Oxford Bus Company

Mercedes-Benz Citaro in Oxford in June 2006
Slogan	We're all about Oxford
Parent	Go-Ahead Group
Founded	1881
Headquarters	Oxford
Service area	Oxfordshire
Service type	Bus services
Destinations	Abingdon, Didcot, Kidlington, Oxford. Express services to London, Heathrow, Gatwick
Fleet	163 (April 2015)
Chief executive	Phil Southall
Website	www.oxfordbus.co.uk

Oxford Bus Company^[1] is a bus operator serving the city and surrounding area of Oxford, England. It is a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group.

History

A City of Oxford Tramways Company horse-drawn tram system first operated in Oxford in 1881.^[2] In 1906 its operation was taken over by the City of Oxford Electric Tramway Company.^[1] This did not in fact electrify the tramway, but in 1913/14, and under threat of competition from William Morris, replaced the trams with Daimler buses.^[3][4]

In 1921 the company was renamed City of Oxford Motor Services Limited and continued to expand its operations into the surrounding countryside. From the 1930s the company was controlled by British Electric Traction with the Great Western Railway also having a shareholding. Most of the fleet comprised AEC vehicles in the traditional red livery with green and maroon relief.

On becoming a subsidiary of the National Bus Company in 1969, moves towards greater integration of city and country services began. In 1971 the Oxford to London coach operator South Midland, which had been controlled by the neighbouring Thames Valley Traction company, was transferred to City of Oxford Motor Services and the fleet name for the entire operation became Oxford South Midland. A particularly acute problem for the operator was the competition for staff with Morris Motors whose works was located close to the Oxford garage. One solution was the move to one person operation of buses during the 1970s.^[5] Following several trials, the Oxford company has operated the city’s pioneering park and ride bus services since 1978, the year in which the London express service on its present routing began.

In 1983 the operation was split into separate Oxford and South Midland units. The Oxford Bus Company was allocated the Oxford city services and the London routes, and South Midland was allocated the remainder of the network. Both companies were subject to management buyouts. The South Midland company was soon resold to Thames Transit (later Stagecoach South Midlands) who introduced minibus competition, countered by the Oxford Bus Company under the brand name Oxford City Nipper.

In 1990 the Oxford Bus Company acquired the High Wycombe operations of the Bee Line, and ran them under the Wycombe Bus brand name. On March 1994 Oxford Bus Company was sold to the Go-Ahead Group. In 2000 Go-Ahead sold the High Wycombe operations to Arriva. The company's long-standing main depot site in Cowley Road, Oxford was closed in 2004 in favour after a new depot opened in Watlington Road.^[6]

In July 2009 Oxford Bus Company commenced operating the BROOKESbus under contract to the Oxford Brookes University.^[7][8]

In 2011 and 2012 the Go-Ahead Group purchased Thames Travel and Carousel Buses and brought these under the management of Oxford Bus Company although they retain their separate identies.^{[9][10][11][12]}

Bus Location Technology

All Oxford Bus Company buses and coaches have automatic vehicle location (AVL) equipment installed which works via GPS technology.^[13]

The AVL equipment installed on each bus or coach gives geographical location to within a few meters and is updating central control room every few seconds; therefore this information technology can be viewed in real time at the central control room, which helps in managing the fleet.^[14]

The AVL equipment is also coupled to a real-time passenger information system at over 250 bus stop display screens around Oxford City and surrounding towns, and via a Smartphone app (iOS, Android OS, Windows Phone). This coupled information technology system gives the public “predicted times” of bus and coach services around Oxford City and surrounding towns.^[15][16][17]

Oxfordshire County Council also use this information technology to provide traffic-light priority for buses at various road junctions.^[18]

The real-time passenger information system is managed by Oxontime, which is a partnership between various bus companies and Oxfordshire County Council.^[19][20]

Brands

Oxford Bus Company currently operates services under five distinct brands:

