Oxfordshire County Council has approved seven vehicle improvement grant applications that will collectively help fund 13 new electric buses, convert two existing minibuses from diesel to electric power, and deliver passenger enhancements to many other vehicles.

The grants have been awarded under the council’s vehicle improvement fund, new for 2025/26, and funded through the Bus Grant awarded by the government.

The fund was open to all operators of local bus services in Oxfordshire. The initiative has attracted an additional £4.056m in collective investment from the operators, which will result in improvements in vehicles totalling £5.461m.

Councillor Andrew Gant, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport Management, said: “This is really good news and an excellent example of partnership working delivering real benefit and value to our residents.

“The purchase of new electric vehicles and improvements to existing ones has been made possible by the council’s continued close working relationship with our bus operators through our Enhanced Partnership, soon to be strengthened further. We look forward to seeing passengers using them in the future.”

Successful bids included the Oxford Bus Company’s parent group Go-Ahead, which was awarded £1.204m towards the purchase of 13 new single deck electric buses to serve the Oxfordshire area.

Luke Marion, Managing Director of Oxford Bus Company, said: “This is another significant sustainability milestone for the Oxfordshire bus network and takes the total number of electric buses now operating in our Oxfordshire fleet to 117.

“The investment from Oxfordshire County Council has been supported by an additional £3.9m investment from our business, and collectively this enables us to expand our fleet of electric buses on to more routes outside the Oxford SmartZone, further improving air quality for local communities.

“The result of strong partnership working, I’d like to thank Oxfordshire County Council and Go-Ahead Group for supporting this investment.”

Reading Buses was awarded £60,000 to improve the passenger experience in four vehicles which serve Peppard Common, including installing USB chargers, 5G ready Wi-Fi and tap-out readers.

Three community transport operators have also received grants.

West Oxfordshire Community Transport (WOCT) was awarded a total of £138,605 towards the cost of converting two diesel minibuses into fully electric vehicles, install EV charging equipment and fit internal and external CCTV camera systems on all its vehicles.

WOCT is a community owned cooperative, running nine bus routes across west Oxfordshire and providing vital transport links for the local community.

Andrew Lyon, Chief Executive of West Oxfordshire Community Transport, said: “We are very excited regarding the opportunities provided by the VIF grants. The first grant will provide cameras for our buses, which will enhance safety for both our drivers and passengers.

“The second grant will enable us to explore the possibility of converting redundant diesel buses to electric vehicles. Conversion of redundant buses is a double win for the environment.

“Conversion means the carbon emissions produced during both manufacture and operation are drastically reduced. In addition, as far as we know, this conversion has not been attempted before. If the project is successful, it will provide a template for the future.”

First and Last Mile, a volunteer led company serving rural villages in the Eynsham area, received £1,536 to convert a minibus passenger door and step from manual to electric operation to improve efficiency and accessibility.

Our Bus Bartons will use its £385 grant to design, manufacture and install additional safety rails to help passengers board and disembark their two electric minibuses.

Community transport is part of the voluntary sector and plays a key role in filling gaps in service where public transport is not available. It helps provide safe, accessible, cost effective, flexible transport run by the community for the community in rural and urban areas.

It is hoped that the vehicle improvement fund will be repeated in future years to build on the decarbonisation and passenger improvements delivered by the ZEBRA scheme, which funded 159 electric buses to serve Oxfordshire.

Anyone wanting to support WOCT can visit its crowdfunding page Ignite the next mile.

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Oxfordshire County Council is awarding the grants, ranging from £500 to £36,000, to fund new routes and services, vehicle running costs, and drivers’ expenses.

Councillor Andrew Gant, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport Management, said: “Oxfordshire’s community transport sector is a lifeline to many people who don’t drive or don’t have a car.

“The grants will make a big difference to all four organisations and help them to continue the great work they are doing. We are extremely grateful for all the work they and other community transport groups do to make life easier for residents.”

The recipients, who will receive their grants over between one and five years to support continuation of their schemes are Daybreak Oxford, Thame Senior Friendship Centre, Filkins & Broughton Poggs volunteer doctor and hospital car service, and Wallingford Town Council.

