Oxfordshire County Council is masterminding a rationalisation of routes in the Oxford area, ending joint operation on some, with others changing hands.
The new network will start on January 2, 2022, and sees several routes in the city cease to be jointly operated. Stagecoach will become the sole operator of route 2 buses northwards to Summertown and Kidlington, with Oxford Bus also giving up its route 500 to Woodstock via Oxford Parkway, in favour of Stagecoach route 7. In turn, Oxford Bus becomes sole operator of route 3 in the south of the city, while in the same area, it is also taking over Stagecoach routes 12 and 16, but in a revised format as 3A and 5A. Routes 1/5 to Blackbird Leys and 8 to Barton will remain as joint operations.
Stagecoach's S8 and 34 between Oxford, Abingdon and Wantage passes to Thames Travel as the X1 and 34, while Oxford Bus is to take over from sister subsidiary Thames Travel the 'River Rapid' routes to Henley and Reading, along with service 11 to Watlington.
