Oxford Bus Company
Encyclopedia
Oxford Bus Company is a bus
operator serving the city and surrounding area of Oxford
, England
and is the trading name of City of Oxford Motor Services Ltd. It is now a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group
. The company operates five different brands.
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. Similarly the Espress buses compete with the Stagecoach in Oxfordshire's Oxford Tube service. This unusual level of both service and competition is facilitated by Oxford's status as a prestigious university city and the consequent large numbers of young, affluent but car-less inhabitants, assisted by Oxford’s pro-public transport Balanced Transport Policy of 1973 and Oxford Transport Strategy of 1993. As of 2006 public transport use in the city was six times the national average.. However, the competition led to route inefficiencies and lack of ticket interoperability between bus operators. In 2010 it was announced that a quality contract had been agreed between the two principal bus operators and the County Council leading to joint timetabling and ticketing.
, replaced the tram
s by Daimler Motor Company
buses.
In 1921 the company was renamed City of Oxford Motor Services Ltd and continued to expand its operations into the surrounding countryside. From the 1930s the company was controlled by British Electric Traction
with a large Great Western Railway
shareholding. Most of the fleet comprised AEC vehicles in the traditional red livery with green and maroon relief.
On becoming a subsidiary of the National Bus Company in 1969, moves towards greater integration of city and country services began. In 1971 the Oxford to London coach operator South Midland (established as South Midland Transport & Touring Company Ltd in 1921), which had been controlled by the neighbouring Thames Valley Traction
company, was transferred to City of Oxford and the fleet name for the entire operation became Oxford South Midland. A particularly acute problem for the operator was the competition for staff with the Morris Motor Company
whose works was located close to the Oxford garage. One solution was the move to one person operation of buses during the 1970s. Following several trials, the Oxford company has operated the city’s pioneering park and ride
bus services since 1978, the year in which the London express service on its present routing began.
In 1983 the operation was split into separate Oxford and South Midland units. The Oxford Bus Company was allocated the Oxford city services and the London routes, and South Midland was allocated the remainder of the network. Both companies were subject to management buyout
s. The South Midland company was soon resold to Thames Transit
(later Stagecoach
) who introduced minibus
competition, countered by the Oxford Bus Company under the brand name Oxford City Nipper.
In 1990 the Oxford Bus Company acquired the High Wycombe operations of the Bee Line
, and ran them under the Wycombe Bus brand name. OBC was sold to the Go-Ahead Group
in 1994. In 2000 Go-Ahead sold the High Wycombe operations to Arriva
, who dropped the Wycombe Bus brand. In Oxford the name City Line was used before the present branding was adopted in 2000. The company's long-standing main depot site in Cowley Road, Oxford
was abandoned in 2004 in favour of a new works in Watlington Road.
Recently, the Oxford Bus Company have replaced some of its older buses with the Mercedes-Benz O530 Citaro
. Another 11 arrived at the end of 2006; these were "Euro V", a higher specification than at that date demanded by European emission standards
.
The single-deck fleet contains a number of types. Three comparatively rare Dennis Dart SLF
/Wright Crusader
s were new in 1998. Two large batches of Volvo B10BLE
/Wright Renown
s in 1999 and 2000 total 21 of the type. In late 2002, the first of a batch of 5 Mercedes-Benz Citaro
s arrived for new park and ride service 500 to the recently opened Water Eaton site. Following a fleet reshuffle which saw service 500 receive double decker buses, this fleet now all carry the standard 'city' livery. The original batch can be distinguished by the protruding destination display, all other examples in the fleet have swept back versions. A year later in December 2003 a further batch of 11 Citaros arrived, branded for routes X3 to Abingdon. Another batch of 10 arrived in December 2005 for route 2, followed by another 11 in December 2006. 11 more arrived in January 2008. The 2006 batch onwards is to the new Citaro design for the Euro 4 engine, although the Oxford examples are to Euro 5 specification. Half of the 2006 and the 2008 batch are branded for routes X3 and X13, which meant that the second batch were debranded and now work in generic livery.
The double-deckers in the fleet are Dennis Trident 2
s. A batch of 20 with Alexander ALX400
bodywork entered service in 1999. These were some of the first examples of the type. Originally 14 of the batch operated on park and ride services but are now being phased out in favour of 17 new diesel/electric hybrid ADL Enviro400H models. In 2007, 8 Tridents with Plaxton President
bodywork were transferred from Go North East
for use on route 35/35A. These are restricted to certain routes as they are too high to fit under the Oxford station railway bridge.
