45-535: Stagecoach in Oxfordshire is the trading name of Thames Transit Ltd. It is a bus operator serving the county of Oxfordshire , England. Since 1997 has been a subsidiary of Stagecoach Group , and since February 2021 it has been part of Stagecoach West , managed from the latter's headquarters in Gloucester. In 1987 Harry Blundred, a former bus driver and controller from Devon , founded both Thames Transit and
90-594: A building of outstanding historic and architectural interest. It is considered to be a 'textbook' example of the English medieval manor house and is a Grade I-listed building. 51°45′N 1°17′W / 51.75°N 1.28°W / 51.75; -1.28 Stagecoach West Stagecoach West is a bus operator providing services in Gloucestershire , Bristol , Swindon , Oxfordshire , Wiltshire , North Somerset and Herefordshire , in
135-490: A fleet of 176 buses. Stagecoach Oxfordshire has a young fleet. This is partly due to Oxford's Low Emission Zone, which allows only buses with exhaust systems of at least Euro V standard or better to serve the city centre. Stagecoach Oxfordshire has replaced most of its fleet to meet this requirement. Oxford depot also has three out-stations at Bicester , Chipping Norton and Grove . Chipping Norton out-station has previously been used by Witney depot. Grove out-station houses
180-462: A fleet of 32 Plaxton Panorama double decker coaches on limited stops services between Oxford and London Victoria . On 3 March 2014 Stagecoach Group announced its biggest vehicle order to date. Costing Stagecoach over £100 million in total, it included 26 new VanHool TX Astromega coaches to operate the Oxford Tube service. The first of the new coaches entered service on 16 July 2014 with
225-563: A fleet of 46 new double-decker buses. On 15 January 2024, the Oxford SmartZone was officially relaunched as an enhanced partnership between Stagecoach West and the Oxford Bus Company, with the aim to reduce bus journey times by 10%. Orders for battery electric buses have been funded for both operators, with Stagecoach West taking delivery of the first of 55 'electro'-branded Alexander Dennis Enviro400EVs for use in
270-598: A large number of leading independent schools, including public schools such as Radley College . The county has two universities: the ancient University of Oxford and the modern Oxford Brookes University , which are both located in Oxford. In addition, Wroxton College , located in Banbury , is affiliated with Fairleigh Dickinson University of New Jersey . The "dreaming spires" of the University of Oxford are among
315-957: A new route created in January 2017 between Woodstock and Oxford via Kidlington and Oxford Parkway . Route 7 was given Stagecoach Gold status with brand new Enviro400 MMC vehicles delivered to Stagecoach in Oxfordshire in December 2016. This service now has been extended to Witney from Woodstock and has been renamed the S7 to match the Superior branding. Routes X30, 31, and 34 between Wantage and Oxford were upgraded to Stagecoach Gold status in January 2017. The services received new Stagecoach Gold specification Enviro400 MMC vehicles that were delivered to Stagecoach in December 2016. Routes 31 and X30 were renumbered S8 & S9 respectively on 22 October 2017. In January 2022, services S8 and 34 passed to Thames Travel ,
360-562: A successor to the Plus+Pass scheme, which had ceased operations three years earlier. This ticketing scheme, introduced by Oxfordshire County Council following the passage of the Local Transport Act 2008 , allowed for bus users in Oxford to buy and use one paper ticket until its expiry on services operated by both Stagecoach and the Oxford Bus Company, who worked with the council to introduce coordinated service timetables using
405-738: Is White Horse Hill (261-metre (856 ft)), part of the Berkshire Downs. Oxfordshire was recorded as a county in the early years of the 10th century and lies between the River Thames to the south, the Cotswolds to the west, the Chilterns to the east and the Midlands to the north, with spurs running south to Henley-on-Thames and north to Banbury . Although it had some significance as an area of valuable agricultural land in
450-477: Is responsible for the most strategic local government functions, including schools, county roads and social services . The county is divided into five local government districts : Oxford , Cherwell , Vale of White Horse (after the Uffington White Horse ), West Oxfordshire and South Oxfordshire , which deal with such matters as town and country planning , waste collection and housing. In
495-560: Is to be noted however, that often the bus routes will not be operated by their "Gold" branded buses. In addition to the routes operated by Stagecoach in Oxfordshire, Stagecoach West also operates route S6 which runs between Swindon and Oxford via Faringdon . In 2008 route 20, operating between Chipping Norton and Oxford, and route 20A, operating between Charlbury and Oxford, were combined to create route S3 operating alternately Oxford – Woodstock – Charlbury and Oxford – Woodstock – Chipping Norton. The service serves Blenheim Palace. Route S3
