Timetable improvements to enhance Thames Travel and Pulhams services

The largest bus operator in the region is introducing a series of timetable improvements across its services at the end of the month.

Go Thames Valley includes Thames Travel and Pulhams, with both public transport providers improving reliability and overall punctuality on selected services from Sunday 30th August.

Buses will run hourly, seven days a week, on the X9 service between Witney and Chipping Norton via Charlbury. The enhancement is being delivered in partnership with Oxfordshire County Council and operation of the service will transfer from Pulhams to Thames Travel.

The 68 service is also transferring from Pulhams to Thames Travel, with a revised timetable introduced to improve punctuality. To simplify the route and allow the use of higher capacity vehicles, buses will no longer serve Sarajac Avenue in East Challow. Journeys will instead operate via Ickleton Road between Wantage and Letcombe Regis.

Users of the H2 service, which connects Carterton and Witney to the John Radclifffe Hospital and Thornhill Park & Ride, will benefit from an enhanced timetable to improve reliability and punctuality.

Following discussions with Oxfordshire County council, Thames Travel will operate services 24 and 25 in Bicester from Tuesday 1st September, replacing Red Rose Travel.

Service 24 will operate to a new timetable (via Heyford Park), while service 25 will remain on the current timetable up to and including Saturday 19th September. From Monday 21st September, services 25/25A will operate to new timetables.

The current Sunday service will continue to be provided by Stagecoach West.

Services 19, 64 and 67 will switch from Pulhams to Thames Travel, with revised timetables introduced to improve punctuality.

Faster journeys between Bourton-on-the-Water and Cirencester are being created on Pulhams’ 855 service which also serves Northleach and Bibury.

Reliability is also being improved on services used by school pupils, including the BB1, BB1A and the 802.

Thames Travel is making minor timetable changes to improve the BB1 and BB1A routes between Rose Hill, Abingdon and Didcot schools, while as part of a revised timetable for the 802, the 16:02 service from Pulhams bus depot will now commence from The Cotswold School at 15:51 to improve connections for students.

Luke Marion, Managing Director at Go Thames Valley, said: “As a trusted operator, it’s important to listen to passenger feedback and implement tweaks to the timetable to enhance our offering.

“We’ve worked closely with Oxfordshire County Council to improve the X9 service, which will now run hourly, seven days a week, and these changes can only be made thanks to an existing strong partnership.”

Details of service changes for Thames Travel can be found via: oxfordbus.co.uk/service-changes-30th-august-2026

Pulhams service changes can be viewed at: pulhams.co.uk/service-changes-from-30th-august-2026/