Also the double-decker fleet includes 31 Scania N230UD with Alexander Dennis Enviro400 bodywork used for Brookes Bus services.
The large coach operation uses 37 vehicles. The Oxford Espress service uses most of a total of 12 (two batches in 2003 and 2004) Scania K114
s with Irizar
Century bodywork, as well as 6 2002 Volvo B12B
s with Jonckheere
Mistral bodywork. The Airline uses a fleet of 19 Volvo B12B/Plaxton Panthers new in 2008, as well as some of the Scania K114s.
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
operator serving the city and surrounding area of Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and is the trading name of City of Oxford Motor Services Ltd. It is now a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group
Go-Ahead Group
The Go-Ahead Group plc is a rail and bus operating company that was created following the privatisation of the UK's train and bus industries. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-Early history:...
. The company operates five different brands.
Oxford is one of the few UK cities where such free and unsubsidised competition (as envisaged by the architects of bus deregulation
Bus deregulation
Bus deregulation in Great Britain came into force on 26 October 1986, as part of the Transport Act 1985.The 'Buses' White Paper was the basis of the Transport Act 1985, which provided for the deregulation of local bus services in the whole of the United Kingdom except for Northern Ireland and...
in the 1980s) still exists. Similarly the Espress buses compete with the Stagecoach in Oxfordshire's Oxford Tube service. This unusual level of both service and competition is facilitated by Oxford's status as a prestigious university city and the consequent large numbers of young, affluent but car-less inhabitants, assisted by Oxford’s pro-public transport Balanced Transport Policy of 1973 and Oxford Transport Strategy of 1993. As of 2006 public transport use in the city was six times the national average.. However, the competition led to route inefficiencies and lack of ticket interoperability between bus operators. In 2010 it was announced that a quality contract had been agreed between the two principal bus operators and the County Council leading to joint timetabling and ticketing.
History
A horse-drawn tram system first operated in Oxford from 1881. Its operation was taken over in 1906 by the City of Oxford Electric Tramway Company Ltd. This did not in fact electrify the tramway, but over the period 1913-14, and under threat of competition from William Morris (later Lord Nuffield)William Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield
William Richard Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield GBE, CH , known as Sir William Morris, Bt, between 1929 and 1934 and as The Lord Nuffield between 1934 and 1938, was a British motor manufacturer and philanthropist...
, replaced the tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
s by Daimler Motor Company
Daimler Motor Company
The Daimler Motor Company Limited was an independent British motor vehicle manufacturer founded in London by H J Lawson in 1896, which set up its manufacturing base in Coventry. The right to the use of the name Daimler had been purchased simultaneously from Gottlieb Daimler and Daimler Motoren...
buses.
In 1921 the company was renamed City of Oxford Motor Services Ltd and continued to expand its operations into the surrounding countryside. From the 1930s the company was controlled by British Electric Traction
British Electric Traction
British Electric Traction Company Limited, renamed BET plc in 1985, was a large British industrial conglomerate. It was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but was acquired by Rentokil in 1996, and the merged company is now known as Rentokil Initial.- Early history :The company was founded as...
with a large Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
shareholding. Most of the fleet comprised AEC vehicles in the traditional red livery with green and maroon relief.
On becoming a subsidiary of the National Bus Company in 1969, moves towards greater integration of city and country services began. In 1971 the Oxford to London coach operator South Midland (established as South Midland Transport & Touring Company Ltd in 1921), which had been controlled by the neighbouring Thames Valley Traction
Thames Valley Traction
Thames Valley Traction Company Limited was a major bus company operating services to and from Reading, Bracknell, Maidenhead, Newbury, High Wycombe and Oxford and surrounding areas for over 50 years during the 20th century...
company, was transferred to City of Oxford and the fleet name for the entire operation became Oxford South Midland. A particularly acute problem for the operator was the competition for staff with the Morris Motor Company
Morris Motor Company
The Morris Motor Company was a British car manufacturing company. After the incorporation of the company into larger corporations, the Morris name remained in use as a marque until 1984 when British Leyland's Austin Rover Group decided to concentrate on the more popular Austin marque...
whose works was located close to the Oxford garage. One solution was the move to one person operation of buses during the 1970s. Following several trials, the Oxford company has operated the city’s pioneering park and ride
Park and ride
Park and ride facilities are car parks with connections to public transport that allow commuters and other people wishing to travel into city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system , or carpool for the rest of their trip...
bus services since 1978, the year in which the London express service on its present routing began.