Brand	Used for	Services	Image
Oxford Bus Company / "City"	Local buses in and around Oxford, the "City" name has been introduced recently for the most frequent services, and appears on the sides of buses, buses were designated to specific routes ("City 5" etc.) but now only display the general "City" name	City 2/2A/2B/2C/2D, City 3/3B, City 4/4A/4B/4C, City 5, City 6/6C, City 8, City 9, City 13, City 35, City X3/X13, City 600
Park & Ride	Express buses from the well-developed network of peripheral park and ride car parks around the city	300, 400, 500
X90 London	Express coaches between Oxford and London Victoria Coach Station	X90
Airline	Express coaches between Oxford and Heathrow or Gatwick Airports	LHR LGW OXF
BROOKESbus	Local buses serving the campuses and halls of Oxford Brookes University (previously operated by Stagecoach Oxfordshire)	U1 (NU1), U1X, U4, U5 (NU5), U5X

Fleet

Bus in centenary-themed livery outside Queen's College, 1981

As at April 2015 the fleet consists of 163 buses and coaches, of which 52 are hybrid buses. ^[21]

Oxford South Midland - Preservation

Some former National Bus Company vehicles trading under Oxford South Midland have been preserved.

Oxford South Midland preserved Bristol VR in Alton.

See also

• List of bus operators of the United Kingdom

References

External links

• Media related to Oxford Bus Company at Wikimedia Commons
• Oxford Bus Company website
• Showbus gallery

Go-Ahead Group United Kingdom bus companies Anglian Bus Brighton & Hove Carousel Buses Go-Ahead London Blue Triangle Docklands Buses London Central London General Go North East Go South Coast Bluestar Marchwood Motorways Uni-link Damory Coaches Southern Vectis Wilts & Dorset More Salisbury Reds Tourist Group Hedingham Chambers Konectbus Metrobus Oxford Bus Company Plymouth Citybus Thames Travel United Kingdom railway companies (as Govia) Govia Thameslink Railway including Gatwick Express Great Northern Southern Thameslink London Midland Southeastern Defunct UK operations Aviance UK East Thames Buses Meteor Parking Solent Blue Line Thames Trains Thameslink (Govia)

Bus companies operating in South East England Berkshire Arriva Shires & Essex Bath Bus Company Courtney Buses First Berkshire & The Thames Valley Fleet Buzz Reading Buses Stagecoach in Hampshire Thamesdown Transport Thames Travel The Green Bus White Bus Services Wilts & Dorset Buckinghamshire Arriva Shires & Essex Carousel Buses First Berkshire & The Thames Valley Stagecoach East East Sussex Arriva Southern Counties Bath Bus Company Brighton & Hove Compass Travel Cuckmere Buses Metrobus Renown Coaches Southdown PSV Stagecoach South East Stagecoach in Hastings Stagecoach in Eastbourne The Sussex Bus Hampshire AMK Group Bluestar Damory Emsworth & District First Hampshire & Dorset Fleet Buzz Reading Buses Stagecoach South Stagecoach in Hampshire Stagecoach in Hants & Surrey Stagecoach in Portsmouth Stagecoach in the South Downs Uni-link Wilts & Dorset Xelabus Isle of Wight Southern Vectis Island Breezers Kent Arriva Southern Counties The Kings Ferry Metrobus Nu-Venture Stagecoach South East (Stagecoach in East Kent) Sullivan Buses Southdown PSV Oxfordshire Arriva Shires & Essex Oxford Bus Company Reading Buses Stagecoach Oxfordshire (Oxford Tube) Thamesdown Transport Thames Travel Surrey Abellio Surrey Arriva Guildford & West Surrey Arriva London Atbus Compass Travel Countywide Travel Epsom Coaches (Quality Line) First Berkshire & The Thames Valley Fleet Buzz London General Metrobus Safeguard Coaches Southdown PSV Stagecoach South Stagecoach in Hampshire Stagecoach in Hants & Surrey Sullivan Buses The Green Bus Transdev London West Sussex Arriva Southern Counties Arriva Guildford & West Surrey New Enterprise Coaches Brighton & Hove Compass Travel Emsworth & District Tellings-Golden Miller Minerva Accord Metrobus Southdown PSV Stagecoach South Stagecoach in Hampshire Stagecoach in Hants & Surrey The Big Lemon The Sussex Bus National Megabus National Express