The changes to the Barton bus route (bus number 8/7C into Oxford City Centre) have been disastrous.

The county council performed, I assume, an expensive research project, which included people sitting by the roadside, presumably to count the buses going past, but do they ever consult the fare-paying passengers who are council tax payers?

They announce a ground-breaking scheme (from July 24), which isn’t. It is just a new infringement of people’s liberties, to reduce their quality of life.

People with cars go where they want, when they want. People using buses have to wait, so if you have appointments you leave very early or miss them. The timetables are a joke: especially with all the continual roadworks in Oxford.

People are so angry about this reduction in the services – especially women with pushchairs who are left standing at stops, as the companies are only allowed to carry two and then these poor mothers are left for between 15 or 30 minutes with the possibility that the next bus will be the same. This situation is exacerbated because of the long wait between buses. Also, since there are fewer buses, the journey time is longer because of the pick-ups at stops.

Is it people with cars who make these decisions?

Whatever happened to saving the environment? The new buses have been developed to remove harmful toxins from the atmosphere and what does the county council do? Replace them with environmentally unfriendly cars.

Ground-breaking scheme – it’s a joke and as usual the joke is on the long-suffering passengers.

It is not on financial grounds and it isn’t on environmental grounds, so why are ordinary people being penalised?

I have corresponded with the county council (Allan Field, Environment and Economy, Highways and Transport) on two occasions so far but it is like banging my head against a brick wall.

The new system seems to be reasonably okay on the Blackbird Leys route as there are still buses coming up one after the other, albeit full with standing passengers, but on the Barton route you wait usually 20 to 30 minutes.

With the council making the two companies share ticket sales, this hasn’t worked as they run completely different systems with no co-operation between them. I have now been told that 11 buses have been taken off the route!

They have completely fouled up any kind of service and for no good reason.

I don’t drive as I feel that we should all help to preserve the environment but I am just sick and fed up with this unnecessary reduction in the buses on Barton.

It has just become impossible to get to places on time and everyone at the bus stops are moaning about the abysmal service.

WAYNE CLACK Pound Field Close Barton Estate Headington