THE majority of Oxfordshire bus users are satisfied with the service but only six out of 10 believe it is value for money, according to a nationwide poll.

The annual Bus Passenger Survey, carried out by customer watchdog Passenger Focus, involved 1,351 residents from the county.

Of these, 86 per cent said they were “fairly satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their journey overall.

The Oxford Bus Park and Ride scored the highest for overall satisfaction (96 per cent), as well as seat comfort, out of all services included in the report.

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But of the 842 surveyed who paid a bus fare, 59 per cent felt they got value for money. This was true across Oxfordshire and for Oxford Bus Company.

Bus Users Oxford chairman Hugh Jaeger defended the services’ pricing, saying: “Over the last several years the rise in bus prices has been pretty slow. Some counties subsidize all fares. Oxfordshire has taken a targeted approach.”

He added the allocation of subsidies meant that some areas had a bus service that otherwise, for commercial reasons, would probably not have.

Mr Jaeger also dismissed the fact that in terms of customer satisfaction Oxfordshire was behind other counties such as Gloucestershire and Merseyside. He pointed out the investment in Stagecoach Gold and hybrid buses, as well as Oxford having “one of the best Park and Ride operations in the whole of Britain”.

Mr Jaeger added: “We have got more ‘upmarket bus users’ with commendably high expectations holding our bus operators to a high standard.”