Thames Travel has invested £3 million in a new fleet of vehicles for its River Rapids route and enhanced the service.
It will introduce ten new ultra-low-emission vehicles into the fleet operating between Oxford and Reading and increase the frequency of the service to up to every 20 minutes on weekdays, and every 30 minutes at weekends.
The new timetable, which will start on 03 August, will see the X40 service return to Abingdon Road to deliver faster journeys into Oxford.
The improvements to the timetable have been partly supported by funding via the Oxfordshire Bus Enhanced Partnership with Oxfordshire County Council.
New night bus services to Reading on Friday and Saturday evenings have been partly supported by funding from Reading Borough Council’s Bus Service Improvement Plan.
The new high-specification Volvo B8L buses will provide increased capacity with 92 seats and include more comfort features for passengers, with USB charging, free WiFi, hearing loops for those with auditory impairments and audio-visual next stop announcement systems.
River Rapids provides an affordable way to travel between Oxford and Reading via Wallingford. It is also a popular way to visit leisure destinations along the River Thames.
Luke Marion, Managing Director of Thames Travel, said:
“We’re looking forward to improving our popular River Rapids service for our passengers.
“Partnership working is key to a successful bus network, and it’s been great to collaborate with the council to secure funding from government and prioritise it to the areas where it can deliver the greatest benefit to bus users in the county.
“We have also made a significant investment as a business into our fleet of vehicles as part of our ongoing commitment to introducing more sustainable modes of transport.”
Thames Travel is based in Didcot, Oxfordshire and is the third largest bus operator in the county.
