Thames Travel

Last updated

Thames Travel logo.PNG
Volvo B7TL Wright EclipseGemini LX06 EAF Abingdon.jpg
Wright Eclipse Gemini bodied Volvo B7TL in Abingdon-on-Thames in 2017
Parent Go-Ahead Group
FoundedApril 14, 1998;26 years ago (1998-04-14)
HeadquartersCollett, Southmead Park, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 7ET
Service areaSouthern Oxfordshire
Service typeBus services
Destinations Abingdon, Didcot, Faringdon, Henley-on-Thames, Oxford, Newbury, Reading, Wallingford, Wantage
Fleet80 (May 2021)
Chief executiveLuke Marion
Website Thames Travel

Thames Travel [1] 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. [2] [3]

Contents

Branded routes

River Rapids

A Scania N230UD bus with Alexander Dennis Enviro400 body in River Rapids livery in Oxford Scania AlexanderDennis Enviro400 TF10 OXF Oxford StAldates right.jpg
A Scania N230UD bus with Alexander Dennis Enviro400 body in River Rapids livery in Oxford

Early in its history Thames Travel began a direct bus service between Oxford and Reading via Wallingford. This comprises two routes: the X40 which runs via Woodcote, and the X39 which bypasses Woodcote. The company also operates a service to Henley-on-Thames and Wallingford, which until 2017 was numbered 139, ran seven days a week and terminated at Wallingford.

At the end of October 2017 Thames Travel withdrew the Sunday service from route 139, but extended the Monday to Saturday service from Wallingford to Oxford and renumbered the revised route X38. It retimetabled the X38, X39 and X40 to provide a service every 20 minutes between Wallingford and Oxford. It has branded the three routes "River Rapids" and applied prominent graphics to its dedicated fleet to promote it. [4] [5]

The X38 has since been withdrawn and replaced by the 33 running from Abingdon to Henley-on-Thames via Wallingford, and the X39 has also been withdrawn with the X40 now running half-hourly, meaning all services go via Woodcote. [6]

Connector

A Wright StreetDeck bus in Thames Travel Connector livery at Didcot Parkway on route X2 to Oxford Wright StreetDeck NK20 EKO DidcotPky 2.jpg
A Wright StreetDeck bus in Thames Travel Connector livery at Didcot Parkway on route X2 to Oxford

The Connector brand is used for Didcot focused services, [7] and covers routes between Didcot and Oxford, Abingdon, Henley-on-Thames, Wallingford, Wantage, Grove, East Hanney, Newbury, Harwell Campus, JR Hospital, Great Western Park and Milton Park. [8] [9] The Connector brand also covers the Science Transit Shuttle, which operates between Oxford and Harwell Campus and between Wytham and the JR Hospital, under contract from the University of Oxford. [10] [11] The Connector routes have a dedicated fleet in a livery of two-tone grey with a light green coachline, and "Connector" graphics promoting the route.

Depots

Thames Travel's depot is in Didcot, with a capacity for more than 100 buses. It also has 2 out-stations (one in Reading and one at Oxford Bus Company's depot in Oxford). The outstation in Reading is at the Reading Buses depot and currently has one vehicle based there for route 143. [12]

Fleet

As of November 2023, the Thames Travel fleet consisted of over 60 buses, which are numbered under the Oxford Bus Company fleet number system. [13]

