WHILE many sit down to their Christmas lunch, some of Oxford’s bus drivers will still be working hard.

Stagecoach will run Christmas Day services through the city this year for the third time.

There will be a service to Blackbird Leys and Kidlington but not to Barton this year.

Stagecoach spokesman Chris Child said: “The reason we are not running a service to Barton is because there wasn’t enough patronage and they can take the Oxford Tube to get to Headington.

“But we have got people travelling with us on Christmas Day and we have never had any issues finding drivers who are willing to work.

“We have had plenty of people volunteer for it.”

There will be a route running between Blackbird Leys and the city centre hourly between 9.33am and 5.33pm with a return route hourly between 11.15am and 5.15pm, and a last bus at 5.45pm.

Kidlington buses from the city centre will run hourly between 10.15am and 5.15pm with return buses from 9.55am to 5.55pm.

The Oxford Tube London service will also be available passengers from the city centre to Headington.

Night bus fares will apply to all these routes.

Bus Users UK’s Oxford group chairman Hugh Jaeger said: “If there is demand for it then we welcome the fact that the Christmas Day routes have returned.

“We particularly appreciate that it is a volunteer arrangement with the drivers. They need to be looked after as well as the passengers.

“If buses are greener than cars on the other 364 days of the year then they are greener on Christmas Day as well.”

Oxford Bus Company will not be running a Christmas Day bus service.

Spokesman Phil Ashworth said: “There isn’t huge demand for it and we haven’t run it for some time.”

* For more information about services Stagecoach will be running over Christmas, visit stagecoachbus.com