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Oxford to London by bus

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heart-of-wessex

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Hello all,

I'm drawing up a Saturday trip from Trowbridge to London by bus. I can work out the first bit easy

Stagecoach 49 Trowbridge to Swindon
Stagecoach 66 Swindon - Oxford

Can do that just on a Wiltshire Day Rover, however my knowledge of any routes out of Oxford going East is rather low, and no idea on best, frequent, direct routes.

Can anyone with local knowledge give me any idea's on getting from Oxford to Central London by bus (Central = Trafalgar or Piccadilly Circus, somewhere around there) I have an Oyster Card.

By bus I mean anything other than the Oxford Bus Co X90, Oxford Tube, no other express coaches, literally just normal bus routes. Time is no issue, I'll be going back by train!


Any help appreciated!


Thank you

James.
 
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Bletchleyite

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Oxford-Aylesbury, Aylesbury-Watford, Watford-Brent Cross, and I imagine there must be something into Central London from there?

Don't know numbers, sorry, that's more or less off the top of my head.
 

PeterC

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The Aylesbury route seems a bit roundabout but frequencies are 3bph to Aylesbury then 2bph to Watford.

Oxford - Aylesbury is Arriva Sapphire route 280 Aylesbury - Watford is Arriva route 500. Last through bus us at 17:15, after that change at Hemel.

If connections work out Oxford - Thame - Wycombe - Uxbridge could be quicker. Travelline will give you an itinary.
 
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Dennis

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How about Oxford - Aylesbury - High Wycombe - Slough - Heathrow and onwards.
 

Busaholic

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Oxford-Aylesbury, Aylesbury-Watford, Watford-Brent Cross, and I imagine there must be something into Central London from there?

Don't know numbers, sorry, that's more or less off the top of my head.

189 from Brent Cross Bus Station will take you to Oxford Circus, right opposite the former BHS 'flagship' store, now boarded-up I read!
 

Deerfold

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How about Oxford - Aylesbury - High Wycombe - Slough - Heathrow and onwards.

Or from High Wycombe there's 2-3 buses an hour to Uxbridge on the 740/X40.

An Explorer ticket should be valid on all of these routes as far as Slough or Uxbridge but last time I was in High Wycombe several Arriva drivers would not accept them. I even had a bus station manager tell me they weren't valid on routes out of High Wycombe garage (though how a passenger is supposed to know which garage runs which route I'm not sure).
 

Statto

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heart-of-wessex

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Forgot about Traveline! Just had a look

Shortest I have found so far in terms of time is Oxford - Arriva 280 to Thame - Carousel 40 to High Wycombe - Carousel A40 to Pield Heath (no idea!) - Metroline 607 to Shepherds Bush - Walk to Holland Park - United 148 to Hyde Park then Arriva 38 to Piccadilly Circus in 5 1/2 hours.

Just looked at the Arriva 280 / 500 timetable supplied above, looks like good timings the bit going into London seems to be a trek!

Dennis - I wondered if there is anything that more-less took the route of the GWR, there are journeys it serms going down to Henley then up to High Wycombe then Uxbridge then same route as above.

Deerfold - Oh yes passengers should know all the diagrams...
I'm doing this for a write up even I'd be tempted to get this hassle myself just so I can write up about it! :lol:
 

CatfordCat

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if you want to follow the GW line more directly, you'd be best to do it on a Saturday -


Thames Travel
X 39 / X 40 Oxford - Wallingford - Reading

(or Thames Travel X 2 Oxford - Didcot - Wallingford then the X 39 / X 40 to Reading if you want to go via Didcot)

Then
Courtney Buses
127 Reading - Maidenhead (this only runs on Saturdays and then not all that often)

First Berkshire 4 Maidenhead - Slough

First Berkshire's Green Line 702 Slough - Victoria is legally 'local bus' (registered service, concessionary passes are valid)

or if you want something that's more a local bus for local people, then First Berkshire 3 will take you to Uxbridge (if you want to stay close to the GWR - London Buses 427 or 607 will take you along the Southall / Ealing corridor towards Shepherds Bush)

or First Berkshire 7 to Heathrow, or London Buses 81 to Heathrow (north side) or Hounslow and then all sort of options on the London Buses network.

(apologies if stating the bleeding obvious, but Oyster Card and daily price capping and all the rest of it works on the 81 all the way from Slough, Oyster won't get you on to First Berkshire services in Slough)

You've mentioned going via Henley - there is an alternative to High Wycombe, Courtney also do route 239 Henley - Maidenhead (but it's only 3 journeys a day, and then only on Mon / Weds / Fri)

Or if you feel like following the Southern route from Reading, then Reading Buses X4 from Reading to Bracknell, but then you're going to have to divert north via Windsor before you can get to Staines. Unless you want to head south to Camberley.

