Rural Oxfordshire villages to get new minibus services

The routes will be served by the council's own fleet of accessible minibuses

Dozens of villages in Oxfordshire that have been without public transport will soon be connected to the bus network.

Five new routes will begin operating from 15 April as part of a £1.2m investment in rural public and community transport.

Oxfordshire County Council said the routes would be served by the council's own accessible minibuses.

In November, four other services were reinstated to villages that had been without a bus service since 2016.

Oxfordshire's transport councillor Andrew Gant said: "We know there is a demand for bus services in these locations, which can't be met by the commercial operators, and we are glad to be able to help fill this gap."

The routes will launch in April

The new routes are:

• 42: Abingdon to Oxford via Sunningwell, Bayworth, Boars Hill and South Hinksey (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays)

• 49: Cuddesdon and Denton to Cowley Templars Square and Oxford City Centre (Tuesdays and Thursdays; on Tuesdays via Toot Baldon and Marsh Baldon and on Thursdays via King's Copse and Cowley Tesco)

• 79: Hornton, Horley and Hanwell to Banbury Town Centre and Banbury Gateway (Thursdays only)

• 85: Goosey, Charney Bassett, Lyford, West Hanney and Denchworth to Grove and Wantage (Wednesdays only)

• 107: Oddington, Charlton-on-Otmoor, Fencott and Murcott to Bicester via Langford (Fridays only)

Timetables will be available on the Traveline website in the coming weeks.

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