Frequently Asked Questions
Most questions are answered on the
Day to day page. Please
try there as well, and other parts of the website, else you'll have to
contact me.
Can the bus start from Henley?
Yes it can, at a price.
It is also worth noting, the bus would start 10 minutes earlier from
Henley than it does from Nettlebed.
Here is an extract from a letter I sent to parents in the Henley
vicinity in October 2010:
I have been asked by some
of you if our bus can come into Henley instead of stopping at
Nettlebed. Accordingly I have discussed this with Tappins, and here
is their feedback.
Due to the limitations on places where to turn
the bus, Tappins will only consider a route which goes into the
centre of Henley, as detailed in the three greyed-out stops shown on
the Timetable page.
On that basis they have
quoted me an increase to cover the extra fuel and the driver’s
overtime. They initially said the rate would be an additional £35 a
day. After some debate and a review, they came back with an increase
of £25 a day and said they would not go lower.
I have always said if there were enough families
in Henley who between them wanted to pay the extra cost to have the
bus come into Henley, then I would organise it. How much does this
work out at?
There are about 180 school days a
year, or on average 60 days a term. 60 times £25 = £1,500 a term
extra. I don’t think all six familes would be interested, but if
they were that still would be £250 on each ticket – i.e. £570 a term
instead of £320 a term. Even if an additional six familes joined the
bus from Henley next year it would still be £125 extra, or £445.
Quite a step up.
Interestingly, for the Henley to Abingdon route,
Tappins charge £455 a term for The Manor, and £525 for Abingdon Boys
School – but they run a choice of two buses back in the evening at
different times.
So, there you are. If you are interested, please
discuss this amongst yourselves and get back to me – I guess you
meet at the bus stop on a regular basis and will know who the other
Henley parents are. If between those interested you can cover the
extra cost then I’ll arrange it. I imagine the price is prohibitive,
but at least now you have a firm cost on which to make a choice, and
the decision is in your hands.
P.S. I cannot spread the cost across all
passengers – it would put about £35 a term on each ticket, and I
expect I’d lose so many passengers at the stops nearer to Oxford
that the bus would collapse.
Why is the start time so early?
The start time of the bus is dictated by the start time of the last
school on the route, Oxford High School. The bus must be there by
8.30am, and this it manages with just a little to spare, by leaving
Nettlebed at 7am.