A BUS service between Oxford and London with almost 100 years of history ran for the final time on Saturday.

Oxford Bus Company commemorated the last day of the X90 service having carried millions of customers.

To mark the occasion, the operator provided special free vintage bus rides between Gloucester Green and Thornhill Park and Ride on vehicles from yesteryear.

A Bristol VR double decker that was used on the X90 service in the 1980s and a single decker from the 1960s gave passengers a taste of nostalgia.

There was also a display of old photos and memorabilia at Gloucester Green.

A commemorative booklet has also been produced which chronicles the history of the coach route.

The X90 operated an hourly service on its last day and a banner was placed on the coach taking the last journey.

Phil Southall, the company’s managing director, said: “We are grateful to everyone who has travelled with the X90 and our colleagues who have worked with us throughout this time.

“We are aware the difficult decision to withdraw the service has inconvenienced loyal customers and we are doing all we can to minimise any impact.”

The service can be tracked back to the early 1920s, whilst the current express service has operated for more than 40 years.

Oxford Mail:

In a statement, Oxford Bus Company said: “The decision to withdraw the service was not taken lightly and the company is doing everything possible to minimise the impact on customers and colleagues.

“Falling passenger numbers due to new rail competition and worsening congestion made maintaining the X90 service challenging. This saw the time it takes to complete a journey between Oxford and London worsen by up to 50 per cent in two years and passenger numbers drop by 35 per cent since 2015.”

In attempts to save the struggling service, the company introduced several measures to adapt to the challenges, including new timetables and lower fares.

The decision to cancel the service was made in October after the operator recorded what it described as a “significant annual loss”.

The last London-bound service left Gloucester Green at 10pm, while the final Oxford service from the capital left at 1am to pull into Gloucester Green two hours later.

Ahead of the final service, Jonathan Radley – who owns one of the vintage buses used for the free rides – said: “The final day of operation of the X90 express is a sad occasion for many people who have worked on the coaches over the decades and for its many loyal passengers.

Oxford Mail:

“However, on Saturday we celebrated the long history of this service by giving people the opportunity to sample travel from a bygone era onboard coaches that ran the route during the 1960s and 1970s.”

Oxford Bus Company confirmed that all X90 drivers would be redeployed and any unused tickets would be eligible for a refund.