MORE people are using buses in Banbury despite an overall fall in the number of passengers across the county.
Additional services introduced a year ago between Banbury and Chipping Norton have seen a 38 per cent increase in use, and route B1/2, which serves Bodicote, Cherwell Heights, and Easington has seen passengers increase by 44 per cent.
David Robertson, the county council's executive member for transport, said: "The increase in frequency we paid for in June 2005, coupled with the new low-floor buses, has improved our service to the general public.
"An improved link to Banbury for residents of Chipping Norton was a priority, with so many job losses in that town.
"While we have seen a decline in bus use over the county as a whole, Banbury has bucked the trend. Patronage on all the main town routes has increased."
Martin Sutton, managing director Stagecoach, Oxfordshire, said: "In the past year we have seen average passenger growth of over seven per cent on our Banbury network. Good bus services make a significant contribution to the local economy."
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