Stagecoach Oxfordshire announces further services to return, including increased Saturday services for Banbury

From Sunday August 2 Banbury services 200 and 488 will see Saturday frequencies increased, reverting back to pre-Covid times.

There will be no changes to times during the week.

Route 505 between Brackley and Bicester Village station will also return to its original timetable Monday to Saturday. More trips will also operate on the S4 on Saturdays with no other changes from Sunday to Friday. This service will see a stop change in the city centre, with departures now from stop C3 on Magdalen Street.

In Witney, morning peak journeys will increase on the S1 from Monday to Friday to better suit commuter demand as work patterns return to normal.

In the city centre, there will be new links to Blackbird Leys on Sundays on the 10 with some minor adjustments to times and additional early evening trips from the JR.

The S5 will see Saturday frequency increased, with buses going back to pre-Covid times during the day. Revised evening service with less trips and earlier finish compared to the original timetable to reflect the reduction in the night time economy.

Services S8 and S9 between Wantage and Oxford will see Saturday services increased in the evening.

Details of the new timetables can be found at stagecoach.com/coronavirus.

The above increases in services follow the recent changes to on board capacity and seating guidance following the government's relaxation of the 2m rule. One passenger can now sit in each row (only sitting next to someone in their bubble o household) sitting in a zig-zag formation, rather than directly in front or behind someone else.

Chris Coleman, managing director of Stagecoach Oxfordshire said: "The new 1m plus ruling has meant that after a thorough risk assessment we have been able to increase our on board seating capacity. This, coupled with further increases to our services from Sunday 2nd August means that we can safely carry more passengers.

"On board signage is in place to advise passengers where to sit and to continue to remind our customers that face masks are compulsory when travelling unless they are exempt.

"It is important for everyone to act responsibly and do their part to keep themselves and their fellow passengers safe on board and we have seen many already take up this duty.

"Providing safe and frequent services has always been our priority, even more so over the last few months, in order to ensure we can connect our customers to the places and people that matter most."