The Wallingford project, in association with Going Forward Buses, is already in operation, with the new 131 town bus service going live from 1 September.

Daybreak Oxford, which transports people with dementia to and from day centres and takes the older population on shopping trips, received £25,072 to provide new provision in areas of the city not previously served.

Community transport is part of the voluntary sector and plays a key role in filling gaps in service where public transport is not available. It helps provide safe, accessible, cost effective, flexible transport run by the community for the community in rural and urban areas.

Community transport can include car clubs, community minibuses, dial-a-ride, lift shares, taxi shares and voluntary car schemes.

Some groups offer services just for their members, while others are open to the public. They can take disabled people to work, children to school, sick people to healthcare and older people to the shops. Some run local bus routes and provide transport for a wide range of clubs and other groups.

Last month, the Villager Community Bus Services unveiled a new electric minibus, which was part funded by £50,000 awarded in 2024’s round of grants.

It runs the Chippy Shuttle, an hourly, weekday service connecting residential areas in Chipping Norton with town centre shops, services and the out of town health centre.

It has been running for nine years and provides an essential service for residents who have mobility problems and no access to their own transport. The new electric minibus replaces its previous diesel vehicle.

Keith Gowing, Chairman of the Villager Community Bus Services, said: “Our new battery powered bus enables us to continue providing the shuttle service to our many loyal customers whilst reducing our impact on the environment in terms of reduced carbon emissions, air pollution and vehicle noise.

“We could not have afforded this without the help of Oxfordshire County Council.”

The council supports the development of not for profit community transport groups and services.

Small start-up grants to help groups in their development are available, while the council can also help with the cost of training volunteers as minibus and passenger assistants.

More information is available on Oxfordshire County Council’s website.

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Oxfordshire County Council is awarding the grants, ranging from £2,730 to £21,000, to fund drivers, operating costs, recruiting and training volunteers and promotion.

Councillor Andrew Gant, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport Management, said: “Oxfordshire’s community transport sector is a lifeline to many people. The grants will make a big difference to all nine organisations and help them to continue the fantastic work they are doing.”

The recipients, who will receive their grants over two years to support continuation of their schemes are the Volunteer Driver Service, covering north Oxfordshire; OurBus Bartons; Vale Community Impact; Cholsey Volunteers; West Oxfordshire’s Volunteer Link-Up; Didcot Volunteer Drivers; Yarnton Care Committee; Wallingford Volunteer Drivers; and Weston-on-the-Green Parish Council.

OurBus Bartons, which serves the Bartons and its surrounding areas, received £20,000 to help promote its services, including its new electric vehicles, which were paid for by the National Lottery Community Fund.

Richard Brown, Chair of Trustees of OurBus Bartons, said: “We are delighted to receive this grant as it will allow us to maximise the way in which we will use our new electric buses as they settle into service.

“We are one of the first community transport operators to use electric buses on timetabled services. We won a national UK Bus Award for our innovative approach working with our community.

“These buses are supporting our services from Middle Barton to surrounding towns, our commuter services to Heyford Station and to Steeple Aston, to connect to the Stagecoach services to Oxford and Banbury. The difference in the quality of the ride and the level of sound is appreciated by all our passengers.” 

Community transport is part of the voluntary sector and plays a key role in filling gaps in service where public transport is not available. It helps provide safe, accessible, cost-effective, flexible transport run by the community for the community in rural and urban areas.

Community transport can include car clubs, community minibuses, dial-a-ride, lift shares, taxi shares and voluntary car schemes.

Some groups offer services just for their members, while others are open to the public. They can take disabled people to work, children to school, sick people to healthcare and older people to the shops. Some run local bus routes and provide transport for a wide range of clubs and other groups.

The council supports the development of not for profit community transport groups and services.

Small start-up grants to help groups in their development are available, while the council can also help with the cost of training volunteers as minibus and passenger assistants.

More information is available on Oxfordshire County Council’s website.

Click Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

West Vale Mobility has been developed by Shrivenham Parish Council, with funding support from Oxfordshire County Council’s community transport grants and section 106 contributions.

