Oxford News
New bus services to better connect Oxford to the Cotswolds
Stagecoach have announced ‘major enhancements’ to the bus services between Oxford and West Oxfordshire once the Botley Road, a key route into the city from the west, reopens.
The Botley Road is currently set to be reopened to traffic after three years of full closure on September 20, after the original planned reopening date was pushed back by three weeks.
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The changes to the bus network will include new S1A and S1 services, providing up to six buses per hour between Witney and Oxford via the A40.
This will together equate to a bus available every 15 minutes between Oxford, Botley, Farmoor, Eynsham and Witney, with each service operating every 30 minutes.
The S1 will continue beyond Witney to Carterton, while the new S1A will serve the Downs Road Industrial Estate and the Windrush Estate before returning to Oxford.
After the Botley Road reopens, the S6 will be extended to Gloucester Green Bus station with a revised timetable to ‘improve reliability’, particularly during peak times.
Plus, the S9 bus will provide new direct links from Wantage, Cumnor and Botley to the John Radcliffe Hospital.
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Martin Gibbon, managing director of Stagecoach West, said: “We’ve been looking carefully at how we can improve the network for our customers following the reopening of Botley Road, and these changes represent a significant enhancement to connectivity for our local communities.
“These changes will also make it easier for customers to connect across the wider network, take advantage of bus priority measures within Oxford and benefit from the capped £3 fare.
“We know how important reliable, frequent and straightforward bus services are to the communities we serve.
“These changes represent a significant investment in the corridor and are designed to make it easier for customers to connect with Oxford and across West Oxfordshire, helping them get where they need to go.”
A host of other timetable changes include extending selected school day journeys on the S1 service to Burford, for pupils at Burford School, and boosting the S2 to operate every 30 minutes between Carterton, Witney and Oxford, cutting the Eynsham village stop which will be served through the S1 and S1A buses.
The S3 timetable will be adjusted to ‘reflect customer demand’, and journeys operating to Charlbury will be renamed the S3A to make it clearer where it stops.
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The S5 bus will return to stopping at all stops along the Banbury Road following a trial of limited stopping, and will receive other changes to ‘improve punctuality’.
Several services will be retendered to other operators, including the 29, H5, and 25, as well as buses serving Risinghurst, while the E1 and 14 buses will be incorporated into other Stagecoach routes.
Stagecoach said Detailed timetables and implementation dates will be published ahead of the changes.
The closure affects the route between the A420 and Coxwell Road near Great Coxwell to allow for carriageway widening and the construction of a new signal-controlled junction.
The closure, in effect 24 hours a day, will begin on September 7, 2026, and is expected to remain in place until April 16, 2027.
An alternative route will be signposted via the A420, London Street, Coxwell Street, and Coxwell Road.
The order, issued by Oxfordshire County Council under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, will remain in force for up to 18 months if necessary.
Exemptions are included for emergency vehicles, and signage will be in place to advise drivers of the closure.
The coffee dispenser at the Headington Waitrose is out of order and not for the first time according to reports, leaving customers disappointed they can no longer access their free cappuccino or flat white using their Waitrose card.
The Headington News said: “The Headington Waitrose free coffee machine is out of order again today (Saturday 29 August).”
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The notice on the machine at the store in Old High Street says: “The coffee machine is currently out of order. Apologies for the inconvenience.”
The issue is not a universal problem – coffee machines at other Waitrose stores are working well.
The Waitrose chain, owned by the John Lewis Partnership, restored its free coffee offer in January 2025.
Following outrage over the withdrawal of the offer during the pandemic, the company told the nine million members on its My Waitrose loyalty scheme they would again be entitled to a complementary americano, cappuccino, latte or tea once a day regardless of whether they bought anything – as long as they have their own reusable cup.
In a statement, Waitrose said at the time: “Some of our My Waitrose members like to have the free coffee before they shop or during the shop, rather than afterwards, so we are just offering a bit of flexibility in response to customer feedback.”
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There were queues at coffee stations and complaints from customers that the offer was attracting the “wrong type of shopper” when Waitrose introduced the perk in 2013.
In 2017, it cracked down on ‘freeloaders’ by forcing members to buy something before pouring themselves a free hot drink.
The scheme was scrapped during the Covid crisis, but reintroduced in November 2022 – again for customers making a purchases. This is no longer a requirement.
Thames Valley Police has launched an investigation after a pigeon was killed in a wildlife crime incident in Plover Drive, Oxford, at around 6.50pm on August 24.
The force said that two teenage boys used a catapult to knock a pigeon from a tree before the bird was attacked by three smaller terrier-type dogs that were with them.
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Descriptions of the two boys have been released with the first described as wearing a black sleeveless vest, dark-coloured bottoms, black trainers with white soles.
In addition he had a black-and-white flat-peaked cap worn backwards and was believed to have been carrying a catapult.
The second was reportedly wearing a light-coloured T-shirt and blue jeans, with brown, medium-length hair.
He was also seen carrying an unidentified item.
A spokesperson for the police said: “We are keen to hear from anyone who witnessed this incident or who may recognise those involved from the descriptions above.
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“We would also like to hear from anyone with dashcam footage from the Plover Drive area between 6.30pm and 7pm on 24 August that may assist our investigation.
“Wildlife crime has a real impact on our communities, and we take reports of offences against wild animals and birds seriously.
” If you have any information, please contact the force on 101 or report online, quoting reference 43260448136.”
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