I am writing in response to your article about overcrowding on the No 13 bus route along Marston Road (Monday’s Oxford Mail).

This issue has been raised with me by a number of constituents. As a councillor for Marston, I arranged a meeting with Oxford Bus Company to discuss the problem at the beginning of the month.

At that meeting, it was confirmed that the frequency of buses on this route would be increased by one bus an hour from spring next year. The additional buses will be single-deckers.

Oxford Bus Company have also said that they will review capacity on the route when the new student accommodation in Marston Road comes into use.

I believe that increasing the number of single-decker buses on the route will be a better solution than the introduction of double deckers: a greater frequency will be as effective as double-deckers in reducing overcrowding and improving the service. In addition, single-decker buses are more accessible than double-deckers for disabled and elderly passengers and for parents with babies and toddlers who make up a large proportion of bus users at the New Marston bus stops.

Mary Clarkson, City councillor for Marston, Oxford