Oxford Bus Company/Thames Travel

[Parebunks]

Couldn't see a thread for Go-Ahead round Oxford, so thought I'd make one - please do move if I've missed one elsewhere.
Notices and Proceedings has various major changes round Didcot down for the 23rd July, quoted:

PH0007184/97 THAMES TRAVEL (WALLINGFORD) LTD, C/O COWLEY HOUSE,
WATLINGTON ROAD, COWLEY, OXFORD, OX4 6GA
Operating between Oxford City Centre, Westgate and Didcot,Orchard Centre given
service number X2 / NX2 effective from 23 July 2023. To amend Route and
Timetable.
PH0007184/153 THAMES TRAVEL (WALLINGFORD) LTD, C/O COWLEY HOUSE,
WATLINGTON ROAD, COWLEY, OXFORD, OX4 6GA
Operating between Great Western Park, Asda and Henley-on-Thames, Hart Street
given service number 23 / 23A effective from 23 July 2023. To amend Route and
Timetable.
PH0007184/147 THAMES TRAVEL (WALLINGFORD) LTD, C/O COWLEY HOUSE,
WATLINGTON ROAD, COWLEY, OXFORD, OX4 6GA
Operating between Didcot, Tesco Depot and Wantage, Kingsgrove given service
number X36 effective from 23 July 2023. To amend Route and Timetable.
PH0007184/146 THAMES TRAVEL (WALLINGFORD) LTD, C/O COWLEY HOUSE,
WATLINGTON ROAD, COWLEY, OXFORD, OX4 6GA
Operating between Great Western Park South and John Radcliffe Hospital, Main
Entrance given service number X32 effective from 23 July 2023. To amend Route
and Timetable.
PH0007184/165 THAMES TRAVEL (WALLINGFORD) LTD, C/O COWLEY HOUSE,
WATLINGTON ROAD, COWLEY, OXFORD, OX4 6GA
Operating between Didcot Parkway Station and Didcot Parkway Station given
service number 93 effective from 23 July 2023. To amend Timetable.
PH0005727/85 THE CITY OF OXFORD MOTOR SERVICES LIMITED, COWLEY
HOUSE, WATLINGTON ROAD, COWLEY, OXFORD, OX4 6GA
Operating between Oxford City Centre, Railway Station and Wantage Market Place
given service number X1 / NX1 effective from 23 July 2023. To amend Route and
Timetable.
PH0005727/87 THE CITY OF OXFORD MOTOR SERVICES LIMITED, COWLEY
HOUSE, WATLINGTON ROAD, COWLEY, OXFORD, OX4 6GA
Operating between Oxford City Centre, Railway Station and Wantage Market Place
given service number 43 effective from 23 July 2023. To amend Route and
Timetable.
PH0007184/127 THAMES TRAVEL (WALLINGFORD) LTD, C/O COWLEY HOUSE,
WATLINGTON ROAD, COWLEY, OXFORD, OX4 6GA
Operating between Didcot, Broadway and Newbury, Wharf Bus Station given
service number X34 effective from 23 July 2023. To amend Route and Timetable.
PH0007184/112 THAMES TRAVEL (WALLINGFORD) LTD, C/O COWLEY HOUSE,
WATLINGTON ROAD, COWLEY, OXFORD, OX4 6GA
Operating between Didcot, Broadway and Faringdon, Market Place given service
number X35 effective from 23 July 2023. To amend Route and Timetable.

And cancellations:

PH0007184/107 THAMES TRAVEL (WALLINGFORD) LTD, C/O COWLEY HOUSE,
WATLINGTON ROAD, COWLEY, OXFORD, OX4 6GA
Operating between Wantage Market Place and Faringdon Market Place given
service number 67 effective from 23 July 2023.
16
PH0007184/135 THAMES TRAVEL (WALLINGFORD) LTD, C/O COWLEY HOUSE,
WATLINGTON ROAD, COWLEY, OXFORD, OX4 6GA
Operating between Great Western Park, Asda and Milton Park given service
number 23A effective from 23 July 2023.
PH0007184/161 THAMES TRAVEL (WALLINGFORD) LTD, C/O COWLEY HOUSE,
WATLINGTON ROAD, COWLEY, OXFORD, OX4 6GA
Operating between Didcot Parkway and Didcot Parkway given service number 97
effective from 23 July 2023.