If you really time it right, then Ascot to Windsor on White Bus Service 1 is recommended - this goes through Windsor Great Park (and requires the approval of HM the Q to do so) - and it's one of the few bus services that's been operated by the same family firm since before the 1930 Transport Act.

Take any Traveline suggested interchange point with a pinch of salt - it will often suggest the first common bus stop between two services as the place to change buses, even if that's somewhere windswept on the edge of town - usually worth looking at timetables to see if both routes actually serve the town centre / bus station (where there is still such a thing)

And I think Courtney buses are exact fare only, by the way (Reading Buses X4 isn't, unlike their urban services)

Have fun
 

heart-of-wessex

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Thanks CatfordCat! Ill have to look at that Windsor timetable to see if I can connect with one, looks like a good route!

Do Thames Travel use Deckers on the X40? I just found a photo of Carousels X80 operated with a Streetlite, thats put me off doing that!
 

higthomas

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The X40 is normally single deckers but is sometimes double deckers. I can't really tell you the relative frequencies of each occurring.
 

PeterC

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You could get the 275 direct from Oxford to High Wycombe. It only runs four times a day if I recall, but from there you could get the bus to Uxbridge and beyond.

Edit: https://www.redrosetravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/275sept.pdf

Monday to Friday only, I didn't suggest it as the OP said "Saturday".

If you are going to consider anything that is registered as "local" then Oxford Tube is acceptible between Oxford and Watlington, then Carousel 40 to Wycombe although it is a bit of a walk to the eastbound 40 stop.
 

extendedpaul

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If you know your date of travel far enough in advance you might consider booking a Megabus ticket to London on the Oxford Tube. They run every 12 minutes on Saturdays and the first ticket on each coach costs £1 plus 50p booking fee so not a great loss if you don't use it. Sat 21 April currently available.
 
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PeterC

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If you know your date of travel far enough in advance you might consider booking a Megabus ticket to London on the Oxford Tube. They run every 12 minutes on Saturdays and the first ticket on each coach costs £1 plus 50p booking fee so not a great loss if you don't use it. Sat 21 April currently available.
I think that the object of the exercise is to travel on "local" services. Oxford Tube does not fall into this category between Watlington and London.
 

Hophead

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Indeed. And to go back a few posts, Pield Heath is south of Uxbridge, but changing in the centre of Uxbridge is a more sensible option - stop D across the road to stop O for the 607.

The 607 itself seems to have had something of an extension if the spider map for Uxbridge is to be believed - it now goes to Bromley North! Looks like some columns have gone out of alignment, although how south-east London has crept in, I've no idea.
 

sk688

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If you are going via Watford , could I suggest Arriva 258 from Watford to Harrow , 487 to Willesden Junction ( Metroline ) and then 18 to Euston ( Metroline again ) ,but it will take a while , and youll probably be on ex First London vehicles for the latter two , so theyll be maintained like crap , as will the Arriva buses on the 258 , unless you get a Streetdeck
 

Busaholic

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Forgot about Traveline! Just had a look

Shortest I have found so far in terms of time is Oxford - Arriva 280 to Thame - Carousel 40 to High Wycombe - Carousel A40 to Pield Heath (no idea!) - Metroline 607 to Shepherds Bush - Walk to Holland Park - United 148 to Hyde Park then Arriva 38 to Piccadilly Circus in 5 1/2 hours.

Just looked at the Arriva 280 / 500 timetable supplied above, looks like good timings the bit going into London seems to be a trek!

Dennis - I wondered if there is anything that more-less took the route of the GWR, there are journeys it serms going down to Henley then up to High Wycombe then Uxbridge then same route as above.

Deerfold - Oh yes passengers should know all the diagrams...
I'm doing this for a write up even I'd be tempted to get this hassle myself just so I can write up about it! :lol:

Don't quite understand the London end! You don't really need to walk from Shepherd's Bush to Holland Park, unless your idea of a good walk is through a subway under about twenty lanes of traffic! From SB (or HP) you can get a 94 direct to Piccadilly Circus, so no need for negotiating Hyde Park Corner on foot either.
 

Railguy1

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Don't quite understand the London end! You don't really need to walk from Shepherd's Bush to Holland Park, unless your idea of a good walk is through a subway under about twenty lanes of traffic! From SB (or HP) you can get a 94 direct to Piccadilly Circus, so no need for negotiating Hyde Park Corner on foot either.

You don't need to walk to Holland Park for the 148 because it stops right outside Shepherd's Bush station. Incidentally, I have walked from Shepherd's Bush to St. James Paek a few times, and it is quite a pleasant want, going through Holland Park, Kensington Park, Hyde Park and Green park in between.