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#1732783306013540-668: The 2016 European Union referendum , Oxfordshire was the only English county as a whole to vote to remain in the European Union by a significant margin, at 57.06% (70.27% in the City of Oxford), despite Cherwell (barely) voting to leave at 50.31%. Oxfordshire has a comprehensive education system with 23 independent schools and 35 state secondary schools. Only eight schools do not have a sixth form ; these are mostly in South Oxfordshire and Cherwell districts. Oxfordshire has
585-646: The Caversham area of Reading , now administratively in Berkshire , was historically part of Oxfordshire, as was the parish of Stokenchurch , now administratively in Buckinghamshire . The areas of Oxford city south of the Thames, such as Grandpont , were transferred much earlier, in 1889. Oxfordshire includes parts of three Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty . In the north-west lie the Cotswolds ; to
630-534: The Oxford Bus Company . Oxford is one of the few UK cities where such free and unsubsidised competition, as envisaged by the architects of bus deregulation in the 1980s, still exists. In 2010 it was announced that Oxford Bus Company and Stagecoach in Oxfordshire, in consultation with Oxfordshire County Council , had agreed a Bus Quality Partnership as enabled by the Local Transport Act 2008 . The partnership would improved multi-operator ticketing across
675-491: The battle of Blenheim . The gardens, which can be visited, were designed by the landscape gardener "Capability" Brown , who planted the trees in the battle formation of the victorious army. Sir Winston Churchill was born in the palace in 1874. It is open to the public. Chastleton House , on the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire borders, is a great country mansion built on property bought from Robert Catesby , who
720-439: The City and co-ordinate bus timetables on the four busiest shared routes. On 15 July 2010 Stagecoach in Oxfordshire introduced a fleet of 26 Alexander Dennis Enviro400 H diesel-electric hybrid buses on Oxford – Cowley – Blackbird Leys route 1 and Oxford – Kidlington routes 7A/7B (now 2/2A/2B). Double deckers were chosen over single deckers as a result of the co-ordinated timetables and reduced frequencies to be introduced under
765-622: The Middle Ages and early modern period. The area was part of the Cotswolds wool trade from the 13th century, generating much wealth, particularly in the western portions of the county in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds. Morris Motors was founded in Oxford in 1912, bringing heavy industry to an otherwise agricultural county. The role of agriculture as an employer declined rapidly in the 20th century; currently under one per cent of
810-482: The Midlands and follows the Cherwell from Banbury via Kidlington into the city of Oxford, where these join the navigable Thames. About 15% of the historically named Wilts & Berks Canal , in sporadic sections, has been restored to navigability, including the county-relevant 140 metres near Abingdon-on-Thames where it could, if restored, meet the Thames. Oxfordshire contains a green belt area that fully envelops
855-614: The Oxford Tube. In 1997 Stagecoach Group bought both operations from Blundred and merged them with Stagecoach Midland Red . Stagecoach South Midlands operated four brands: In July 2002 the Banbury and Oxford brands were merged as "Stagecoach in Oxfordshire". In March 2004 Stagecoach in Oxfordshire and Stagecoach in Warwickshire were split into two divisions with those names. Stagecoach buses in Oxford, and from Oxford to Abingdon and Kidlington , compete with local buses operated by
900-557: The S8 was renumbered X1, furthermore the S9 had its frequency increased to every 20 minutes on Mondays to Saturdays & every 30 minutes on Sundays. Stagecoach Oxfordshire operated route 737 from Oxford Gloucester Green to Stansted Airport under contract to National Express from March 2007 until June 2013. This route is now operated on behalf of National Express by the Oxford Bus Company . As of December 2016, Stagecoach Oxfordshire operated
945-809: The Stagecoach West fleet consists of 270 buses and coaches. Stagecoach West mainly operates local bus services in Gloucestershire , Bristol , Herefordshire , Wiltshire , Oxfordshire and into South Gloucestershire , although some routes serve more distant destinations including Brackley , Hereford , Monmouth and Bath . Routes branded as Stagecoach Gold have vehicles of a higher specification and provide more frequent, higher profile or interurban journeys. These services are: Gloucester depot's 10 and 97/98 services were previously among these Gold routes, however in June 2021, 21 new Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC bodied Scania N250UD double-decker buses in
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#1732783306013990-815: The Swindon and District bus operation would follow in 1985. In 1986, in preparation for the break-up of the National Bus Company as a result of bus deregulation , all company assets were transferred to a new legal entity named Western Travel. Western Travel was the fourth NBC subsidiary to be privatised following deregulation, being purchased in a £1 million (equivalent to £3,701,000 in 2023) management buyout in November 1986. The Cheltenham and Gloucester and Swindon and District companies were maintained as subsidiaries, joined in December 1987 by Midland Red South following Western Travel's purchase of
