In summary, here are the key changes between how we are
operating this year and how we will operate in 2010/11.
- Prices have increased by £10 at all stops other than the across
Oxford route which remains at £150 for an annual ticket.
This keeps us abreast of Tappins increases,
and allows us to offer a "seat for life" rather than filling the
seats with the more lucrative passengers.
See the
Fares tab.
- The booking priority for September 2010 has been agreed.
Existing parents have until 24th June 2010 to renew
their seat or lose it.
This is a key date, as there is a waiting list
which is longer than the number of spare seats we have. If you
intend to renew for the next school year then please make a note of
this date and act punctually. If you are late, the seat will be
taken by someone else. More details on the link. I'll be sending out
renewal forms before Easter, plus reminders.
The booking priority for September 2011 has also been agreed
and is on the web site. There is also important information for
across Oxford ticket holders.
See the
Booking-order
tab.
- An additional stop has been added to the route at Sandhills on
the A40 bus stops by the Park and Ride. This has meant the numbering
of bus stops 11 upwards has changed.
This adds flexibility for parents who use the
Park & Ride.
See the
Timetable tab,
stop 11a.
- An additional across-Oxford pick-up bus stop has been added at
Rye St Antony.
This means we can increase the number of
children who get on in the morning to cross the city to MCS or OHS.
Those children can only get on if a seat becomes available by a
pupil for Headington (and now Rye) getting off. In the afternoon,
children who got on at Rye in the morning can get off at Headington
or Rye in the afternoon. (Passengers who got on at Headington in the
morning must continue to get off at Headington in the afternoon).
See the
Timetable tab,
stop 13b.
- A main-road Snow Route will be introduced, and a map added to
the web site and provided to Tappins in due course. This is the
route we will fall back on if the snow is not deep enough to stop
the bus entirely, but is bad enough to make the hilly parts of the
route too dangerous.
To allow the bus to run in poor conditions
rather than being cancelled altogether.
See the snow route map in the weeks
ahead on the Maps
tab.
- Single Tickets. At the moment, we plan to withdraw single
tickets from September 2010.
This was an exhausting topic. The parents
present could not come up with a workable solution which didn't
leave us or Tappins exposed to Health & Safety issues. I understand
other bus companies end up with children sitting on the floor, and I
do not want to go there. The conclusion of the meeting was we
abandon single tickets, but we will revisit the topic if someone can
suggest a robust system. The key question any solution must address
is, "What is to happen if we have more children than seats on the
bus?"
More detail on the issue can be found
on the
Single ticket
tab.
- The application form for tickets for 2010/11 is not yet
available on the website. That, and the new 2010/11 information
leaflet will be available in the coming weeks. I will send an
application form out to all existing passengers at Easter.
I have not yet had time to sort out any online
database (or had the courage to spend the money on paying for
someone with the skill), so this is going to be a bit tedious again.
Please bear with me.
See the
Forms tab in the weeks
ahead for the new documents.
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