Free Wi-Fi on buses announced as Oxford gets Super Connected!

We are pleased to announce that Wi-Fi will be added to virtually all of our city buses by the end of November. The improvements will be made as part of Oxford City Council’s ‘Super Connected Oxford’ initiative.

We’ve already fitted Wi-Fi to over half of our fleet but we are delighted that, by working with Super Connected Oxford, we are able to extend Wi-Fi to all our buses and coaches. Oxford Bus Company has been at the heart of Oxford for over 130 years so it ‘s exciting to be making a significant investment in the future of our city.

Super Connected Oxford will also make available a wireless concession in the streets of the city and Wi-Fi Hotspots in free to enter public buildings by April next year. Residents and visitors to the city can expect to enjoy free Wi-Fi in all City Council community centres, libraries and museums such as Ashmolean Museum and Museum of Natural History.

Minister of State for Culture and the Digital Economy, Ed Vaizey, says: “I think it’s fantastic that by the end of November, all the buses in Oxford will have free public Wi-Fi.

“We are investing up to £5m in making Oxford one of the UK ‘Super Connected Cities’. This latest development is all part of Government’s transformation of the digital landscape of Oxford, making it a great place to live, visit and do business.”

Introducing city600 – Your new hospital and science area connection

On Monday 29th September, we will be introducing a brand new service – the city600. The 600 service will connect Pear Tree Park & Ride with Oxford University Science Area and the John Radcliffe Hospital every 30 minutes Monday to Friday. The new route will be part of our Heartbeat brand, alongside our other hospital services including city13 and cityX13. Passengers using the key can use the 600 service with any park&ride route, cityzone or SmartZone product. More information can be viewed on the city website.

It’s the New BROOKESbus!

In photo: Glen Pascoe from GKN, June Girvin, Pro-Vice Chancellor of Oxford Brookes and Phil Southall, Operations Director at Oxford Bus Company.

The BROOKESbus next to the John Henry Brookes Building

The new BROOKESbus livery!

The BROOKESbus at Queens College.

The BROOKESbus at Magdalen Bridge.

In photo: Glen Pascoe from GKN, June Girvin, Pro-Vice Chancellor of Oxford Brookes and Phil Southall, Operations Director at Oxford Bus Company.

The first of the 14 brand new buses for the BROOKESbus network are being delivered, and were presented to senior Oxford Brookes University directors and the media on Tuesday the 2^nd September 2014, by Operations Director Phil Southall.

The buses are the very first of a new design by Alexander Dennis (who built the bodies for the 200-series Scanias). They are the first “Euro 6” buses for service in Oxford, and also the first roll-out of the Gyrodrive hybrid power system. All of this means that the power used and the exhaust emissions are as good as the electric hybrids in the fleet (both types in the 300 series) but the add-on cost is much lower.

The buses themselves are in the bright, eye-catching livery designed by the university, and the interiors too were specified as part of the contract. They will certainly be noticed on the streets of Oxford!

Gyrodrive – What is it and what does it do?

This innovative system was actually developed in Oxfordshire by the Williams Formula 1 team. It is a Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS). When the bus brakes, normally the energy is lost as heat; this system “harvests” that energy and stores it in a flywheel, which runs at up to 36,000 rpm. When the driver accelerates, the system works in reverse, feeding energy into the traction motor. All of this reduces the work done by the engine, and fuel use is reduced by up to 25%. Simple!

For more information on the BROOKESbus please visit our website.

Travelling with us over the Bank Holiday?

It’s almost time for the August Bank Holiday weekend. If you’re looking for some things to do in Oxford or London, don’t forget to check our Summer in the City suggestions.

Also, if you’re travelling with us on Bank Holiday Monday (25th August 2014) please check the service information and Travel Shop/Customer Service opening hours that are available on our website.

Whatever you get up to, we hope you have a fun weekend!

Summer in the City (London): Notting Hill Carnival

The Notting Hill Carnival is the largest street festival in Europe and originated in 1964 as a way for Afro-Caribbean communities to celebrate their own cultures and traditions. Taking place every August Bank Holiday weekend in the streets of West London, the Notting Hill Carnival is an amazing array of sounds, colourful sights and social solidarity.

This year the carnival is taking place on the 25^th and 26^th of August 2014, the parade runs from 9am to 7pm both days and from 7pm there are a host of after parties taking place. The carnival is free to observe but the admission for after parties varies. If you would like to take your children to see Notting Hill Carnival then you may wish to attend on the family friendly Sunday, smaller crowds and kid friendly floats boast a fun vibe.

