PARENTS and staff at a school in West Oxfordshire have worked with Oxfordshire County Council to improve school transport arrangements.

Since September a shuttle service between Long Hanborough and Bartholomew School in

Eynsham has been provided but this had not been working as well all expected.

As a result, officers from the county council, Hanborough county councillor Liam Walker, Stagecoach, parents and representatives of Hanborough Parish Council met to discuss how to introduce improvements.

It was agreed that the option of a coach service to replace the current shuttle service was the best option.

The county council has now agreed the best way forward is a 75-seater bus run by Walters Coaches that makes a single journey to and from school.

And the current Cassington bus will be increased to a 76-seater bus.

Over coming weeks county council officers will assign the children to one of the three buses that will now be running through the village and the details of new contracts will be finalised.

The new arrangement will come in to place on January 4 and children will be issued with new bus passes.

Yvonne Constance, the county council’s Cabinet Member for Environment and Economy, said: “This is a common sense solution that has been reached collaboratively by the county council and local residents.

“I would like to join the local county councillor Liam Walker in thanking the Parent Group in Hanborough for their input, along with Hanborough Parish Council. Staff at Bartholomew School and Stagecoach have been very helpful.”