In 1983 the operation was split into separate Oxford and South Midland units. The Oxford Bus Company was allocated the Oxford city services and the London routes, and South Midland was allocated the remainder of the network. Both companies were subject to management buyout
Management buyout
A management buyout is a form of acquisition where a company's existing managers acquire a large part or all of the company.- Overview :Management buyouts are similar in all major legal aspects to any other acquisition of a company...
s. The South Midland company was soon resold to Thames Transit
Thames Transit
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 called the Oxford Tube. It now carries about fifteen million passengers a year using just under 200 vehicles...
(later Stagecoach
Stagecoach South Midlands
Stagecoach in Oxfordshire is the name given to Stagecoach Group bus operations in the county of Oxfordshire, England. It used to be part of Stagecoach South Midlands along with Stagecoach in Warwickshire until March 2004.-History:...
) who introduced minibus
Minibus
A minibus or minicoach is a passenger carrying motor vehicle that is designed to carry more people than a multi-purpose vehicle or minivan, but fewer people than a full-size bus. In the United Kingdom, the word "minibus" is used to describe any full-sized passenger carrying van. Minibuses have a...
competition, countered by the Oxford Bus Company under the brand name Oxford City Nipper.
First Berkshire & The Thames Valley
First Berkshire & The Thames Valley is a bus operator serving Bracknell, Slough and Wokingham, in England. It is part of First Group, a major bus and train operator with a turnover of nearly £2.5 billion a year and 62,000 employees across the UK and North America...
, and ran them under the Wycombe Bus brand name. OBC was sold to the Go-Ahead Group
Go-Ahead Group
The Go-Ahead Group plc is a rail and bus operating company that was created following the privatisation of the UK's train and bus industries. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-Early history:...
in 1994. In 2000 Go-Ahead sold the High Wycombe operations to Arriva
Arriva Shires & Essex
Arriva Shires & Essex is a division of Arriva, with operations in Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and London. It is one of many private operators of London Buses. Until 2002 its operations included Colchester...
, who dropped the Wycombe Bus brand. In Oxford the name City Line was used before the present branding was adopted in 2000. The company's long-standing main depot site in Cowley Road, Oxford
Cowley Road, Oxford
Cowley Road is an arterial road in the city of Oxford, England, following a southeasterly route from the city centre at The Plain roundabout near Magdalen Bridge, through the inner city area of East Oxford, and into the industrial suburb of Cowley...
was abandoned in 2004 in favour of a new works in Watlington Road.
Recently, the Oxford Bus Company have replaced some of its older buses with the Mercedes-Benz O530 Citaro
Mercedes-Benz O530 Citaro
The Mercedes-Benz Citaro is the current Mercedes-Benz/EvoBus mainstream single-decker bus intended for public transport, introduced in 1997 and replaced the Mercedes-Benz O405/O405N series...
. Another 11 arrived at the end of 2006; these were "Euro V", a higher specification than at that date demanded by European emission standards
European emission standards
European emission standards define the acceptable limits for exhaust emissions of new vehicles sold in EU member states. The emission standards are defined in a series of European Union directives staging the progressive introduction of increasingly stringent standards.Currently, emissions of...
.
Brands
Oxford Bus Company currently operates services under five distinct brands:| Brand | Used for | Services | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oxford Bus Company / "City" | Local buses in and around Oxford. The "City" name has been introduced recently for the most frequent services, and the name appears on the sides of buses. At first designated to specific routes (i.e. "city 5") most buses now only display the general name. | All other normal bus services |  |
| Park & Ride | Express buses from the well-developed network of peripheral park and ride Park and ride Park and ride facilities are car parks with connections to public transport that allow commuters and other people wishing to travel into city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system , or carpool for the rest of their trip... car parks around the city. |
300, 400, 500 |  |
| Oxford Espress | Express coaches between Oxford and London Oxford to London coach route The Oxford to London coach route is an express coach route between Oxford and London along the M40 motorway. The Oxford Tube, which is operated by Stagecoach runs 5 coaches an hour via Lewknor, Hillingdon in west London, Shepherd's Bush and terminates in Buckingham Palace Road, Victoria... |
X90 |  |
| Airline | Express coaches between Oxford Oxford The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through... and London Heathrow or London Gatwick airports. |
X70, X80 |  |
| BROOKESbus | Local buses serving the campuses and halls of Oxford Brookes University Oxford Brookes University Oxford Brookes University is a new university in Oxford, England. It was named to honour the school's founding principal, John Brookes. It has been ranked as the best new university by the Sunday Times University Guide 10 years in a row... (previously run by Stagecoach Oxfordshire). |
U1 (NU1), U4, U5 (NU5), U5X |
Fleet
The fleet consists approximately 160 operational vehicles as of January 2009, consisting a wide variety of bus makes and types. The fleet is about 56% single-deck and 19% double-deck. Coaches make up around 25% of the fleet.The single-deck fleet contains a number of types. Three comparatively rare Dennis Dart SLF
Dennis Dart
The Dennis Dart is a rear-engined midibus built by Dennis in the United Kingdom. More than 11,000 were built during 18 years of production....
