Councillor John Sanders has entirely the wrong understanding of our plans to Transform Oxford (Oxford Mail, 23 March).

Relatively recent legislation permits us to work in a new way with the bus companies through a Quality Bus Partnership.

When we launched Transform Oxford, and from our earliest discussions with the major companies, it was always our intention to pursue a twin-track approach.

These involve the removal of bus stops from Queen Street this year and putting together a bus partnership that would bring about joint ticketing and a reduction in bus numbers, with no reduction in bus usage in the longer term.

We wish to run these two streams in parallel because people deserve an immediate improvement in their experience of Queen Street.

Putting together a bus partnership and implementing joint ticketing will take some time and the precise timescale is not yet apparent.

One point should be crystal clear. Our initiative to launch Transform Oxford as a vision for the city has signalled our leadership role in driving through environmental improvements.

Without this, I fear the sign-up to major change through a bus partnership and joint ticketing might have taken a lot longer to emerge.

I have heard talk about joint ticketing for a very long time but, to date, there has been no action.

What was said by the bus companies at the bus users’ meeting was that a new ticketing system would take at least 18 months to implement for one company and longer for two or more.

This can only start once a Quality Bus Partnership has been agreed.

The earliest for this is the summer.

So, working on the bus companies’ own statements, they would not be able to deliver joint ticketing for at least two years.

Taken together, immediate improvements to Queen Street and longer term, more fundamental changes all bode well both for the economy as we work through the recession and for the travelling public.

Keith R Mitchell CBE, Leader of the Council, County Hall, Oxford