Most notable here is a Newbury-Harwell link, looking like an extension of the 98 and renumbered as X34. The rest is mostly the kind of rearrangement Didcot seems to see every couple of years - 67 and the Didcot to Wantage X32 joined as an X35, the remaining X32 linked to the 97 Didcot town service. Not sure what's going on with other routes - 34 presumably renumbered 43 to avoid confusion, but not sure what will be changed with X1, X2, X36 and 23. The link to Newbury is obviously welcome, but not quite sure of the wisdom of switching the rest of the network up on such a regular basis - the last shakeup of similar scale was only 18 months ago, in contrast to e.g. Witney, which has had the same basic setup for over a decade.

 

[Mitchell Hurd]

Excellent thread this is , thank you! Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel are my 2 local bus companies. They've done so well since the big timetable changes in September around 9 months ago which the 30-minute frequency of the X1's has increased capacity.

From my understanding (unless I'm wrong) from looking at the document, the following happens...

• X2 no longer runs to Oxford Rail Station. Replaced by the existing OBC service X1.
• X2 and X32 terminate at the Westgate.
• A 43 runs to and from Oxford Railway Station and Wantage. Not sure if this is a separate service or replaces the 34.
• A new Didcot - Newbury X34 is introduced alongside the extended 98 Harwell - Newbury. Run by Thames Travel.
• As shown, a Didcot to Faringdon X35 is introduced. The 67 Wantage - Faringdon continues as normal.

I presume the Stagecoach S1 and S7 continues as normal.

These changes look positive if I'm honest. It would be interesting if Didcot - Newbury to connect to a handful of South West-bound GWR services is quicker or very slightly longer than changing at Reading!

 

[Parebunks]

A 43 runs to and from Oxford Railway Station and Wantage. Not sure if this is a separate service or replaces the 34.

The 43 is the 34, it's the same registration - makes sense to change it since there's no route similarities with the X34 (which is the same reg. as 98, so replacing it rather than running alongside it).
Good spot r.e. the X1 and X2 in Oxford, hadn't considered that end. Slightly odd choice - lowest frequency from Oxford station to Abingdon for a long time, and a rather slower route. X32 seems to still run to the JR rather than finishing at the Westgate, though?

 

[Falcon1200]

A forthcoming change for OBC is that from Monday 3rd July they are taking over (from Stagecoach) the 700 Thornhill/Kidlington service. At present there is no change to the timetable, so still Monday-Friday only; The lack of a Saturday service on what is a very useful route is a strange omission.

 

[Mitchell Hurd]

The 43 is the 34, it's the same registration - makes sense to change it since there's no route similarities with the X34 (which is the same reg. as 98, so replacing it rather than running alongside it).
Good spot r.e. the X1 and X2 in Oxford, hadn't considered that end. Slightly odd choice - lowest frequency from Oxford station to Abingdon for a long time, and a rather slower route. X32 seems to still run to the JR rather than finishing at the Westgate, though?

Also, a weirdly clever idea having the X1 go to the station is this...

On the Oxford Road at present, you're more likely to have say an X2 right behind an X3 which could be a problem if the X2 driver doesn't see you, especially if it's dark!

With the X1 going from Abingdon via its current route to the station, it means all X2's and X3's Oxford-bound terminate in the city so any bus can be caught, leaving the only 30-minute frequency via Wootton Road to Oxford going to the station.

With 2,500 new houses reported to be soon built on the old airfield in Grove, it wouldn't surprise me if the X1 goes to say every 15 or 20 minutes and the S9 every 15 minutes.

I suspect though once electric buses enter service in Oxford it would allow more StreetDeck's (OBC) and E400 MMC's (S9) to be cascaded to the X1 and S9 to increase the frequency on these routes.

 

[Wolvercoter]

Most upcoming changes have been published on the Oxford Bus website. X32 timetable to follow.

https://www.oxfordbus.co.uk/service-changes-23rd-july-2023

We will be making some changes to services in Oxford City and South Oxfordshire from 23rd July in order to make our services more reliable, and to provide new and enhanced links between key towns and villages in the area.


city6
Since the closure of Botley Road from 11th April, we have seen an increase in traffic levels along the Woodstock Road. Accordingly, we need to introduce a slightly revised timetable for city6 to improve punctuality. You can find the new timetable from 23rd July here.



city11X
We are seeing increasing levels of congestion across the route, made even worse since the closure of the Botley Road with more traffic now using Abingdon Road. Consequently, we need to introduce a revised timetable for city11X with the daytime service now running up to every 10 minutes on all days of the week, to provide a more reliable service for our customers. You can find the new city11X timetable from 23rd July here.



city34 (renumbered city43)
This service will be extended to and from Oxford Rail Station and we will be making minor changes to the timetable to provide a more reliable service. To coincide with the wider network changes that we are making in the South Oxfordshire area, this service will be renumbered city43, and you can find the new timetable from 23rd July 2023 here.



city35
Since the closure of Botley Road from 11th April, we have seen an increase in traffic levels along the Abingdon Road. Accordingly, we need to introduce a slightly revised timetable for city35 to improve punctuality. You can find the new timetable from 23rd July here.



cityX1 & NX1
Since the closure of Botley Road from 11th April, we have seen an increase in traffic levels along the Abingdon Road. Accordingly, we need to introduce a revised timetable for cityX1 to improve punctuality.

