Oxford hospital and Sunday Brackley to Banbury buses cancelled

Stagecoach are bringing in a new timetable this weekend

A number of changes to local bus services come into force this weekend, with the Sunday 500 service between Banbury and Brackley being withdrawn completely. Monday to Saturday journeys will be reduced to hourly.

The special H4 hospital service to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford is also being cancelled.

Stagecoach say the changes to the 500 route are due to low passenger usage, whilst the removal of the H4 service is blamed on “poor passenger numbers and rising operating costs”.

On the changes to the 500 service, Rachel Geliamassi, Managing Director, Stagecoach West, told Banbury FM: “The 500 service between Brackley and Banbury was, previously, supported with funding from s106 payments from housing developers in the Brackley area. This support came to an end in September last year so, with no funding from the local authority, meant the service could only continue if financially viable.

“As travel needs and habits change, we need to constantly review and adapt our routes. We’ve tried to keep this service running, making changes in September last year but due to low passenger numbers we’ve had to make the difficult decision to reduce the service further.

“From Sunday 28th August the 500 service will now run hourly with no service on Sundays, however the link through Chacombe will be retained.

“Reducing service is always something that we consider carefully before taking action and we had made West Northamptonshire Council aware of these changes at the start of Summer. However, we have had to hold back on announcing these changes until now because we’ve been waiting for various tender awards to be agreed in the Banbury area.”

The 200 route which passes through Wardington and Chipping Warden (between Daventry and Banbury) has been thrown another lifeline. In February Stagecoach announced that the service would end in April, but cash was provided by West Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire County councils to fund the service until the end of this month. Further funding has now been provided by West Northamptonshire Council so the service can continue until 14 January 2023.

Stagecoach said: “We will be working with the team to support their network review and consider the future of the service beyond January.”

Other changes will see the B3 route split, with the section from Bodicote, Longford Park and Cherwell Heights to Banbury Town Centre continuing as the B3. The route from Hardwick Hill to Banbury Town Centre will now be known as B4. Both routes will operate every 30 minutes Monday to Saturdays.

Funding from Oxfordshire County Council has led to the frequency of Sunday journeys on the B9 between Hardwick and Banbury Gateway being doubled to every 30 minutes.