If you are going via Watford , could I suggest Arriva 258 from Watford to Harrow , 487 to Willesden Junction ( Metroline ) and then 18 to Euston ( Metroline again ) ,but it will take a while , and youll probably be on ex First London vehicles for the latter two , so theyll be maintained like crap , as will the Arriva buses on the 258 , unless you get a Streetdeck

Yup, 18 would take a long time. 258 would take about an hour or so.
 

CatfordCat

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Do Thames Travel use Deckers on the X40? I just found a photo of Carousels X80 operated with a Streetlite, thats put me off doing that!

I've certainly seen them, and can find pictures on the web, but not sure just when. Mercedes Citaros seem to be the standard. There may be some specific vehicle workings that get d/d's (possibly Monday to Friday only to tie in with peak school loads) or it may be more random than that.
 

ANDREW_D_WEBB

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Hello all,

I'm drawing up a Saturday trip from Trowbridge to London by bus. I can work out the first bit easy


Did the exact same journey in reverse many years ago. Arriva 305 from Uxbridge to High Wycombe, then the 280 over to Oxford. It is the Oxford- High Wycombe bit which is now tricky
 

Deerfold

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Indeed. And to go back a few posts, Pield Heath is south of Uxbridge, but changing in the centre of Uxbridge is a more sensible option - stop D across the road to stop O for the 607.

The 607 itself seems to have had something of an extension if the spider map for Uxbridge is to be believed - it now goes to Bromley North! Looks like some columns have gone out of alignment, although how south-east London has crept in, I've no idea.

Not sure which version of the spider map you're looking at, but the one currently on the TfL website looks fine.

It also shows the 607 as using stop E, not O.
 

Joe Paxton

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Not sure which version of the spider map you're looking at, but the one currently on the TfL website looks fine.

It also shows the 607 as using stop E, not O.

Presumably this one, which in the "route finder" shows the 607 as going to Bromley North!
 

Hophead

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Presumably this one, which in the "route finder" shows the 607 as going to Bromley North!

The very same. I simply navigated via menus from the front page. It's not like I would have had it cached (my need for detail of bus services in the Uxbridge area being somewhat limited).

Perhaps Deerfold could quote his own route to the map? I wasn't aware that TfL had more than one way to access them as, when they initially relaunched the website a few years ago, Spider Maps were absent, which rather gave the impression TfL would find it simpler if we didn't have them. Public pressure ensured they returned within a few weeks. I'm glad of that, as I find them very useful.
 

Busaholic

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Presumably this one, which in the "route finder" shows the 607 as going to Bromley North!

As a fan of the Optare Spectra double-decker, the finest bus to grace the streets of London this last quarter century imo, this unleashes a fantasy. The only routes to operate these buses were, I think, the 607 and the 3/N3, and the latter reached Bromley North, so I envisage an express route, via the 94 over the Shepherd's Bush to Oxford Circus gap. I think two operating companies/garages would have to be allowed for this exceptional route.:)
 

Statto

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I'm planning to do a trip in the late Spring/Summer London to Birkenhead using routes that allow ENCTS passes my itinerary is, although i'd have to start at a time that ENCTS passes aren't valid
London-Luton Greenline
Luton-Milton Keynes F70
Milton Keynes-Leicester X7 or X4 & change at Northampton
Leicester-Derby Sky Derby
Couple of options from Derby either
Derby-Manchester TP
Manchester-Leigh V1[Leigh Guided Busway]
Leigh-St Helens 34
St Helens-Liverpool 10/10A
then any Cross River Service
Or
Derby-Utoxeter Swift
Utoxeter-Hanley 32
Hanley-Crewe 3
Crewe-Chester 84
Chester-Birkenhead 1 or 2.
 

duncombec

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The Carousel network may well come in handy for getting from Oxford.

https://assets.goaheadbus.com/media/cms_page_media/593/Carousel_Bus_Network_Map_January2017-WEB.pdf

Apologies if any of these have been mentioned further up, but 280 Oxford - Thame then Carousel 40 to High Wycombe, then you have the choice of the 336 to Watford then via routes as suggested above, or the 740/A40 to Uxbridge. The 336 is hourly, the 70/A40 has two buses an hour MFSH and Sats and three MFTO (with the 336 providing an extra bus as far as Beaconsfield).

I think the T1 to Lewknor then 40 method has been mentioned.
 

PeterC

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I think the T1 to Lewknor then 40 method has been mentioned.
Most T1 journeys start or finish at Cowley rather than running into the city cente

As all this is in the second half of a longer journey I do wonder what time the OP would be in Oxford. While the 280 runs into the early hours on a Saturday all the connecting options have last departures before 19:00
 
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