For more information about our X90 Oxford to London service please visit X90london.co.uk and for more information about Notting Hill Carnival then visit thenottinghillcarnival.com where details can be found. For helpful tips on staying safe and making the most of the carnival then visit the timeout London website where details can be found.

Introducing the BROOKESbusU4!

We’re launching a new U4 service from 13th September 2014. The route will provide a direct link between Blackbird Leys and the John Radcliffe Hospital during early mornings and evenings from Monday to Friday.

The U4 will operate under our BROOKESbus brand and also serve Hollow Way and Gipsy Lane Campus en-route. Most buses will include free Wi-Fi and information screens to keep you entertained and connected on the go.

The U4 timetable and route maps can be viewed on our website. We’re sure you’ll agree that this is an excellent addition to our BROOKESbus service.

Summer in the City (Oxford): Pitt Rivers Museum

The summer is here! So if you’re looking for a day out idea in Oxford, we have another top recommendation for you!

The Pitt Rivers Museum holds one of the world’s finest collections of anthropology and archaeology, from around the world and throughout human history. Once you get over the sheer quantity of artifacts on display, there’s something to entertain all ages with egyptian sarcophagus, shrunken heads and ancient weaponry being our highlights!

There is free admission to the museum between the hours of:

10.00 – 16.30 Tuesday to Sunday (and bank holiday Mondays)
12.00 – 16.30 Monday

Improvements are being made to the lower gallery and as a result this floor will be closed from the 28^th July until the 5^th September but there’s still so much to see!

Taking Five On Friday: Andrew, Our Work Experience Student!

Over the past four weeks we’ve been lucky to have Aston University student Andrew Clarke working at Oxford Bus Company to gain some work experience. We caught up with him at the end of his time here to see how he got on…

So Andrew, what are you studying at University?

I am studying Transport Management at Aston University. We cover a number of modules that cover the different aspects of transport governance, law and operations.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

I am actually a Scout Leader in my spare time and so I attend weekly meetings with the group and go camping on occasion. I also like to play Table Tennis with the University’s Table Tennis Forum when i’m on campus.

Have you enjoyed your time at Oxford Bus Company? What did you get up to?

I have really enjoyed my work experience here! I managed to visit virtually all the departments at Oxford Bus Company, from the bodyshop right through to seeing how marketing campaigns are created and designed. I had the opportunity to spend some time out of the office on Field duty at both Gloucester Green and Queen’s Lane, which was really interesting from an operational prospective.

What were the highlights from working here this month?

I really enjoyed meeting the whole Oxford Bus Company team, with people showing real interest and passion in their jobs and the transport sector. They were all really helpful in explaining their individual roles to me.

Thanks Andrew and good look in your second year at University!

Summer in the City (Oxford): Christ Church Meadow

Christ Church Meadow is a large area of tranquil pasture in the heart of the busy city of Oxford, owned and maintained by Christ Church and bordering the rivers Cherwell and Isis.

A herd of beautiful Longhorn cattle are maintained by Christ Church on the Meadow and spend most of the year there. The Meadow is open to the public until dusk each day, and provides opportunities for picnics and river walks.

It can be entered through the Memorial Garden entrance on St Aldates, through a gate between Merton College and Corpus Christi on Merton Lane, or through a gate at the eastern end of the Meadow next to the Botanic Gardens. Visitors are asked to note the rules about access to and use of the Meadow which are posted at the entrances.

A number of our services operate in the area, visit our website for more details. Admission to the College is dependent on time and date. Please check chch.ox.ac.uk for more details.

Our buses pass with flying colours

Over the last year, Oxford Bus Company have presented 159 pubic service vehicles (PSV) for MOT tests with the Driving Standards Agency (DVSA) with only one failure, resulting in a 99.4% first time pass rate.

This is a remarkable achievement when the industry average is only 81% (2011-2012 figures). These vehicles are prepared for testing at Cowley House by the engineering team and tested every Friday on site by the DVSA examiner.

The team was on target to hit the 100% first time pass rate milestone, but sadly two weeks before the end of the year, a number plate light unit failed on test which was unforeseeable. The fault was rectified quickly allowing the vehicle to obtain its MOT certificate.

Well done to the engineering team for their efforts to make such an excellent result possible. It is a truly great achievement!