New community bus service for villages north of Banbury gets the go ahead from council

The new 79 route will transport the residents of Hornton, Horley and Hanwell to and from Banbury every Thursday.

It follows the council’s allocation of £1.2 million last year for rural public transport to connect villages that have been without public transport since 2016 to the county’s market towns and Oxford.

Oxfordshire County Council has also announced further new community buses for villages near Abingdon, Oxford, Wantage and Bicester.

Cllr Andrew Gant, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for transport management, said: “I’m really delighted to be able to back our commitment to high quality public transport with real delivery and budget, in rural areas as well as our larger towns.

“Not everyone has access to a car and so public transport is essential to help people get around for work, shopping, and socialising. We know there is a demand for bus services in these locations, which can’t be met by the commercial operators, and we are glad to be able to help fill this gap.”

The new services are in addition to those funded by the government through the council’s Bus Service Improvement Plan, including new express peak buses from Banbury to Oxford.

The new 107 route will connect the villages of Oddington, Charlton-on-Otmoor, Fencott and Murcott to Bicester via Langford on Fridays.

Oxfordshire County Council will use its own fleet of minibuses to operate the service and will be releasing timetable details later this month on https://www.traveline.info/