Last stop for the Jericho bus?

The Oxford Bus Company which has run the service for the past few years says it cannot carry on running it at a loss. The problems came to a head during the period of disruption when the new traffic system for the town centre came into operation. Uncertain when the bus would show up, people stopped using it. And with a more roundabout route, the service can now run only every three-quarters of an hour - which at present levels of usage is not viable. Disturbed at the prospect of losing the service, which is the only way many older residents can get to the town centre for shopping, Mary English and Julie Cox of Juxon street organized a petition with 950 signatures, which they presented to the Public Transport Sub-committee of the County Council, to try and persuade them to subsidize the service. Unfortunately this Committee is facing greater demands from all over the County and has even less money than usual. It has therefore passed the Jericho bus issue to the Environmental Services Committee to see if it can find any cash. A decision is likely on September 22. If the answer is no, the service will stop at the end of October.