Fleet NumbersChassisBodyYears NewNumber OwnedLiveryImage
206–210
213
224–231		 Scania N230UD Alexander Dennis Enviro400 2009–201014Thames Travel
Connector
River Rapids		 Scania AlexanderDennis Enviro400 AF10 OXF Blewbury (cropped).jpg
246-248 Scania N94UD East Lancs Omnidekka 20053Thames Travel X32 bus, St Aldates, Oxford, October 2021.jpg
441–442Integral Wright Streetlite 20162Connector,
Milton Park		 Wright StreetLite SK66 HRN Didcot Parkway (cropped).jpg
451–454Integral Alexander Dennis Enviro200 MMC 2019–20204Harwell P1010040 (4).jpg
621–623 Volvo B5TL Wright Gemini 3 20183Harwell P1010039 (4).jpg
692Integral (Micro Hybrid) Wright Streetdeck 20221Milton Park
849–851
854-855
861–865
867-868		Integral Mercedes-Benz Citaro 2006–200811Thames Travel
Connector		 Mercedes-Benz Citaro CF57 OXF Oxford StAldates 1.jpg
873–875 Mercedes-Benz OC500LE MCV Evolution 2 20113Thames Travel Mercedes-Benz MCV Evolution AE61 EWP Berinsfield FaneDrive cropped.jpg
904–909Integral (Micro Hybrid) Wright StreetDeck 20206Connector,
Milton Park		 Wright StreetDeck NK20 EKO DidcotPky 1.jpg
912–914
943–944		Integral Scania OmniCity 2008–20095Thames Travel Thames Travel OU08HGO.jpg
921-927 Volvo B9TL Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 20097Thames Travel
933–936 Volvo B7TL Wright Eclipse Gemini 2005–20064Thames Travel Volvo B7TL Wright EclipseGemini LX06 EAF Abingdon.jpg

Notable incidents

Thames Travel vehicles have been involved in three major accidents, reported in the local media. All were on the A4074 road, nicknamed locally the "13 bends of death".

The first accident was on 21 July 2006. A 26-year-old woman was killed when her car collided head-on with a Thames Travel bus. It was found that the woman was taking avoiding action to prevent her car from colliding with two cars that were coming towards her, whose drivers had been recklessly overtaking numerous other cars before the accident. As a result of the collision both vehicles caught fire and were completely destroyed. [14] The two brothers arrested after the incident were convicted and jailed for a total of 15 years for the accident. [15]

The second accident was on 28 January 2008. A Thames Travel single-decker bus collided in fog with a Land Rover that was turning off the road across the bus's path. The Land Rover landed on its side; the bus in a ditch. The accident was on the A4074 at its junction with the B4526 road. Five people were injured. [16]

The third accident was on 14 October 2014. A Thames Travel bus collided with a van on the A4074, leaving the bus driver and a passenger injured. [17]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Thames Travel (Wallingford) Limited". Companies House . Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  2. ↑ Smith, Andrew (29 May 2011). "No changes at Thames Travel says outgoing boss". Oxford Mail . Newsquest Oxfordshire.
  3. ↑ "Go-Ahead buys 35-vehicle Thames Travel". Bus and Coach. Plum Publishing Ltd. 8 June 2011. Archived from the original on 18 October 2013.
  4. ↑ "River Rapids from Thames Travel". Buses . Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  5. ↑ "River Rapids" (pdf). Thames Travel. 2 January 2019. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  6. ↑ "Service Changes from 14th April 2024".
  7. ↑ Ffrench, Andy (29 December 2017). "Millions choose to let buses take the strain". Oxford Mail. Archived from the original on 2 July 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  8. ↑ Ffrench, Andrew (12 September 2018). "New bus service links Great Western Park and Milton Park". Oxford Mail. Archived from the original on 2 July 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  9. ↑ "Timetables, Maps & Guides". Thames Travel. Archived from the original on 2 July 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  10. ↑ Ffrench, Andrew. "New Science Transit Shuttle bus connects Oxford and Harwell Campus". Oxford Mail. Archived from the original on 2 July 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  11. ↑ "Science Transit Shuttle". Thames Travel. Archived from the original on 2 July 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  12. ↑ "Thames Travel (Wallingford) Ltd". Vehicle Operator Licensing. Archived from the original on 22 June 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  13. ↑ "Thames Travel". Oxford Bus Company. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  14. ↑ ""I beg you to help police"". Reading Evening Post . Trinity Mirror. 22 August 2006. Retrieved 5 June 2008.
  15. ↑ "Jailed over death of bride-to-be". Reading Evening Post. Trinity Mirror. 31 May 2007. Retrieved 5 June 2008.
  16. ↑ "Five hurt in bus crash". Reading Evening Post. Trinity Mirror. 28 January 2008. Retrieved 5 June 2008.
  17. ↑ "Bus crash on A4074 in Oxfordshire leaves four injured". BBC News. BBC. 14 October 2014. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
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