They have also received support from the council funded Community Catalyst programme, which helps to develop care and support opportunities in the local area.

The new service will help transport residents from Shrivenham, Bourton, Watchfield, Longcot and Ashbury to their local health and wellbeing services, including appointments at Elmtree GP surgery and clinics at Great Western Hospital in Swindon.

Councillor Tim Bearder, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, said: “Our Oxfordshire Way vision looks to support people to live well and independently within their own communities.

“While many Oxfordshire residents live in larger urban areas, which are well connected, our more rural areas are not always as well served.

“That’s where community transport plays a key role in filling the gaps where public transport isn’t as readily available.”

Run by a team of volunteers, West Vale Mobility will pick up its first scheduled passengers on Monday (14 October). The service is available to book a week in advance with a minimum fuel donation of £5 per journey. This compares to a minimum taxi fare of around £17 from Shrivenham to the hospital in Swindon.

Any resident in the parishes of Shrivenham, Bourton, Watchfield, Longcot and Ashbury can make use of the service, although priority is given to wheelchair users.

The programme has been made possible by £18,000 funding from the council’s community transport grants as well as an additional £32,000 from section 106 contributions, ringfenced for local transport provision.

The funding has enabled West Vale Mobility to purchase an adapted Renault Traffic van, designed to transport a passenger in their wheelchair as well as additional people who may be supporting them during their appointment.

If their wheelchair is not up to transport safety standards, West Vale Mobility can provide a wheelchair for the duration of the journey, with enough space to carry their personal mobility chair in the back. 

West Vale Mobility also benefited from support offered by Community Catalysts, a programme funded by Oxfordshire County Council that helps groups and individuals to establish care and support opportunities in the local area.

Anita Wingad, Community Enterprise Catalyst for Oxfordshire, said: “I feel so excited and pleased for the team that are about to launch the scheme. They have worked hard to get the right vehicle and all the processes in place for a quality service.

“Local residents who are struggling with transport to help their health and wellbeing will benefit immensely from the wonderful community spirit and drive that all involved have and continue to demonstrate.”

Ian Bailey is a trustee of West Vale Mobility and said: “It’s been a long road getting this project off the ground and we couldn’t have done it without the support of several local groups and organisations.

“First and Last Mile community transport helped with training our drivers, while Faringdon Community Transport offered advice on things like insurance and scheduling. We are sharing our offices with Sustainable Shrivenham who have given us support with the administrative side of the project.

“We’ve also been given ongoing guidance from Anita at Community Catalysts, connecting us with other volunteer organisations and offering support on policies, safeguarding, promotion and marketing.

“It really is a team effort and we’re looking forward to our programme making a real difference to our communities.”

Bookings are now being taken by emailing bookings.westvalemobility@gmail.com

Community transport is part of the voluntary sector and plays a key role in filling gaps in service where public transport is not available. It helps provide safe, accessible, cost-effective, flexible transport run by the community for the community in rural and urban areas.

Community transport can include car clubs, community minibuses, dial-a-ride, lift shares, taxi shares and voluntary car schemes.

More information is available on Oxfordshire County Council’s website.

Click Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates in our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.

A new shuttle service will be provided for people affected by the re-routing of buses due to the weight restriction on Donnington Bridge Road in Oxford.

Oxfordshire County Council will use its own minibus fleet to provide the off-peak shuttle service – the 46A – from Mondays to Fridays, starting on Monday 14 October.

This will comprise four return journeys between Cowley Centre, Florence Park, Donnington Bridge and Speedwell Street in Oxford city centre to provide some connectivity for essential travel between 10.30am and 2.30pm.

Councillor Andrew Gant, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport Management, said: “The absence of buses on Donnington Bridge Road for essential safety reasons has been a huge inconvenience for people in this area who rely on public transport, especially those who find it difficult to walk longer distances to use alternative bus services.

“Our officers have worked hard to try to alleviate some of the problems and we’re delighted to be able to unveil this shuttle service to connect passengers with the places they need to be.

“By using the council’s own vehicles when they are not in use elsewhere, we are able to reduce the costs involved, improving value for money.”