The routeing in the City Centre will change so that towards Oxford, cityX1 will serve the Westgate and run along New Road and Park End Street to Oxford Rail Station. Towards Abingdon and Wantage, cityX1 will start at Oxford Rail Station and run along Park End Street, New Road and Queen Street to St Aldates where the current routeing will resume. cityNX1 will continue to operate the same route in Oxford City Centre as at present.

You can find the new timetable from 23rd July here, and a map of the revised route here.



connector X2
Since the closure of Botley Road from 11th April, we have seen an increase in traffic levels along the Abingdon Road. As a result, connector X2 will no longer be able to continue to serve Oxford Rail Station and will instead terminate at the Westgate. Towards Abingdon & Didcot, connector X2 will commence from the Westgate and run along Queen Street to St Aldates where the current routeing will resume.

connector X2 and cityX3 will continue to provide a coordinated service between Oxford and Abingdon, up to every 10 minutes service on Monday to Saturday daytimes and up to every 15 minutes in the evenings and on Sundays & Public Holidays.

There will be no change to connector NX2 which will continue to operate to Oxford Rail Station. Please find the new timetable from 23rd July here, and a map of the revised route here.



connector 93 & 97
We are pleased to advise customers that the bus gate on Diamond Drive in Great Western Park will once again be available for use from 23rd July. Connector 93 & 97 will be replaced by connector X32 from Oxford. This section of route is still being finalised - please check this page for details soon.



connector 98
NEW connector X34 & X35 will replace connector 98 and provide greater connectivity for residents of Great Western Park with direct links to Wantage, Faringdon and Newbury. You can find the new timetable from 23rd July here.



Science Transit Shuttle ST2
Since the closure of Botley Road from 11th April, we have seen an increase in the variability of traffic levels along the Woodstock Road, and have continued to experience increasing congestion around St Clements in East Oxford. Accordingly, we need to introduce a slightly revised timetable for service ST2 to improve punctuality. You can find the new timetable from 23rd July here.



connector X32
In order to improve punctuality, connector X32 will be split in Didcot. The section of route between JR Hospital and Didcot is still being finalised - please check this page for details soon.

The section of route between Didcot, Harwell Campus and Wantage will now be covered by new connector X34 & X35, and you can find more details about these services below.



NEW connector X34 & X35 (with new links to Newbury)
connector X34 & X35 will provide a coordinated service between Didcot, Great Western Park and Harwell Campus, up to every 15 minutes during Monday to Friday daytimes and up to every 30 minutes on Saturdays.

connector X34 will extend beyond Harwell Campus up to every hour on Mondays to Saturdays to serve Chilton and then provide a new fast connection to Newbury. Within Newbury, buses will call at the Vodafone Roundabout bus stop, then those along London Road and Park Way and Stand D in Newbury Wharf Bus Station.

connector X35 will extend beyond Harwell Campus to Wantage up to every 30 minutes on weekdays and up to every hour on Saturdays, and provide a direct link on these days through to Faringdon up to every hour. On Sundays and Public Holidays, connector X35 will maintain the hourly connection between Didcot and Wantage, however these journeys will no longer serve Harwell Campus due to low usage.

The new timetable for these services can be found here. Maps can be found here for connector X34 and here for connector X35.



connector X36
We will be making some changes to the timetable in order to provide a more reliable service. Additionally, all journeys will now operate via Charlton. Please click here to see the new times from 23rd July, and click here for a route map.



Thames Travel 45
We will be making some minor timetable changes to improve the punctuality of this service, and you can find the revised times from 23rd July 2023 here.



Thames Travel 67
NEW connector X35 will replace service 67 and provide enhanced through links to Stanford-in-the-Vale and Faringdon from Didcot and Harwell Campus. To see the new timetable, please click here, and to see the new route map, please click here.



Thames Travel 91
We will be making some minor timetable changes to improve the punctuality of this service, and you can find the revised times from 23rd July 2023 here.



Thames Travel 95
We will be making some minor timetable changes to improve the punctuality of this service, and you can find the revised times from 23rd July 2023 here.



city5X and cityC1
Unfortunately, due to low usage, these college services will be withdrawn from the end of the 2022/2023 academic year and will not return in September.

