This article needs additional citations for verification .(August 2017) |
Parent | Stagecoach Group |
---|---|
Founded | 1997 |
Headquarters | Cowley, Oxford |
Service area | Oxfordshire (plus a few routes into adjacent counties) |
Service type | Bus and coach services |
Destinations | Banbury, Bicester, Brackley, Carterton, Chipping Norton, London, Oxford, Wantage, Witney |
Hubs | Banbury Oxford Witney |
Depots |
|
Fleet | 179 (August 2017) [1] |
Website | Stagecoach Bus |
Stagecoach in Oxfordshire is the trading name of Thames Transit Ltd. [2] It is a bus operator serving the county of Oxfordshire, England. Since 1997 has been a subsidiary of Stagecoach Group, and since February 2021 it has been part of Stagecoach West, managed from the latter's headquarters in Gloucester.
In 1987 Harry Blundred, a former bus driver and controller from Devon, founded both Thames Transit and the Oxford Tube. In 1997 Stagecoach Group bought both operations from Blundred and merged them with Stagecoach Midland Red. [3]
Stagecoach South Midlands operated four brands:
In July 2002 the Banbury and Oxford brands were merged as "Stagecoach in Oxfordshire". [4] In March 2004 Stagecoach in Oxfordshire and Stagecoach in Warwickshire were split into two divisions with those names.
Stagecoach buses in Oxford, and from Oxford to Abingdon and Kidlington, compete with local buses operated by the Oxford Bus Company. Oxford is one of the few UK cities where such free and unsubsidised competition, as envisaged by the architects of bus deregulation in the 1980s, still exists.[ citation needed ]
In 2010 it was announced that Oxford Bus Company and Stagecoach in Oxfordshire, in consultation with Oxfordshire County Council, had agreed a Bus Quality Partnership as enabled by the Local Transport Act 2008. The partnership would improved multi-operator ticketing across the City and co-ordinate bus timetables on the four busiest shared routes. [5]
On 15 July 2010 Stagecoach in Oxfordshire introduced a fleet of 26 Alexander Dennis Enviro400H diesel-electric hybrid buses on Oxford – Cowley – Blackbird Leys route 1 and Oxford – Kidlington routes 7A/7B (now 2/2A/2B). Double deckers were chosen over single deckers as a result of the co-ordinated timetables and reduced frequencies to be introduced under the quality partnership. [6] As newer buses joined the Oxfordshire fleet, the Enviro400H hybrids were transferred first to Oxford – Rose Hill route 3, then to Kidlington – Headington route 700 and now to Oxford – Cowley – Headington route 10.
In October 2016 Stagecoach announced the introduction of new electronic ticket machines to enable passengers to pay by contactless payment card or by smartphone using Apple Pay or Google Pay. Stagecoach in Oxfordshire was the first Stagecoach division to receive these new machines for both local services and the Oxford Tube, making Stagecoach in Oxfordshire the first major operator to accept contactless payments outside London. [7]
In February 2021 Stagecoach Group announced that Stagecoach in Oxfordshire would merge with Stagecoach West as part of a revised business structure. [8]
The Oxford Tube currently operates a fleet of 32 Plaxton Panorama double decker coaches [9] on limited stops services between Oxford and London Victoria.
