Bus travel via Oxford’s Park & Ride network will be made free for three months as part of a raft of major improvements to the city’s bus services, following the introduction of a temporary congestion charge.
Oxford Bus Company confirmed that extensive network upgrades will be implemented through the Oxfordshire Bus Enhanced Partnership — a collaboration between Oxfordshire County Council and bus operators to boost reliability and productivity across the city.
The bus operator has estimated that the reduction in congestion will allow it to save seven vehicles from its city network, which will be redeployed to strengthen routes most affected by congestion.
The temporary congestion charge begins on 29 October, coinciding with the start of free Park & Ride travel. The wider improvements will take effect from 09 November.
For an initial three-month trial, passengers with a valid parking ticket at any of Oxford’s five Park & Ride sites will be able to claim a free return ticket to any city destination by showing their parking ticket to the driver.
As part of the Park & Ride upgrades, service 700 will increase to every 20 minutes on weekdays and every 30 minutes at weekends, maintaining a consistent route from Kidlington to Blackbird Leys. The Redbridge 300 service will gain new stops at Lake Street on Abingdon Road following resident feedback.
Improved orbital links across East Oxford include enhancements to services 100, 500 and 700. The 100 will operate every 20 minutes on weekdays, while the 500 will now run every 10 minutes on Saturdays.
A new 20 service will connect Rose Hill and Marston Road via the John Radcliffe Hospital, restoring a link previously lost to congestion. The 5A between Oxford and Minchery Farm will run every 20 minutes on weekdays, with doubled evening services.
Luke Marion, Managing Director of Oxford Bus Company, said:
“This is fantastic news for bus passengers and our network.
“We have worked closely with Oxfordshire County Council to identify the best ways to improve the network following the decision to introduce temporary congestion charging, making use of modelling data predicting the impact of traffic volumes across the network.
“It has resulted in us now being able to introduce a significant round of improvements to our network, which demonstrates the impact congestion has had on Oxford and what can be achieved with improved flow of traffic on bus routes.
“We thank Oxfordshire County Council for its support and bold approach to seeking solutions to working in partnership to make bus travel more attractive to people to move around the county. The Park & Ride free ticket offering is a pilot scheme and we’d encourage people to use it to ensure it is a success and can be extended.”
Additional changes include a new N3 night service for Iffley Road and enhanced timetables for multiple routes, as well as improved peak and weekend services on Thames Travel’s H2 route connecting Carterton and Headington.
Oxford Park & Ride sites are located at Pear Tree, Oxford Parkway, Seacourt, Redbridge and Thornhill and parking is just £2.50 for up to 16 hours.