 

[Falcon1200]

Most upcoming changes have been published on the Oxford Bus website.

Thanks @Wolvercoter.

The detail on the 11X is interesting; The 'customers' for this service consist almost, if not entirely, of OBC's own staff, as the route stops hardly anywhere and serves no useful purpose other than to link their depot with Queens Lane. It is somewhat galling to see that this still operates every 10 minutes, when OBC have reduced services needed by passengers, such as withdrawing the 13 so cutting city centre/Marston via the Marston Road from every 10 to every 20 minutes, and have even abandoned parts of the city completely, eg Northway and Risinghurst.

 

[RELL6L]

Great to see further expansion here, there's scope with Didcot, Great Western Park, Milton Park, Harwell Campus being reasonably pro-public transport, I hope that passenger levels are reaching a decent amount. I assume this expansion is largely publicly / developer funded in some way. The extension to Newbury is interesting and positive, shame in a way it isn't from Oxford but may be more reliable as a result. Shame also that it doesn't appear to divert into East Ilsley. Hope it is successful.

 

[Parebunks]

Great to see further expansion here, there's scope with Didcot, Great Western Park, Milton Park, Harwell Campus being reasonably pro-public transport, I hope that passenger levels are reaching a decent amount. I assume this expansion is largely publicly / developer funded in some way. The extension to Newbury is interesting and positive, shame in a way it isn't from Oxford but may be more reliable as a result. Shame also that it doesn't appear to divert into East Ilsley. Hope it is successful

The Newbury extension is jointly funded by Oxfordshire and West Berkshire councils as a BSIP (bus service improvement plan) scheme. It is interesting that it doesn't stop at any of the villages along the way, West Berks could easily have saved a bus by replacing 6/6A/5C, but looks like end-to-end is the priority. There's also a lot of S106 money from the developer at Great Western Park, not sure if that goes towards any specific routes.

 

[W-on-Sea]

I suppose the X35 could have gone through East Ilsley without any difficulty (or much time penalty, compared with sticking to the A34), but sending full size double deckers to the other villages on the 6/6A route, as well as adding time to the journey (and providing a service well in excess of local demand), might well be unfeasible, while sending them through East Ilsley alone might have made the 6/6A even more dependent on subsidy than they are already. All in all though, these new timetables look very encouraging. I'm bit surprised that Chilton Village has got its hourly service back.

 

[DaveHarries]

Excellent thread this is , thank you! Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel are my 2 local bus companies. They've done so well since the big timetable changes in September around 9 months ago which the 30-minute frequency of the X1's has increased capacity.

From my understanding (unless I'm wrong) from looking at the document, the following happens...

• 
  [.....]
• As shown, a Didcot to Faringdon X35 is introduced. The 67 Wantage - Faringdon continues as normal.

Er no it doesn't. OBC website says 67 replaced by X35.

Service Changes from 23rd July 2023

We will be making some changes to some Oxford Bus and Thames Travel services from 23rd July 2023 to improve reliability and offer new links.

www.oxfordbus.co.uk

Dave

 

[Mitchell Hurd]

Er no it doesn't. OBC website says 67 replaced by X35.

Service Changes from 23rd July 2023

We will be making some changes to some Oxford Bus and Thames Travel services from 23rd July 2023 to improve reliability and offer new links.

www.oxfordbus.co.uk

Dave

Don't worry, I noticed that when I looked in the timetable .

They've done a clever thing with the X1 going to the station rather than the X2 - less bunching of buses at Oxford Station!

 

[Parebunks]

Not entirely go-ahead, but they are one of the main beneficiaries, and there isn't a Stagecoach Ox thread: BSIP+ funding being used to bring in various initiatives from 27/11, reported on here:

Sunday single fares in December in the run-up to Christmas to be capped at £1 and the potential creation of a countywide day bus ticket valid for all operators

retain and improve Oxford orbital services serving the hospitals, including the 700, which additionally will run on weekends for the first time

- that 700 service will be every hour at weekends. Also included is the Witney-Swindon 64 and Faringdon-Wantage 68 I mentioned in the Pulhams thread, a Bicester-Oxford via villages 108 2-4 times a day (OBC), and some infrequent routes out from Watlington to be run by Red Rose.
On another note, does anyone know when the first of the new ZEBRA electric buses is coming in? Feel like I remember that being reported as end of the year, and time is running out!

