Oxfordshire County Council will strengthen its existing partnership with local bus operators to improve public transport services across the county.
At a meeting on 21 October, the council’s cabinet approved the development of an Enhanced Partnership Plus (EP+) model, which will build on the current enhanced partnership framework to deliver better outcomes for passengers.
One alternative option considered was bringing Oxfordshire’s buses under public control. However, this was deemed unfeasible in the short term due to the government’s plans for local government reorganisation, which include the creation of new unitary and mayoral authorities.
The franchising process was estimated to take around 45 months, and since Oxfordshire County Council is expected to be replaced by a new unitary authority by April 2028, the council concluded that it was not a practical route at this time.
Councillor Andrew Gant, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport Management, said:
“We believe going down the EP+ route will leverage most of the benefits associated with franchising without the significant additional financial and resource risks and responsibilities. Any move towards franchising would take nearly four years and likely halt any private sector investment in the bus network during that period.
“Therefore, we believe it’s not sensible to invest considerable amounts of time and resources into initiating changes which would not come to fruition during the lifetime of this council.”
Franchising gives authorities full control over bus networks, including setting fares, defining routes, and managing marketing and ticketing. However, it is a costly and time-consuming process, often requiring the purchase of depots and vehicles.
Similarly, creating a municipal bus company would involve the council owning and operating its own services, but with high setup and operational costs and significant financial risk.
Read more: Oxfordshire County Council considers enhanced partnership to improve bus services
The new EP+ model aims to deliver many of the same passenger benefits as franchising in a quicker, more cost-effective, and lower-risk way. Officers will now develop the EP+ proposal further, drawing on passenger and resident feedback to define its scope and outputs.
Councillor Gant added:
“For many reasons, including geography and historic relationships with operators, there is no single solution that fits everywhere. In Oxfordshire, we’re fortunate to have two main bus operators and strong working relationships that allow regular discussions on routes and ticketing.
“However, the biggest challenge remains traffic congestion, which affects journey times and reliability—issues that can’t be solved by changing the operating model alone.”
