REGARDING the 4C bus route, I read Layla Moran’s letter with great interest. The 4C bus service has always enjoyed public support; witness the provision by Cumnor Parish Council of a bus shelter at Pinnocks Way.

The route is, however, a commercial venture: not a social service. I could therefore understand an argument which said that the supplier believed that a greater profit might be realised by using three buses an hour on a single route (Cumnor Hill), to provide a regular 20-minute service, than is currently generated by the present split route system.

The bus company might also feel that it would face less competition on Cumnor Hill than it does on Eynsham Road. It would also have more bus journeys per hour than its competitor – the opposite to the position on Eynsham Road.

I find it distasteful that Oxford Bus Company’s (OBC) published arguments make so little mention of these commercial aspects but concentrate on reasons that critics have already shown could be overcome by good management.

If I am right in my assumption, then I urge OBC to treat us as adults and to admit its true motivation. If I am wrong, Mammon will not have triumphed over morality and OBC should reconsider its decision to seriously inconvenience many, especially the elderly and infirm, by discontinuing its 4C bus service.

Dr P HAWTIN
Bertie Road
Cumnor