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Not entirely go-ahead, but they are one of the main beneficiaries, and there isn't a Stagecoach Ox thread: BSIP+ funding being used to bring in various initiatives from 27/11, reported on here:


- that 700 service will be every hour at weekends. Also included is the Witney-Swindon 64 and Faringdon-Wantage 68 I mentioned in the Pulhams thread, a Bicester-Oxford via villages 108 2-4 times a day (OBC), and some infrequent routes out from Watlington to be run by Red Rose.
On another note, does anyone know when the first of the new ZEBRA electric buses is coming in? Feel like I remember that being reported as end of the year, and time is running out!

Nice picture of Stagecoach buses...in Gloucestershire

 

[Dunderhead]

Hello thread, I'm wondering if anybody could tell me whether the disproportionately good bus service X2/NX2 enjoyed by the villages of Drayton and Steventon has been a stable long-term fixture over the years? I ask because I'm looking at moving to South Oxfordshire. Thanks!

 

[Parebunks]

It's been at least every 30 minutes as long as I've been living round Oxford - about 15 years. Reckon it's almost certain to stay that way into the future, it's a popular enough route that both the council and Go-Ahead are keen on maintaining to feed into the goal of the 'Science Vale' Bicester-Didcot arc. More specifically - before 2016 the service was one X2 (Oxford-Abingdon-Didcot-Wallingford) and one X1 (Oxford-Abingdon-Didcot-Wantage) per hour, then in 2016 the X1 was replaced with another X2 whilst maintaining that frequency. In 2018 or thereabouts the X2 went up to every 20 minutes, but was curtailed at Didcot. There's always been Sunday services in that period, but nights only came in when the X2 frequency went up. A quick look at the archived Oxford Bus website from 2005 shows a 35A, also every 30 mins Oxford-Didcot but taking a slower route between Abingdon and Oxford, and with comprehensive-ish evening and Sunday services (but council supported, whereas they're now commercial). I think this may have been enhanced by a Stagecoach route at that time, but can't find the details online.
TL;DR: yes, it's always been like that and will likely remain so for the foreseeable future.

 

[hst43102]

Hello thread, I'm wondering if anybody could tell me whether the disproportionately good bus service X2/NX2 enjoyed by the villages of Drayton and Steventon has been a stable long-term fixture over the years? I ask because I'm looking at moving to South Oxfordshire. Thanks!

Whilst the service may be disproportionately good through Drayton and Steventon, every time I have taken the X2 (admittedly only a handful of times) there have been quite a few passengers boarding and alighting in both villages - it's not simply a case of a service passing through. Somewhat goes to show that if a good, frequent and reliable bus service is provided, the demand will show itself.

 

[Dunderhead]

It's been at least every 30 minutes as long as I've been living round Oxford - about 15 years. Reckon it's almost certain to stay that way into the future, it's a popular enough route that both the council and Go-Ahead are keen on maintaining to feed into the goal of the 'Science Vale' Bicester-Didcot arc. More specifically - before 2016 the service was one X2 (Oxford-Abingdon-Didcot-Wallingford) and one X1 (Oxford-Abingdon-Didcot-Wantage) per hour, then in 2016 the X1 was replaced with another X2 whilst maintaining that frequency. In 2018 or thereabouts the X2 went up to every 20 minutes, but was curtailed at Didcot. There's always been Sunday services in that period, but nights only came in when the X2 frequency went up. A quick look at the archived Oxford Bus website from 2005 shows a 35A, also every 30 mins Oxford-Didcot but taking a slower route between Abingdon and Oxford, and with comprehensive-ish evening and Sunday services (but council supported, whereas they're now commercial). I think this may have been enhanced by a Stagecoach route at that time, but can't find the details online.
TL;DR: yes, it's always been like that and will likely remain so for the foreseeable future.

Amazing info much appreciated, thank you very much!

I'm coming from the Go South Coast area where I generally hold a positive opinion of my local operator More, so I would be pleased to have the services of another Go-Ahead company.

I have noted that Sutton Courtenay conversely seems to have a rather poor service in relation to its size, not continuing into the evening on any day of the week, and only running hourly during the day.

 

[Parebunks]

Amazing info much appreciated, thank you very much!

I'm coming from the Go South Coast area where I generally hold a good opinion of my local operator More, so I would be pleased to have the services of another Go-Ahead company.

I have noted that Sutton Courtenay conversely seems to have a rather poor service in relation to its size, not continuing into the evening on any day of the week, and only running hourly during the day.

