Stagecoach West will add extra trips to the timetable of its Oxford Tube service between the university city and London from 20 June to accommodate an expected patronage increase over the peak summer season.
The operator says that more journeys on weekday evenings will be complemented by additional departures during the Friday PM peak and an “extended service” on Saturdays. It notes that the enhanced timetable comes as Oxford Tube looks towards a first normal summer since 2019.
Stagecoach adds that four additional coaches are to be brought into use to facilitate the timetable uplift. They will not be drawn from the 10 Plaxton Panorama-bodied Volvo B11RLEs that were part of 34 originally ordered for Oxford Tube but which were diverted to Stagecoach in Scotland after the COVID-19 pandemic broke. Instead, they will be Van Hool Astromegas that were previously utilised on the service.
Speaking about the timetable increase, Stagecoach West Managing Director Rachel Geliamassi says: “We are delighted to be introducing these updates to our ever-popular Oxford Tube service as we seen people flock back to the capital and Oxford now we are free from restrictions.
“These improvements to our timetable will provide customers with more departure choices and a greater degree of flexibility, making it easier for people to enjoy travel over the holiday period as the leisure market returns to normal.
“We are really encouraged to see our existing customers return and are also excited to be welcoming new customers on board as confidence is growing with people getting out and experiencing new things.”