On 3 March 2014 Stagecoach Group announced its biggest vehicle order to date. Costing Stagecoach over £100 million in total, it included 26 new VanHool TX Astromega coaches to operate the Oxford Tube service. [10] The first of the new coaches entered service on 16 July 2014 with the entire fleet following shortly after. [11] The new coaches increased comfort and facilities for passengers including more leg room, 4G WiFi, power sockets and USB ports in selected seats and a brand new audio information system providing passengers with departure and arrival information and the top deck also features a panoramic glass sun roof allowing more natural light into the coach. [12]
In 2020, Stagecoach announced that it would replace their current Tube fleet with 34 new Plaxton Panorama vehicles, built on Volvo B11RLE chassis. [13] [14]
In 2023, Stagecoach added services via High Wycombe Coachway, and also starting in Carterton and operating via Witney and Eynsham. [15]
Stagecoach in Oxfordshire operates several routes under the premium Stagecoach Gold brand. The Stagecoach Gold brand was introduced in Oxfordshire in 2009 with the creation of the first S-Series (Superior Series) routes. The Stagecoach Gold brand is currently used on several long-distance routes in the county. The Gold branded buses feature a special Gold and blue coloured livery along with high-back leather seats and free on-board Wi-Fi (currently disabled due to running costs). The newer Gold vehicles used on routes S7/S3, and S9 also include USB charging ports. It is to be noted however, that often the bus routes will not be operated by their "Gold" branded buses.
In addition to the routes operated by Stagecoach in Oxfordshire, Stagecoach West also operates route S6 which runs between Swindon and Oxford via Faringdon.
In 2008 route 20, operating between Chipping Norton and Oxford, and route 20A, operating between Charlbury and Oxford, were combined to create route S3 operating alternately Oxford – Woodstock – Charlbury and Oxford – Woodstock – Chipping Norton. The service serves Blenheim Palace. Route S3 was upgraded to Stagecoach Gold status in September 2012 with the delivery of nine new Stagecoach Gold specification ADL Enviro400 bodied Scania N230UD buses for the service. [16]
In 2009 routes 27/27A/27B/X27 between Bicester and Oxford were rebranded as route S5. The route was subsequently upgraded to Stagecoach Gold in January 2012 with a fleet of 11 new Gold branded Enviro400 buses. [17]
Route 7 was a new route created in January 2017 between Woodstock and Oxford via Kidlington and Oxford Parkway. Route 7 was given Stagecoach Gold status with brand new Enviro400 MMC vehicles delivered to Stagecoach in Oxfordshire in December 2016. [18] This service now has been extended to Witney from Woodstock and has been renamed the S7 to match the Superior branding. [19]
Routes X30, 31, and 34 between Wantage and Oxford were upgraded to Stagecoach Gold status in January 2017. The services received new Stagecoach Gold specification Enviro400 MMC vehicles that were delivered to Stagecoach in December 2016. [20] Routes 31 and X30 were renumbered S8 & S9 respectively on 22 October 2017. [21] In January 2022, services S8 and 34 passed to Thames Travel, the S8 was renumbered X1, furthermore the S9 had its frequency increased to every 20 minutes on Mondays to Saturdays & every 30 minutes on Sundays. [22] [23]
Stagecoach Oxfordshire operated route 737 from Oxford Gloucester Green to Stansted Airport under contract to National Express from March 2007 until June 2013. [24] [25] This route is now operated on behalf of National Express by the Oxford Bus Company. [26]
As of December 2016, Stagecoach Oxfordshire operated a fleet of 176 buses. [27]
Stagecoach Oxfordshire has a young fleet. This is partly due to Oxford's Low Emission Zone, which allows only buses with exhaust systems of at least Euro V standard or better to serve the city centre. [28] Stagecoach Oxfordshire has replaced most of its fleet to meet this requirement.
Oxford depot also has three out-stations at Bicester, Chipping Norton and Grove. Chipping Norton out-station has previously been used by Witney depot. Grove out-station houses the Wantage fleet. It used to house the Didcot fleet, but Stagecoach no longer operates in Didcot.
Oxford Bus Company is the trading name of The City of Oxford Motor Services Ltd. It is a bus operator serving the city and surrounding area of Oxford, England. It is a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group.
The Alexander Dennis Enviro400 is a twin-axle low-floor double-decker bus that was built by the British bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis between 2005 and 2018. It replaced the Alexander ALX400, Dennis Trident and Plaxton President. In 2014, the Enviro400 was succeeded by the updated Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC and production of the classic Enviro400 ceased in 2018.
