People who visit, live or work in Oxfordshire are urged to have their say on the county’s bus network and services.

Oxfordshire County Council has started a consultation process to find out people’s views on the service that is provided now and what people would like to see in the future. People can have their say by visiting Let’s Talk Oxfordshire, the council’s new digital consultation and engagement platform. The survey is open until Monday 13 September.

The results will help the council agree a Bus Service Improvement Plan with bus operator partners to send to the government this October, which will help unlock funding to improve Oxfordshire’s bus services.

Councillor Tim Bearder, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways Management, said: “We would like to hear from people about what they think we should be telling the government. We need to concentrate on the issues which matter most to bus users and to people who might consider using the bus instead of driving.

“The main purpose of this survey is to help us to prioritise which aspects of bus services in Oxfordshire we should improve, by finding out what would make people use buses more – which is one of the council’s priorities when it comes to transport. We are excited about the opportunity this presents and want to ensure that our improvement plan reflects the views of Oxfordshire’s residents and those visiting or working in the county.”

In March 2021, the government published its National Bus Strategy which sets out a framework for how bus services can recover from the Covid-19 pandemic and its vision for future improvements across England.

To meet this challenge, Oxfordshire County Council is working with local bus companies to create the Bus Service Improvement Plan. This will involve developing bold plans for improving Oxfordshire’s bus services and encouraging more people to use them.

The government has pledged £3 billion nationwide to help deliver these plans, and Oxfordshire is aiming to secure as much of this funding as it can