Almost 9,000 public votes have helped determine the top 10 charities and good causes competing in this year’s Brand the Bus competition.
Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel announced the finalists after receiving 8,822 votes during April. A total of 71 organisations entered the competition, which is now in its eighth year and attracted a record number of applications from local charities.
The shortlisted organisations are Age UK Oxfordshire, Alzheimer’s Society, Cure DHDDS, FarmAbility, The Mulberry Bush, Opportunity International, Oxford City Farm, Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary, Sobell House Hospice Charity and SUDEP Action.
Together, the finalists received 4,418 votes, accounting for just over half of all ballots cast.
Luke Marion, managing director of Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel, said: “We received a significant number of votes in April, with more than 2,500 votes coming in the final week alone.
“This demonstrates how Brand the Bus continues to be a hugely anticipated and respected competition with enormous reach.
“Congratulations to the brilliant causes that have made the top 10. Their cases were fantastic and have captured the imagination, and each one is a worthy winner in its own right.
“There can only be one main winner though, and the judging panel has a challenging call as they determine who will secure the first prize package worth £100,000.”
Supported by Get Radio and Oxford City Football Club, the competition’s main prize includes a year-long full-wrap advertisement on an electric double-decker bus, onboard advertising, radio promotion and designation as Oxford City’s charity of choice for the 2026/27 season.
The winning organisation will work with Oxford Bus Company to create the design, with the branded vehicle expected to launch in the autumn.
A runner-up prize package worth £5,000, including on-bus digital advertising, will also be awarded.
Last year, One-Eighty was named the winner, while Helen & Douglas House became the competition’s first runner-up.