The 7.5 tonne weight limit was imposed by the county council on Donnington Bridge in August after ongoing monitoring revealed that the condition of materials in the structure required further assessment.

As a result, it was no longer possible for three bus routes – the 46, BB1A and ST1 – to operate via Weirs Lane and Donnington Bridge Road.

This lack of bus services between Iffley Road and Abingdon Road meant that direct connections to shops at Cowley Centre and medical and leisure facilities on Abingdon Road have been broken. To improve this situation, the shuttle journeys will be timed to connect to service 46 journeys at Cowley Centre.

The council’s fleet of minibuses provide transport for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and adult day centres but are available on weekdays between 10am and 2pm to provide this shuttle service. Timetables will be available from the usual online journey planners and at bus stops in due course.

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Twelve organisations are to share nearly £425,000 to help improve community transport in Oxfordshire.

Oxfordshire County Council is awarding the grants, ranging from £700 to £135,000, to fund new vehicles, expand schemes, provide new services, offer administrative support and carry out surveys of potential passengers.

Councillor Andrew Gant, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport Management, pictured, said: “Most of us take it for granted that we will be able to get to the places we need to. However, when people can’t drive or access public transport, they can be stranded.

“That’s why Oxfordshire’s active and diverse community transport sector is such a lifeline to so many people. From small volunteer car schemes to larger minibus schemes offering timetabled services, we are incredibly grateful to all those who work so hard to keep our residents mobile.

“We know these grants will make a big difference to all these organisations and help them to continue the fantastic work they are doing.”

The recipients are West Oxfordshire Community Transport; Uffington, Baulking and Woolstone (UBW) Minibus; The Villager Community Bus; CAWNAC (Oxfordshire) Volunteer Driver Service; Daybreak Oxford; Readibus; Shrivenham/Bourton/Watchfield/Longcot Parish Councils; Wallingford Town Council; Wantage & District Community Transport Community Interest Company (CIC); Chinnor Village Centre; First & Last Mile CIC; Watlington Parish Council.

Daybreak Oxford, pictured above, has been awarded £135,000 to expand the scheme it has been running for 15 months, transporting people with dementia to and from day centres and taking the older population on shopping trips.

Lee Gray, Chief Executive of Daybreak Oxford, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to receive this funding. It means we can increase the number of days we can operate, the number of centres we can visit, and double the number of people we can serve. We take them door-to-door and it is a real lifeline for so many people.

“We recently bought our second minibus, thanks to a donation from the MacFarlane Family Foundation, and the council’s grant will take care of everything else, from permits to safety inspections, as well as drivers and coordinators to make it sustainable.”

West Oxfordshire’s First & Last Mile, pictured right, has been awarded £40,000 to expand its services and provide administrative support to cope with the additional workload.

It has three vehicles and currently carries about 80 passengers a day, mostly schoolchildren, and serves villages between Long Hanborough and Standlake. However, it is in the process of improving its timetable from next month to include a shopper service from South Leigh into Witney for villagers.

Andy Swarbrick, First & Last Mile CIC Director, said: “We are very pleased to have been awarded a community transport grant. We feel it is in recognition of the widely applauded service we run in one of the most challenging rural areas of Oxfordshire since our inception in January 2022.

“The award will be used to establish not only a shoppers’ service but also put the whole business on a more professional footing. That said, a critical aspect of our philosophy is to engage locally, both in terms of volunteers and the support of the wider community.”

Community transport is part of the voluntary sector and plays a key role in filling gaps in service where public transport is not available. It helps provide safe, accessible, cost-effective, flexible transport run by the community for the community in rural and urban areas.

Community transport can include car clubs, community minibuses, dial-a-ride, lift shares, taxi shares and voluntary car schemes.

Some groups offer services just for their members, while others are open to the public. It can take disabled people to work, children to school, sick people to healthcare and older people to the shops. It runs local bus routes and provides transport for a wide range of clubs and other groups.

The council supports the development of not for profit community transport groups and services.

Small start-up grants to help groups in their development are available, while the council can also help with the cost of training volunteers as minibus and passenger assistants.

More information is available on Oxfordshire County Council’s website.