New buses will be a tonic for patients (From Oxford Mail)

New buses will be a tonic for patients

10:50am Sunday 3rd January 2010 in

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PATIENTS and visitors travelling to the John Radcliffe Hospital will get a double boost tomorrow when two new bus routes are launched from Oxford park-and- ride sites.

RH Buses is running new half hourly commercial services from Seacourt and Redbridge park-and-rides to improve public transport links from the south and west of the city.

It is also hoped they will help reduce congestion and parking difficulties at the city’s main hospital.

The company has bought four 30-seater low emission, low floor Optare Solo buses to run the routes in a move that has created five new jobs.

The 100 service from Seacourt park-and-ride will run along Botley Road, stopping at Frideswide’s Square and Banbury Road before running along Marston Ferry Road to the JR.

The route has been welcomed by Pam Scopes, 75, who spent three months making weekly visits to the hospital after she was knocked down while crossing Botley Road, Oxford, in March this year.

Mrs Scopes, who lives on Osney Island, suffered a fractured tibia in her left leg and, because she could not walk far in a brace, had to take a taxi to hospital, which was paid for by the NHS.

She said: “The bus is a brilliant idea and would have been very handy for me.

“I had to use a taxi paid for by the hospital so hopefully it will save money for the NHS.

“People wouldn’t need hospital transport so much if they could use a bus to get to the JR.”

The 200 service from Redbridge park-and-ride has been dovetailed with Oxford Bus Company’s X13 route, meaning buses will now depart to the hospital every 15 minutes.

The new services – to be run without subsidy by the hospital or the county council – follow in the tracks of successful RH Bus services launched from Water Eaton and Pear Tree park-and-rides earlier this year.

Hugh Jaeger, Oxford’s re-resentative for Bus Users UK, said: “Anything that increases connections for people, particularly those with mobility difficulties, to get to and from the hospital is a good thing.”

Mervyn Phipps, assistant director of estates and facilities, at Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “This can only help the many hundreds of thousands of patients and visitors who see us each year.

“Using a park-and-ride service takes the stress out of trying to park, helps to ease congestion around our sites and supports our commitment to reducing our carbon footprint.”

Dilwyn Roberts, operations director for RH Buses, said: “A lot of people have been asking for these routes.

“The John Radcliffe is one of the country’s top hospitals and these services can help people from all over the county and the South East get there more easily.”

The new services will run Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.