THAMES Travel will close 13 of its bus routes in Oxfordshire due to subsidy cuts, it was confirmed tonight.

The company said 44, 44A, 63 and 218 services would stop at the end of the timetable on Wednesday, July 20.

Meanwhile the 24, 25, 42, 43, 67, 94 (Bicester to Islip and Oxford), 95, 97 and T2 services are due to stop at the end of the timetable on Saturday July 23.
It means the other 14 services that currently receive subsidies from Oxfordshire County Council will either continue unchanged or under altered timetables.

Some are due to run on a six-month "use it or lose it" basis, Thames Travel said, and the company is also introducing some new routes.

The county council agreed in November to stop paying bus subsidies to all 118 routes receiving them due to ongoing cuts to its budget by the Government.

Thames Travel managing director Phil Southall said: "We’re really sorry about the impact that these withdrawals will have on the lives of those who rely on the services and would encourage those who are able to use our remaining services to give the bus a try and help us to make the services sustainable for the longer term."

County council leader Ian Hudspeth said: "We would all prefer not to be making any cuts at all but have been working closely with Thames Travel to progress measures to minimise the impact on local communities."

There are timetable changes to the T1, X2, X32, X34, 17, 41, 94 (Didcot), 114, 135, 136 and 139 services.

The X1 will become the 32A, operating hourly between Wantage and Abingdon from Mondays to Saturdays, the 38 will be replaced with new service between Wantage and Grove operating 15 journeys a day and the 67, 67A and 67B will be replaced by a new 67 service between Wantage, Faringdon and Stanford-in-the-Vale from Mondays to Saturdays.

Meanwhile in Bicester, discussions are ongoing about the 22 and 23 which will run on a trial basis.

There were no changes to the 25A, X32, X34, X39, X40, 96, 143, BB1/BB1A, BB2, BB3 and BB4 services.

Other companies such as Stagecoach Oxfordshire have yet to confirm how many routes they will cull.

The county council had previously confirmed 16 of the 118 bus routes losing their subsidies would continue either in full or with some changes. A further 16 will definitely be cut. 

A spokeswoman for the county council stressed subsidised services made up nine per cent of the bus network.

Closing on July 20:

  • 44, Oxford - Bayworth - Abingdon
  • 44A, Oxford - Bayworth - Abingdon
  • 63, Oxford - Cumnor - Southmoor
  • 218, Wytham - Five Mile Drive - Oxford

Closing on July 23:

  • 24, Bicester Town Centre - Launton Road
  • 25, Bicester - Bletchingdon - Kidlington - Oxford
  • 42 + 43, High Street - Marcham Rd - Preston Rd - Peachcroft - Dunmore Rd - Northcourt Rd - High Street
  • 67, Wantage - Stanford in the Vale - Faringdon
  • 94, Bicester to Islip and Oxford
  • 95, Didcot - East Hagbourne - Blewbury - Didcot
  • 97, Wallingford - Berinsfield - Abingdon - Didcot
  • T2, Oxford - Cowley - Science Park - Berinsfield - Abingdon