/Wright Crusader
Wright Crusader
The Wright Crusader is a single-decker bus body built by Wright on Dennis Dart SLF and Volvo B6LE chassis. The Wright Crusader 2 was built on the B6LE's successor, the Volvo B6BLE....
s were new in 1998. Two large batches of Volvo B10BLE
Volvo B10BLE
The Volvo B10BLE is a low-entry city bus chassis which was popular in Scandinavia, the United Kingdom and Australia. It was launched around 1992 with the engine mounted on the rear overhang of the bus. It was the successor of the citybus version of Volvo B10B and is used as a base for single-deck...
/Wright Renown
Wright Renown
The Wright Renown is a low floor single-deck bus body built on Volvo B10BLE chassis by Wright.Over 800 Renowns were built between 1997 and 2002, making it somewhat more successful than the B10L-based Liberator....
s in 1999 and 2000 total 21 of the type. In late 2002, the first of a batch of 5 Mercedes-Benz Citaro
Mercedes-Benz O530 Citaro
The Mercedes-Benz Citaro is the current Mercedes-Benz/EvoBus mainstream single-decker bus intended for public transport, introduced in 1997 and replaced the Mercedes-Benz O405/O405N series...
s arrived for new park and ride service 500 to the recently opened Water Eaton site. Following a fleet reshuffle which saw service 500 receive double decker buses, this fleet now all carry the standard 'city' livery. The original batch can be distinguished by the protruding destination display, all other examples in the fleet have swept back versions. A year later in December 2003 a further batch of 11 Citaros arrived, branded for routes X3 to Abingdon. Another batch of 10 arrived in December 2005 for route 2, followed by another 11 in December 2006. 11 more arrived in January 2008. The 2006 batch onwards is to the new Citaro design for the Euro 4 engine, although the Oxford examples are to Euro 5 specification. Half of the 2006 and the 2008 batch are branded for routes X3 and X13, which meant that the second batch were debranded and now work in generic livery.
The double-deckers in the fleet are Dennis Trident 2
Dennis Trident 2
Dennis Trident 2 is a 2-axle low-floor double-decker bus chassis originally built by Dennis in the United Kingdom, which was unveiled in 1997 and replaced the Dennis Arrow...
s. A batch of 20 with Alexander ALX400
Alexander ALX400
The Alexander ALX400 is a 2-axle double-decker bus body built by Walter Alexander Coachbuilders...
bodywork entered service in 1999. These were some of the first examples of the type. Originally 14 of the batch operated on park and ride services but are now being phased out in favour of 17 new diesel/electric hybrid ADL Enviro400H models. In 2007, 8 Tridents with Plaxton President
Plaxton President
The Plaxton President was a double-decker bus body built at Northern Counties plant in Wigan, England and branded as a Plaxton product for its main production run. It was unveiled in 1997 and built between 1999 and 2005. When Plaxton became part of TransBus International, the body was sold under...
bodywork were transferred from Go North East
Go North East
Go North East is the largest operator of bus services in North East England, United Kingdom. Go North East operates services in the counties of Tyne and Wear, County Durham and Northumberland...
for use on route 35/35A. These are restricted to certain routes as they are too high to fit under the Oxford station railway bridge.
Also the double-decker fleet includes 31 Scania N230UD with Alexander Dennis Enviro400 bodywork used for Brookes Bus services.
