Public voting has opened for the 2026 edition of the Brand the Bus competition, the annual initiative run by Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel. This year, 71 charities and community groups across Oxfordshire are competing for a prize package worth £100,000.
Members of the public can now select their preferred organisation ahead of the deadline on 30 April. Once voting closes, the 10 most popular entries will be shortlisted and assessed by an expert panel, which will select the overall winner.
The winning organisation will receive a year-long full-wrap advertisement on a zero-emission double-decker bus, alongside additional promotional support including on-bus advertising, radio airtime and designation as Oxford City Football Club’s charity of choice for the 2026/27 season.
In addition to the main prize, a runner-up package valued at £5,000 will also be awarded, including on-bus digital advertising.
Comments Luke Marion, Managing Director of Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel: “We’re really pleased to have received nominations from a wide range of fantastic causes across Oxfordshire. The sheer number of entrants and interest in Brand the Bus this year demonstrates the scope of the competition and the positive impact it can have on local organisations.
“Brand the Bus continues to build and grow year-on-year, and we’re incredibly proud of what it continues to achieve.”
Last year’s competition saw children’s mental health charity One-Eighty named as the winner, while children’s hospice Helen and Douglas House was selected as the first-ever runner-up.
Previous winners include Girlguiding Oxfordshire, Home-Start Oxfordshire, Blue Skye Thinking, Restore, SeeSaw, and Oxford Hospitals Charity.