Sutton Courtenay's been a lot more variable, yes - it was on the hourly 32 Abingdon-Didcot-Wantage before about 2014, when that was extended to become the X1, and started serving Drayton as well as going through Sutton Courtenay. Then in 2016 it was cut back again to become the 32A (still hourly Abingdon-Didcot-Wantage). That went through various changes, becoming the X33 then the 33 before being cut back to run only Abingdon-Didcot. Then the 33 took over the Didcot-Wallingford leg of the X2 when the main section went up to every 20 mins. Start of 2022, the 33 was merged with the Abingdon-Oxford 4 to become the monster route it is now - on Sundays it's Oxford-Abingdon-Didcot-Wallingford-Henley, taking the longest possible route between all of those places! The 4 used to run much later into the night, and the last leg of the 33 still does, so I suspect there is some potential that an evening service might eventually start to Sutton Courtenay. It's suffered from just how much that route's been reshuffled over the last few years - compare to the X2 which has done basically the same thing for 10 years. Consistency does seem to be a very obvious benefit for driving up passenger numbers.

 

[Deerfold]

Thanks @Wolvercoter.

The detail on the 11X is interesting; The 'customers' for this service consist almost, if not entirely, of OBC's own staff, as the route stops hardly anywhere and serves no useful purpose other than to link their depot with Queens Lane. It is somewhat galling to see that this still operates every 10 minutes, when OBC have reduced services needed by passengers, such as withdrawing the 13 so cutting city centre/Marston via the Marston Road from every 10 to every 20 minutes, and have even abandoned parts of the city completely, eg Northway and Risinghurst.

It's almost a good service for the nearby Tesco and Premier Inn, or would be if it ran to the timetable. Last time I visited Oxford I waited half an hour to catch an 11X on two consecutive days - the annoying thing being that all timetabled journeys counted down on the app, they just didn't appear (and on the second day I got a standard, slow, 11) . I did contact the company and they said they'd investigate then didn't get bak to me for months until I chased a few times and then they said it was due to traffic congestion (that they apparently hadn't known about when I first contacted them and ignores the main problem - if I'd known I'd got half an hour to wait for a bus I could have walked to another route (or most of the way into Oxford)).

I'm back in Cowley, so may have another go on it tomorrow. Today I've seen 2 minibuses running on it, one liveried for a stately home shuttle service and the other for the on-demand High Wycombe bus service ("PickMeUp").

 

[Dunderhead]

Sutton Courtenay's been a lot more variable, yes - it was on the hourly 32 Abingdon-Didcot-Wantage before about 2014, when that was extended to become the X1, and started serving Drayton as well as going through Sutton Courtenay. Then in 2016 it was cut back again to become the 32A (still hourly Abingdon-Didcot-Wantage). That went through various changes, becoming the X33 then the 33 before being cut back to run only Abingdon-Didcot. Then the 33 took over the Didcot-Wallingford leg of the X2 when the main section went up to every 20 mins. Start of 2022, the 33 was merged with the Abingdon-Oxford 4 to become the monster route it is now - on Sundays it's Oxford-Abingdon-Didcot-Wallingford-Henley, taking the longest possible route between all of those places! The 4 used to run much later into the night, and the last leg of the 33 still does, so I suspect there is some potential that an evening service might eventually start to Sutton Courtenay. It's suffered from just how much that route's been reshuffled over the last few years - compare to the X2 which has done basically the same thing for 10 years. Consistency does seem to be a very obvious benefit for driving up passenger numbers.

Thanks again, it is fascinating to know the history of these things, as it is often nigh impossible to learn this without finding individuals who can share their recollections.

I must admit I was mistaken earlier when I wrote that Sutton Courtenay's services do not extend into the evening on any day of the week; I can see now that the last number 33 on weeknights from Abingdon is 23:16 and from Didcot is 21:44, but these times are respectively three and two hours earlier on Saturdays, which seems odd when I know there is a good deal of nighttime economy (and in Didcot, homeward-bound rail passengers until after midnight) in those two towns; at least, you'd think that if there's enough going on to feed these later departures on weeknights, then there surely would be enough on Saturdays too.

 

[W-on-Sea]

When I first moved to Oxfordshire a bit over a decade ago, Sutton Courtenay only had an OCC-subsidised evening bus service, every two hours, Monday to Saturday, between Didcot and Abingdon, numbered either 32B or 32C (the other one of this pair ran on the alternate hours via Steventon). Back then the 32 didn't run in the evenings at all - the final departure from Wantage was just before 6pm (!) - so this was the subsidised fill-in on what was presumably the less loss-making end of of the route! Notably, unlike the daytime 32, it didn't serve Culham but instead headed to Abingdon via Drayton. I can't remember if that meant that the X2 didn't have an evening service then, although that might be the logical conclusion of there a being a subsidised service running over (the Didcot to Abingdon) section of its route.

