Following the withdrawal of bus subsidies by Oxfordshire County Council, representatives of the local villages have joined together to form the Downland Villages Transport Group to work with the bus companies to retain as much service as possible. We are pleased to announce that Thames Travel will continue a Monday to Friday service on the 94 route and that there will be a twice daily service also serving the Astons and the Mortons, made possible by the transfer of the school run to the scheduled bus. There will be some increase in fares and the bus service will operate on a trial basis for one year starting on 24th July.
Thames travel has released the new 94/94A timetable, please click on this link Bus Timetable
The 94 will serve the Hagbournes, Blewbury and Upton and will run roughly hourly from early morning until the evening from Monday to Friday. During term time a 94A service will run once in the morning and once in the afternoon; in addition to serving the 94 villages. It will also serve the Astons and the Mortons. The longer term future depends on the economic viability of the service, so more users are needed!
The Downland Villages Transport Group is grateful to everyone who has provided input on bus services over the past few months and for the support of our County Councillors. You’ve said clearly that keeping bus services is important for the life of our villages. Your input has helped us to argue for our transport needs and to begin to work out some new options where services have been cut, while the new timetable will not be perfect for everyone. Thames Travel have listened to our suggestions and responded where they can. It is a trial- we need to ensure adequate use, as it’s fairly close –cut thing for them on a commercial basis.
*A key factor that made Thames Travel feel it was “worth giving it a go” on the 94/94A was that “you (our villages) were really passionate about keeping the service”
* The key financial replacements for the lost subsidies were, as we knew, school funding and some development funding.
A real effort has been made to try and serve our commuters. If it fits in with your schedule please give it a try.
As and when more information becomes available, we’ll keep you informed.
Jesse West