1035-648: The Wantage fleet. It used to house the Didcot fleet, but Stagecoach no longer operates in Didcot. Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( / ˈ ɒ k s f ər d ʃ ər , - ʃ ɪər / OKS -fərd-shər, -sheer ; abbreviated Oxon ) is a ceremonial county in South East England . The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to
1080-704: The West of England. The company is a subsidiary of the Stagecoach Group . On 11 September 1983, the National Bus Company (NBC) split its loss-making Bristol Omnibus operation into three separate companies, with Gloucestershire-based operations transferred to a new company named the Cheltenham and Gloucester Omnibus Company. The NBC's National Travel (South) coaching operation would be transferred to Cheltenham and Gloucester during 1984, while
1125-711: The centre of the country, it was largely ignored by the Romans and did not grow in importance until the formation of a settlement at Oxford in the 8th century. Alfred the Great was born across the Thames in Wantage , in the Vale of White Horse. The University of Oxford was founded in 1096, although its collegiate structure did not develop until later on. The university in the county town of Oxford (whose name came from Anglo-Saxon Oxenaford = "ford for oxen ") grew in importance during
1170-548: The city in the middle, runs the Thames with its flat floodplains. This river forms the historic limit with Berkshire , remaining so on some lowest reaches. The Thames Path National Trail follows the river from upper estuary to a source. Many smaller rivers in the county feed into the Thames, such as the Thame , Windrush , Evenlode and Cherwell . Some of these have trails running along their valleys. The Oxford Canal links to
1215-607: The city of Oxford and extends for some miles to protect surrounding towns and villages from inappropriate development and urban growth. Its border in the east extends to the Buckinghamshire county boundary, while part of its southern border is shared with the North Wessex Downs AONB . It was first drawn up in the 1950s, and all of the county's districts contain some portion of the belt. The Oxfordshire County Council , since 2013 under no overall control ,
1260-603: The company's owners from 2017 onwards, in September 2019, Stagecoach West took over the 53-vehicle South Gloucestershire Bus & Coach business for an undisclosed sum after the SGBC's owners decided to step down. This takeover saw 100 employees transferring to Stagecoach West, with Stagecoach taking on SGBC's existing local bus and private hire work in the Bristol area, as well as their Megabus contract. In February 2021, it
1305-659: The company. Among other acquisitions in and around their operating area, the company would go on to acquire the eastern division of National Welsh Omnibus Services in February 1991, reforming the division as a reconstituted Red & White Services , which was based out of depots in Cwmbran , Chepstow , Brynmawr and Crosskeys , with an additional depot in Merthyr Tydfil opening in May 1993. After having also purchased
1350-614: The county south of the River Thames , largely corresponding to the Vale of White Horse district, was historically part of Berkshire . The lowlands in the centre of the county are crossed by the River Thames and its tributaries, the valleys of which are separated by low hills. The south contains parts of the Berkshire Downs and Chiltern Hills , and the north-west includes part of the Cotswolds ; all three regions are Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty . The county's highest point
1395-565: The county's population are involved due to high mechanisation. Nevertheless, Oxfordshire remains a very agricultural county by land use, with a lower population than neighbouring Berkshire and Buckinghamshire, which are both smaller. During most of its history, the county was partitioned as fourteen divisions called hundreds , namely Bampton , Banbury , Binfield , Bloxham , Bullingdon , Chadlington , Dorchester , Ewelme , Langtree , Lewknor , Pyrton , Ploughley , Thame and Wootton . The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry ,
Stagecoach in Oxfordshire - Misplaced Pages Continue
1440-796: The entire fleet following shortly after. The new coaches increased comfort and facilities for passengers including more leg room, 4G WiFi, power sockets and USB ports in selected seats and a brand new audio information system providing passengers with departure and arrival information and the top deck also features a panoramic glass sun roof allowing more natural light into the coach. In 2020, Stagecoach announced that it would replace their current Tube fleet with 34 new Plaxton Panorama vehicles, built on Volvo B11RLE chassis. In 2023, Stagecoach added services via High Wycombe Coachway, and also starting in Carterton and operating via Witney and Eynsham . Stagecoach in Oxfordshire operates several routes under
1485-477: The group's replacement "Long Distance" livery were delivered for service on the routes. The Oxford Tube service is a limited-stop express coach service between Oxford and Victoria Coach Station in London , using a fleet of 34 Plaxton Panorama double-decker coaches on Volvo B11RLE chassis, uniquely equipped with solar panels on the roof, which began to enter service on the route from October 2020. The service
