Stagecoach in Oxfordshire

In 1987 Harry Blundred, a former bus driver and controller from Devon, founded both Thames Transit and the Oxford Tube. In 1997 Stagecoach Group bought both operations from Blundred and merged them with Stagecoach Midland Red.

Stagecoach South Midlands operated four brands:

Oxford Tube for express buses between Oxford and London Victoria

Stagecoach in Banbury for local buses in and around Banbury

Stagecoach in Oxford for local buses in and around Oxford

Stagecoach in Warwickshire for local buses in Warwickshire

In July 2002 the Banbury and Oxford brands were merged as "Stagecoach in Oxfordshire". In March 2004 Stagecoach in Oxfordshire and Stagecoach in Warwickshire were split into two divisions with those names.

Stagecoach buses in Oxford historically competed with local buses operated by the Oxford Bus Company, but in 2010 it was announced that Oxford Bus Company and Stagecoach in Oxfordshire, in consultation with Oxfordshire County Council, had agreed a Bus Quality Partnership as enabled by the Local Transport Act 2008. The partnership would improved multi-operator ticketing across the City and co-ordinate bus timetables on the four busiest shared routes.

As of December 2016, Stagecoach Oxfordshire operated a fleet of 176 buses.

Stagecoach Oxfordshire has a young fleet. This is partly due to Oxford's Low Emission Zone, which allows only buses with exhaust systems of at least Euro V standard or better to serve the city centre. Stagecoach Oxfordshire has replaced most of its fleet to meet this requirement.

Incidents

In the early hours of the morning on 31 August 2010 Oxford Tube coach 50226 was involved in a serious accident on the M40 after a passenger on board attempted to grab the steering wheel. No-one was seriously injured, but the vehicle ended up on its side and sustained significant damage. The vehicle was eventually repaired and returned to service.

On 14 December 2010 a double deck bus on route S1 from Oxford to Witney was involved in a collision with a taxi on Oxford Hill junction with Cogges Hill Road in Witney. The elderly female taxi driver was freed with hydraulic cutting equipment and she was then taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital with suspected facial and leg injuries. Three passengers from the bus were taken to a nearby hospital as a precaution.

On 14 May 2012 the engine of bus 22766 caught fire in Cumnor while on route X30 from Wantage to Oxford. No passengers were injured in this incident and the bus was eventually repaired and returned to service.

On 4 October 2014 bus 15609 was involved in a collision with a car which resulted in both vehicles ending up in an embankment at the side of the A40 between Witney and Eynsham. As a result, the A40 was closed between Eynsham roundabout and Witney while emergency services dealt with the incident. No-one was seriously injured but a few people were taken to hospital as a precaution. The bus involved has since been repaired and returned to service.