PASSENGERS who use Oxford’s Brookesbus services from tomorrow will be able to connect to the Internet while reclining in leather seats, as a new firm takes over the university routes.

The Oxford Bus Company has taken over the services – which carry 1.7 million passengers a year to and from Oxford Brookes University’s campuses in Headington, North Hinksey and Wheatley – from Stagecoach and has made a £2.2m investment in 11 new double-deckers.

The change means that the U1 and U5 routes will be operated by 80-seat Scania buses with leather upholstery, WiFi Internet connections, air conditioning and real-time travel information screens.

The new buses comply with the latest Euro V EEV exhaust emissions standards. Two of the buses were due in service tomorrow, with the rest gradually entering service between now and September.

Stagecoach had held the contract to run the routes for the past six years, since the university decided it needed its own dedicated bus connections, although the services can also be used by members of the public, as well as students and university staff.

Louisa Weeks, operations director of the Oxford Bus Company, said: “From today, passengers on routes U1 and U5 (and night-time NU1 and NU5) will notice a change to their journeys.

“By the start of the September term, all 11 of our new vehicles will be in service, offering passengers a number of firsts for Oxford Bus Company local services – leather seats, onboard information screens and free wi-fi access.”

The new vehicles will also be fitted with CCTV to enhance safety.

A spokesman for Stagecoach said: “The BrookesBus was put out to tender, and we were unfortunate not to be awarded the contract for the next five-year period.

“We would like to thank the drivers and passengers of BrookesBus for their support over the past six years.

“We will continue to run route 10, serving Cowley Road, Wood Farm and Headington, which has been extended this week to include a new evening and Sunday service, and route 7C, which provides a frequent link from the city centre to Gipsy Lane.”

Full details of the new services are available at brookesbus.org