1530-413: The independent Circle Line of Gloucester earlier in the year, Western Travel was purchased by Stagecoach Holdings in November 1993 for £9.25 million (equivalent to £23,800,000 in 2023). Red & White's Welsh operations would be transferred to what is today Stagecoach South Wales , with the remainder of Western Travel eventually rebranded as Stagecoach West. Having worked in partnership with
1575-638: The main army unit in the area, was based at Cowley Barracks on Bullingdon Green, Cowley . The Vale of White Horse district and parts of the South Oxfordshire administrative district south of the River Thames were historically part of Berkshire , but, in 1974, Abingdon , Didcot , Faringdon , Wallingford and Wantage were added to the administrative county of Oxfordshire under the Local Government Act 1972 . Conversely,
1620-517: The premium Stagecoach Gold brand. The Stagecoach Gold brand was introduced in Oxfordshire in 2009 with the creation of the first S-Series (Superior Series) routes. The Stagecoach Gold brand is currently used on several long-distance routes in the county. The Gold branded buses feature a special Gold and blue coloured livery along with high-back leather seats and free on-board Wi-Fi (currently disabled due to running costs). The newer Gold vehicles used on routes S7/S3, and S9 also include USB charging ports. It
1665-523: The quality partnership. As newer buses joined the Oxfordshire fleet, the Enviro400H hybrids were transferred first to Oxford – Rose Hill route 3, then to Kidlington – Headington route 700 and now to Oxford – Cowley – Headington route 10. In October 2016 Stagecoach announced the introduction of new electronic ticket machines to enable passengers to pay by contactless payment card or by smartphone using Apple Pay or Google Pay . Stagecoach in Oxfordshire
1710-676: The reasons for which Oxford is the sixth most visited city in the United Kingdom by international visitors. Among many notable University buildings are the Sheldonian Theatre , built 1664–68 to the design of Sir Christopher Wren , and the Radcliffe Camera , built 1737–49 to the design of James Gibbs . Blenheim Palace , close to Woodstock , was designed and partly built by the architect John Vanbrugh for John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough , after he had won
1755-610: The south and south-east are the open chalk hills of the North Wessex Downs and the wooded hills of the Chilterns . The north of the county contains the ironstone of the Cherwell uplands. Long-distance walks within the county include the Ridgeway National Trail , Macmillan Way , Oxfordshire Way and the D’Arcy Dalton Way. From the mid-point western edge to the southeast corner of Oxfordshire, via
1800-454: The south, and Wiltshire and Gloucestershire to the west. The city of Oxford is the largest settlement and county town . The county is largely rural, with an area of 2,605 km (1,006 sq mi) and a population of 691,667. After Oxford (162,100), the largest settlements are Banbury (54,355) and Abingdon-on-Thames (37,931). For local government purposes Oxfordshire is a non-metropolitan county with five districts. The part of
1845-637: Was announced that Stagecoach West would merge with neighbouring Stagecoach Oxfordshire , with the headquarters of the combined operating company located in Gloucester. Stagecoach West would take on Stagecoach Oxfordshire's three depots in Banbury , Oxford and Witney and outstations at Bicester , Chipping Norton and Grove , along with around 500 vehicles and the Oxford Tube coach service between Oxford and London . Stagecoach West has eight depots: There are also outstations at Bicester , Coleford , Chipping Norton and Grove . As of October 2022,
Stagecoach in Oxfordshire - Misplaced Pages Continue
1890-468: Was founded in 1987 by Thames Transit in competition with the Oxford Bus Company 's X90 service , withdrawn in January 2020 as it had become unprofitable, and was originally operated by Stagecoach Oxfordshire before being included in the merger with Stagecoach West in February 2021. Stagecoach West's operations in the City of Oxford, in partnership with the Oxford Bus Company, are part of Oxford SmartZone joint ticketing scheme, launched on 24 July 2011 as
1935-652: Was one of the men involved in the Gunpowder Plot with Guy Fawkes . Stonor Park , another country mansion, has belonged to the recusant Stonor family for centuries. Mapledurham House is an Elizabethan stately home in the south-east of the county, close to Reading . The Abbey in Sutton Courtenay is a medieval courtyard house . It has been recognised by the Historic Building Council for England (now Historic England ) as
1980-403: Was the first Stagecoach division to receive these new machines for both local services and the Oxford Tube, making Stagecoach in Oxfordshire the first major operator to accept contactless payments outside London. In February 2021 Stagecoach Group announced that Stagecoach in Oxfordshire would merge with Stagecoach West as part of a revised business structure. The Oxford Tube currently operates
2025-400: Was upgraded to Stagecoach Gold status in September 2012 with the delivery of nine new Stagecoach Gold specification ADL Enviro400 bodied Scania N230UD buses for the service. In 2009 routes 27/27A/27B/X27 between Bicester and Oxford were rebranded as route S5. The route was subsequently upgraded to Stagecoach Gold in January 2012 with a fleet of 11 new Gold branded Enviro400 buses. Route 7 was
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