The X2 was also a bit less frequent then - every 40 or 45 minutes, I think, on Mon-Sat. And Sutton Courtenay also only had one bus every two hours on Sunday, on a special routing of the X2 (which like the 32B or C used the connecting road from S.C. to Drayton that the X1 later followed). meaning that the Sunday service to Steventon was then only once every two hours, too. Despite the lower frequency at that time it was the main bus linking Oxford with Milton Park, as the X32 bypassed it.

The X2 in my experience seems generally to be well-used and certainly has benefitted from the growth of employment in Milton Park, particularly, and possibly also from a few new housing developments (although none are particularly large in size) at various points along the road it follows from Milton Heights to Abingdon. I'd also expect the current level of provision of Steventon and Drayton to more or less continue for the foreseeable future. In part they are fortunate to be located on a relatively important road between (in effect) Didcot (or Wantage) and Abingdon.

In comparison, Sutton Courtenay suffers public-transport-wise from being a bit more isolated geographically (this may change depending on how the former power station site is developed) , and also by being rather sprawling as a village. Probably the part that has the greatest need for public transport is the southern end (especially around Bradstocks Way, formerly served by the 32).

In short, and for various reasons, many of the main bus services in Oxfordshire have improved quite substantially in recent years.

 

[Wolvercoter]

I'm old enough (just) to remember the route as 302 using Bristol VRs. I grew up in Abingdon and took great interest in local buses of the area (still do). Have old timetables kicking about somewhere.

 

[Dunderhead]

When I first moved to Oxfordshire a bit over a decade ago, Sutton Courtenay only had an OCC-subsidised evening bus service, every two hours, Monday to Saturday, between Didcot and Abingdon, numbered either 32B or 32C (the other one of this pair ran on the alternate hours via Steventon). Back then the 32 didn't run in the evenings at all - the final departure from Wantage was just before 6pm (!) - so this was the subsidised fill-in on what was presumably the less loss-making end of of the route! Notably, unlike the daytime 32, it didn't serve Culham but instead headed to Abingdon via Drayton. I can't remember if that meant that the X2 didn't have an evening service then, although that might be the logical conclusion of there a being a subsidised service running over (the Didcot to Abingdon) section of its route.

The X2 was also a bit less frequent then - every 40 or 45 minutes, I think, on Mon-Sat. And Sutton Courtenay also only had one bus every two hours on Sunday, on a special routing of the X2 (which like the 32B or C used the connecting road from S.C. to Drayton that the X1 later followed). meaning that the Sunday service to Steventon was then only once every two hours, too. Despite the lower frequency at that time it was the main bus linking Oxford with Milton Park, as the X32 bypassed it.

The X2 in my experience seems generally to be well-used and certainly has benefitted from the growth of employment in Milton Park, particularly, and possibly also from a few new housing developments (although none are particularly large in size) at various points along the road it follows from Milton Heights to Abingdon. I'd also expect the current level of provision of Steventon and Drayton to more or less continue for the foreseeable future. In part they are fortunate to be located on a relatively important road between (in effect) Didcot (or Wantage) and Abingdon.

In comparison, Sutton Courtenay suffers public-transport-wise from being a bit more isolated geographically (this may change depending on how the former power station site is developed) , and also by being rather sprawling as a village. Probably the part that has the greatest need for public transport is the southern end (especially around Bradstocks Way, formerly served by the 32).

In short, and for various reasons, many of the main bus services in Oxfordshire have improved quite substantially in recent years.

More great local info, thank you. It's very encouraging to hear that services in the area have improved rather than declined in recent years.

 

[Wolvercoter]

Changes from 26th November have been published. New Pulhams 68 from Wantage to Faringdon via villages, new OBC 108 Oxford to Bicester via villages. Also, 45 moving from TT to OBC.

Details here: https://www.oxfordbus.co.uk/service-changes-26th-november-2023

We will be making some changes to services in Oxford City and South Oxfordshire from 26th November to improve reliability, as well as introducing new connections funded by Oxfordshire County Council.
city4A
We will be making minor timetable adjustments to improve punctuality and the new timetable, effective 26th November, is available here.

Oxford Bus Company 45
Service 45 will be operated by Oxford Bus Company from 26th November 2023. There will be no change to the timetable currently operated by Thames Travel, and you can find this here.

city46
As congestion along the Abingdon Road has increased, we need to revise the timetable of city46 to improve the reliability of the service. As part of this, the current daily timetable will be replaced by a separate set of times for weekdays and weekends to best match the journey times on these days. Click here to view the new timetable, effective 26th November.

city700
We have worked with Oxfordshire County Council to introduce a new weekend service on the city700 from 26th November. Operating up to every hour on Saturdays and Sundays, this extends the direct link from Kidlington and Thornhill to Headington and the Hospitals to 7 days a week. There will also be minor changes during the week to improve reliability, especially during peak times.
You can view the new timetable here.

park&ride300
Now that we have greater clarity regarding the closure of Botley Road, we need to make some amendments to the timetable to improve reliability in the face on increased levels of congestion along the Abingdon Road. You can find the new times from 26th November here.

park&ride400
We have slightly retimed the departures on the western section of service 400 from Harcourt Hill to make the walking time connections at Oxford Rail Station better for passengers. There are no changes to the eastern section of the route between Oxford Rail Station and Wheatley. To view the new timetable from 26th November, including existing times for the eastern end, click here.

