A report into the feasibility of bus franchising and other options in Oxfordshire has recommended an Enhanced Partnership Plus (EP+) approach.
The proposal will be recommended to Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet on 21 October.
If the council approves the plans, it would mean a strengthening of the existing Enhanced Partnership between the council and local bus operators.
It would also end further work on bus franchising or municipal operation in Oxfordshire “at the current time”.
A study by a consultant commissioned in November 2024 analysed the costs, benefits, and impacts of options relevant to bus operations in Oxfordshire.
In supporting the EP+ option, the report says “further work is required to explore and negotiate the scope of the EP+, to ensure this delivers improvements and benefits in line with corporate priorities and available budgets”. Following this work, a firm EP+ proposal would be put before the cabinet for later approval.
The report adds that the proposal “does not preclude the option of franchising in the future, particularly as the legislative and local government landscape evolves”.
The EP+ plan would build on the existing Enhanced Partnership “by introducing more ambitious commitments, for example, joint network planning, (greater) interoperable ticketing, and unified branding”.
Councillor Andrew Gant, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport Management, says: “As a council we have a good, close working relationship with our bus operators and regularly discuss matters such as routes and ticketing to help deliver the service that people in Oxfordshire need.”
He adds: “For many reasons, including geography and historic relationships with the bodies that run the bus services, there is no common solution that suits everywhere. Just because something works well in one part of the country, doesn’t necessarily mean it will work in Oxfordshire.”
Among the biggest challenges faced by the Enhanced Partnership is congestion in Oxford. Problems worsened by closure of Botley Road have led to what Oxford Bus Company Managing Director Luke Marion has described as a “congestion emergency“.
Mr Gant says: “We remain committed to tackling the biggest challenge facing bus services in Oxfordshire – congestion, which increases bus journey times and impacts on service reliability and punctuality.
“A change of model alone would not address these challenges. I look forward to discussing the officer recommendations with cabinet colleagues on 21 October.”