The large coach operation uses 37 vehicles. The Oxford Espress service uses most of a total of 12 (two batches in 2003 and 2004) Scania K114
Scania K114
The Scania K114 is a rear-engined bus built by Scania of Sweden with an 11-litre engine.It could be built as a coach or an intercity bus ....
s with Irizar
Irizar
Irizar Group is a Spanish-based builder of luxury coach vehicle bodies, established in 1889. It is located in Ormaiztegi in the Basque Country, Spain...
Century bodywork, as well as 6 2002 Volvo B12B
Volvo B12B
The Volvo B12B was a rear-engined coach and intercity bus chassis built by Volvo. It is built as a direct replacement of Volvo B12 in the European market and the Volvo B10B....
s with Jonckheere
Jonckheere
Jonckheere is a motor coach and bus builder, founded in 1881 by Henri Jonckheere in Roeselare, Belgium. Presently, the company is known as VDL Jonckheere.-History:...
Mistral bodywork. The Airline uses a fleet of 19 Volvo B12B/Plaxton Panthers new in 2008, as well as some of the Scania K114s.
Fleet summary
| Coaches | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chassis | Count | Body type | Image(s) |
| Scania K114 Scania K114 The Scania K114 is a rear-engined bus built by Scania of Sweden with an 11-litre engine.It could be built as a coach or an intercity bus .... |
12 | Irizar Irizar Irizar Group is a Spanish-based builder of luxury coach vehicle bodies, established in 1889. It is located in Ormaiztegi in the Basque Country, Spain... Century |
 |
| Volvo B12B Volvo B12B The Volvo B12B was a rear-engined coach and intercity bus chassis built by Volvo. It is built as a direct replacement of Volvo B12 in the European market and the Volvo B10B.... |
6 | Jonckheere Jonckheere Jonckheere is a motor coach and bus builder, founded in 1881 by Henri Jonckheere in Roeselare, Belgium. Presently, the company is known as VDL Jonckheere.-History:... Mistral |
 |
| Volvo B12B | 19 | Plaxton Panther Plaxton Paragon The Plaxton Paragon and Plaxton Panther are closely related designs of coach bodywork built by Plaxton in Scarborough, England, since 1999, and still in production as of 2009.... |
 |
| Double-deck | |||
| Chassis | Count | Body type | Image(s) |
| Dennis Trident 2 Dennis Trident 2 Dennis Trident 2 is a 2-axle low-floor double-decker bus chassis originally built by Dennis in the United Kingdom, which was unveiled in 1997 and replaced the Dennis Arrow... |
20 | Alexander ALX400 Alexander ALX400 The Alexander ALX400 is a 2-axle double-decker bus body built by Walter Alexander Coachbuilders... |
  |
| Dennis Trident 2 | 4 | Plaxton President Plaxton President The Plaxton President was a double-decker bus body built at Northern Counties plant in Wigan, England and branded as a Plaxton product for its main production run. It was unveiled in 1997 and built between 1999 and 2005. When Plaxton became part of TransBus International, the body was sold under... |
 |
| Scania N230UD | 31 | Alexander Dennis Enviro400 | |
| Single-deck | |||
| Chassis | Count | Body type | Image(s) |
| Volvo B10BLE Volvo B10BLE The Volvo B10BLE is a low-entry city bus chassis which was popular in Scandinavia, the United Kingdom and Australia. It was launched around 1992 with the engine mounted on the rear overhang of the bus. It was the successor of the citybus version of Volvo B10B and is used as a base for single-deck... |
31 | Wright Renown Wright Renown The Wright Renown is a low floor single-deck bus body built on Volvo B10BLE chassis by Wright.Over 800 Renowns were built between 1997 and 2002, making it somewhat more successful than the B10L-based Liberator.... |
   |
| Mercedes-Benz Citaro | 48 | Integral |   |
See also
- Oxford Bus MuseumOxford Bus MuseumThe Oxford Bus Museum, of buses and other road transport associated with Oxfordshire, England, is in Long Hanborough, near Oxford.The museum collection was established by the Oxford Bus Preservation Syndicate, who acquired a 1949 semi-coach in 1967...
- Oxford to London coach routeOxford to London coach routeThe Oxford to London coach route is an express coach route between Oxford and London along the M40 motorway. The Oxford Tube, which is operated by Stagecoach runs 5 coaches an hour via Lewknor, Hillingdon in west London, Shepherd's Bush and terminates in Buckingham Palace Road, Victoria...
- List of bus operators of the United Kingdom