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.

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.

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!