Long Hanborough is a village in Hanborough civil parish, about 4 miles (6.4 km) northeast of Witney in West Oxfordshire, England. The village is the major settlement in Hanborough parish. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 2,630.
Stagecoach West is a bus operator providing services in Gloucestershire, Bristol, Swindon, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, North Somerset and Herefordshire, in the West of England. The company is a subsidiary of the Stagecoach Group.
Thames Transit was a bus and coach company which operated in the Oxford area. As well as running a number of local services, it also ran a regular service to London under the Oxford Tube brand. It was sold in July 1997 to Stagecoach, and traded as Stagecoach in Oxfordshire. As of 2022 it is part of Stagecoach West.
Stagecoach South East is the trading name of East Kent Road Car Company Limited, a bus operator based in Canterbury providing services in Kent and East Sussex in the south east of England. It is a subsidiary of Stagecoach Group.
Stagecoach East is a bus operator providing local and regional services across the East of England, operating in the counties of Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire. The company is a subsidiary of the Stagecoach Group and is headquartered and registered in Cambridge.
The Oxford to London coach route is an express coach route between Oxford and London along the M40 motorway. Operated by Stagecoach West under the brand name Oxford Tube, there are up to five coaches an hour via Lewknor, High Wycombe Coachway, Hillingdon, Shepherd's Bush and Baker Street terminating on Buckingham Palace Road, Victoria.
Thames Travel is a bus operator serving the southern part of the English county of Oxfordshire. It is based in Didcot and is a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group's Oxford Bus Company operation, having been purchased as a 35-vehicle independent operator by group in May 2011.
Oxford Parkway railway station is a railway station at Water Eaton, Oxfordshire, on the Oxford–Bicester line. Full regular weekday service began on Monday 26 October 2015, although the first passengers travelled the previous day on a Sunday timetable.
Stagecoach Gold is a luxury bus sub-brand used by various Stagecoach bus subsidiaries in the United Kingdom.
The Witch Way is the branding for long-standing English bus route X43, which runs between Burnley and Manchester. The service is currently operated by The Burnley Bus Company.
Stagecoach X5 is an inter-urban bus service linking Oxford and Bedford via Bicester, Buckingham and Milton Keynes
Stagecoach Midlands operates most bus routes in Northamptonshire and Warwickshire; the legal name for the company is Midland Red (South) Ltd.The company was previously split into Midland Red in Warwickshire and United Counties Omnibus in Northampton; however, the two were merged together under the Midland Red identity in 2021.
Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire operates both local and regional bus services in Cumbria, Lancashire, Northumberland and Tyne and Wear, England, as well as Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is a subsidiary of the Stagecoach Group, which operates bus, coach, rail and tram services across the United Kingdom.
Stagecoach Merseyside & South Lancashire is a major operator of bus services in North West England. It is a subsidiary of the Stagecoach Group, and has its origins in the purchase of Ribble Motor Services in 1988 from the National Bus Company and Glenvale Transport in 2005. The head office of Stagecoach Merseyside & South Lancashire is in Liverpool and was formed in 2011 following the merger of Stagecoach Merseyside and Ribble Motor Services which was the Chorley and Preston operations of Stagecoach North West.
The Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC is a low-floor double-decker bus produced by the British bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis since 2014, replacing the Alexander Dennis Enviro400. The Enviro400 MMC is produced at Alexander Dennis' Falkirk and Scarborough factories in the United Kingdom.
Stagecoach Gold bus route S3 is a bus route in England that links Chipping Norton, Charlbury, Woodstock, Yarnton and Oxford. The service is run by Stagecoach West.
19000 Spirit of London is an Alexander Dennis Enviro400 double-decker bus which entered service in London in October 2005. Originally carrying fleet number 18500, Spirit of London was built as the replacement for the bus destroyed in Tavistock Square during the 7 July 2005 London bombings, killing 13 passengers. Spirit of London was also the first production Enviro400 built by Alexander Dennis. Throughout its time in service, Spirit of London has served as a tribute to the victims of the 7/7 attacks.