Oxford Bus Company 108
We will commence operation of a new 108 service in partnership with Oxfordshire County Council, connecting Forest Hill, Stanton St John, Horton-cum-Studley, Beckley, Piddington and Langford with Bicester and Oxford City Centre. You can view a map for the new service here, and the timetable here.

Thames Travel 94 & 94A
A new route and timetable will replace the existing 94 service, in partnership with Oxfordshire County Council.

Service 94 will operate in both directions between Didcot, East Hagbourne, Blewbury and Upton, with peak journeys to and from Harwell Campus. New service 94A will operate a one-way loop from Didcot serving The Hagbournes, Upton, Blewbury, Aston Upthorpe and The Moretons before returning to Didcot.

Service 94 will no longer serve Chilton, however customers can still use connector X34 to and from Didcot.

You can view a map of both services here and the new timetable here.

Carousel 275
Since we began operating this service in August, we have identified the need to retime the service throughout the day to be more punctual, particularly at peak times. There is no change to the overall level of service, and you can click here to view the new timetable from 26th November 2023.

Pulhams 64
Our sister business, Pulhams Coaches, will commence operation of new service 64 in partnership with Oxfordshire County Council, between Witney and Swindon via Carterton, Lechlade and Highworth. Please check back soon for a map and timetable of the new service.

Pulhams 68
Our sister business, Pulhams Coaches, are pleased to commence operation of new service 68 from 26th November in partnership with Oxfordshire County Council, linking Longcot, Fernham, Uffington, Childrey and The Letcombes with Faringdon and Wantage. Click here for a route map for service 68 and here for the timetable.

 

[Parebunks]

Changes from 26th November have been published. New Pulhams 68 from Wantage to Faringdon via villages, new OBC 108 Oxford to Bicester via villages. Also, 45 moving from TT to OBC.

Details here: https://www.oxfordbus.co.uk/service-changes-26th-november-2023

The new subsidised services are obviously good, but the loss of most 94s to Harwell is a shame, it was a definite improvement on the old circular route. Looking forward to the 64 timetable being released, it's really the highlight here. Moving the 45 over makes sense, it was always a bit of a geographic anomaly, and hopefully this improves reliability a bit.

 

[Deerfold]

Changes from 26th November have been published. New Pulhams 68 from Wantage to Faringdon via villages, new OBC 108 Oxford to Bicester via villages. Also, 45 moving from TT to OBC.

Details here: https://www.oxfordbus.co.uk/service-changes-26th-november-2023

I caught a 46 this morning and was quite surprised that the timetable was the same on every day (mine was 10 minutes late). There can't be many routes in the country with a timetable like that.

 

[Falcon1200]

The 700 running 7 days a week is an excellent and long overdue improvement, it always seemed strange that such a useful service was Mon-Fri only. Having said that, I would have expected a better Saturday frequency than hourly.

 

[JamesT]

It's almost a good service for the nearby Tesco and Premier Inn, or would be if it ran to the timetable. Last time I visited Oxford I waited half an hour to catch an 11X on two consecutive days - the annoying thing being that all timetabled journeys counted down on the app, they just didn't appear (and on the second day I got a standard, slow, 11) . I did contact the company and they said they'd investigate then didn't get bak to me for months until I chased a few times and then they said it was due to traffic congestion (that they apparently hadn't known about when I first contacted them and ignores the main problem - if I'd known I'd got half an hour to wait for a bus I could have walked to another route (or most of the way into Oxford)).

I'm back in Cowley, so may have another go on it tomorrow. Today I've seen 2 minibuses running on it, one liveried for a stately home shuttle service and the other for the on-demand High Wycombe bus service ("PickMeUp").

Given the 11X stops outside the BMW factory, I’d assumed they were involved in some way to get the service started.

It does seem rather niche, when the frequent 1/5 route isn’t far away.

 

[Falcon1200]

It does seem rather niche, when the frequent 1/5 route isn’t far away.

I have used the 11X just once, and that was only because the vehicle in use was one of their express coaches! From observation almost the sole use of the service is for staff between the depot and Queens Lane.