys are, and we remain focused on delivering reliable services and investing in the future of transport.”

Oxford Economics was founded in 1981 and is a leading independent economic advisory firm, with more than 450 economists and analysts in offices across the world.

To download the full report, please visit: go-ahead.com/oxford-economics-impact-report/#executivesummary