The park-and-ride network in Oxford will become free to use for an initial three-month trial period from 29 October when a temporary congestion charge is introduced to the city.
Traffic difficulties in the city centre while Botley Road railway bridge is closed are the reason for the temporary £5 charge for cars and motorhomes. Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) says it will be in place until Botley Road reopens, which is expected in August 2026. The closure has been in place since April 2023.
Bus operators, taxi companies and active travel groups in Oxford have advocated the temporary congestion charge, with Oxford Bus Company Managing Director Luke Marion previously describing the city as suffering from a “congestion emergency”.
Other service improvements will be made by the Go-Ahead subsidiary from 9 November as part of the Oxfordshire Bus Enhanced Partnership. The operator has calculated that the temporary congestion change will release seven buses from its city network. They will be redeployed to enhance other services.
On park-and-ride routes, travellers holding a valid car parking ticket from any of the five sites will be able to obtain a free return ticket to any Oxford destination from the bus driver.
Improvements to frequencies will be made on the park-and-ride network and orbital links to the east of Oxford will see similar benefits. Among other changes will be a new service 20.
Some journey times will be cut, and a new night bus service will debut, although two routes will see a reduction in frequency to better match demand. Sister business Thames Travel will additionally improve its H2 route at peak hours and weekends. It serves eastern and northern parts of Oxford.
Speaking about the changes, Mr Marion says: “We have worked closely with Oxfordshire County Council to identify the best ways to improve the network following the decision to introduce temporary congestion charging, making use of modelling data predicting the impact of traffic volumes across the network.
“It has result in us now being able to introduce a significant round of improvements to our network, which demonstrates the impact that congestion has had on Oxford and what can be achieved with improved flow of traffic on bus routes.”
Mr Marion has thanked OCC for its support and what he describes as a “bold approach” to seeking solutions via partnership working to improve the attractiveness of bus travel.
