Welcome to the Oxon4Buses website.
What is Oxon4Buses?
Oxon4Buses (O4B) is an informal association of users of bus services in Oxfordshire. Our members are representatives of a wide variety of groups in the County and City, including parish representatives, who all have an interest in improving and promoting bus services. We aim to represent a wide range of views from people who do or might use buses.
Our main aim is to increase bus usage throughout the County.
Find out more about Oxon4Buses, including our work with the county council and bus companies, here.
Oxon4Buses report on Park & Ride sites
O4B recently carried out a review of the five Park and Ride sites that serve Oxford, from the perspective of bus users. The review was requested by one of the Working Groups of the Enhanced Partnership in Oxfordshire (which brings together the bus companies and the County Council to work on improving bus services). O4B’s report was submitted to, and welcomed by, the Working Group on 2 June 2023, and has since been sent on to relevant officials at the City and County Councils. You can download the report here.
Tell us your views
O4B would be delighted to hear from you about the major policy issues you believe are important, and that we should be focusing on, in order to improve the experience of bus users. We are particularly keen to hear about proposals that would encourage those who are currently car-dependent to try their local bus.
While our initial emphasis is on providing constructive input to the County Council and bus companies Enhanced Partnership working groups, we anticipate that other issues will emerge as we focus on improving the experience of bus users. We have become members of the Coalition for Healthy Streets and Active Travel (CoHSAT Oxfordshire) and look forward to working with them on the interactions between the various active travel modes – cycling, wheeling, walking and buses – at, for instance, the planned mobility hubs.
Please contact us at: info@oxon4buses.org.uk We look forward to hearing from you.
News and useful information
Faringdon special bus service
On Saturdays (only) until 28 October 2023, Faringdon Town Council has sponsored a bus to Kelmscott Manor, Coleshill, the White Horse, and other delights. See here for the details.
£2 bus fare now extended to December 2024
The Government has announced a continuation of the £2 bus fare to 31 December 2024.
Accessing hospitals by bus
Oxford Bus Company’s helpful webpage sets out which buses go to which hospital. Stagecoach explain theirs here.
Stagecoach London Tube to serve Carterton from 23 October 2023
These Monday to Friday only trips will pick up from the following stops:
- Carterton Crossroads
- Minster Lovell A40 flyover
- Witney Market Square
- Eynsham (Evenlode A40)
- Oxford North (next to the BMW Garage)
The route will bypass Oxford city centre, serving Thornhill and then London.
Four outbound journeys will operate in the morning, with three returning journeys in the evening.
The draft timetable has departures from Carterton at 0525, 0555, 0635, and 0805, due to arrive at Victoria coach station at 0815, 0910, 0950, and 1108. You can check for updates on the Oxford Tube website.
Visit Harcourt Arboretum by bus
Harcourt Arboretum is particularly beautiful in autumn. You can get there on bus X40 from Oxford (via Iffley Road) or Wallingford, or bus 45 from Cowley, Littlemore, Berinsfield or Abingdon. The stops for the Arboretum are called Baldon Lane. On Saturday 14 October the Arboretum is holding its Autumn Fair: see here for details. For the Fair, there will be shuttle buses from Redbridge park & ride, every 20 minutes from 0940. The last bus from the Arboretum to Redbridge is at 1720.
Visit Cogges Manor Farm by bus
Cogges Manor Farm is easily reached by bus from Oxford, Carterton, Woodstock, and Abingdon. See here for opening dates and times. Use the Oxford Bus Company’s journey planner (which also knows about Stagecoach buses). It is a short and pleasant walk to Cogges along Church Lane from Newland, alighting either at the stop called St Georges Field (just past Church Lane, heading into Witney), or the stop immediately opposite Church Lane (heading away from Witney). Alternatively, it is about 10 minutes walk from Witney Market Square. Note that, contrary to what journey planners and maps may tell you, there is no stop in Newland directly adjacent to Church Lane.
Roger French’s blog
Roger French had a notably successful career managing buses in Brighton and Hove. He now writes a ‘blog’, several times a week, about journeys by bus (and sometimes train). His recent posts about services in Oxfordshire include the following:
A review of the X34 from Didcot to Newbury
The revived buses serving Bletchingdon and the Heyfords
The astonishing route 46 from Oxford to Great Milton
First & Last Mile services around Eynsham
Is this the perfect rural bus stop? It has a seat, a shelter, no pole. It is set back from the path. Seen near St Endellion, Polzeath, Cornwall. Please send us your photos to illustrate what you consider to be a good design for a rural bus stops, so that we can find the best ones:
