Oxford London coach services

[Andyh82]

I've recently used the Oxford Tube service for the first time, couldn't fault it, high spec double deck coaches etc.

I do wonder how the rival X90 service manages to make a profit though.

Same route, same fares, X90 is less frequent, Oxford Tube has much higher profile consistent brand, Oxford Tube generally has more impressive coaches, Oxford Tube has a much more substantial presence at Oxford bus station, being the both the first stands you come to and having two coaches in at once.

I assume the X90 does well with through ticketing from Oxford Bus Company local services?

 

[ValleyLines142]

The only snag I have with the Oxford Tube is that despite them running every ten minutes, you still have to be tied to a specific service. I would rather pay an extra £5 to make my ticket open to any coach.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Er, no you don't. Tickets are mainly walk up.

 

[hassaanhc]

The only snag I have with the Oxford Tube is that despite them running every ten minutes, you still have to be tied to a specific service. I would rather pay an extra £5 to make my ticket open to any coach.

With Oxford Tube, you can actually buy a ticket from the driver, no need to buy beforehand at all! Even if you buy from the Oxford Tube website, you can use any service that day, and it also does not tie you to a specific stop in London or Oxford. Whereas the Megabus website will tie you to a specific service.

From the Oxford Tube website:

2. When can I book?

There is no need to book, but you can buy tickets for journeys commencing up to a maximum of a month in advance. Tickets may be used at any time on the dates specified.

http://www.oxfordtube.com/faqs.aspx#el17361

How to buy tickets

From the driver (cash only)

You can buy singles, returns, Tube 12 and 1 to 4 week tickets from the driver on the day of travel.

Please try to ensure you have the correct change. Our driver do carry cash, however at times they may have to issue a change voucher.

http://www.oxfordtube.com/tubefares.aspx

 

[radamfi]

With Oxford Tube, you can actually buy a ticket from the driver, no need to buy beforehand at all!

I think he meant that if you buy a return ticket, you have to come back on the same company. For total flexibility you could get singles each way but that would of course be prohibitively expensive.

 

[ValleyLines142]

Er, no you don't. Tickets are mainly walk up.

With Oxford Tube, you can actually buy a ticket from the driver, no need to buy beforehand at all! Even if you buy from the Oxford Tube website, you can use any service that day, and it also does not tie you to a specific stop in London or Oxford. Whereas the Megabus website will tie you to a specific service.

I think he meant that if you buy a return ticket, you have to come back on the same company. For total flexibility you could get singles each way but that would of course be prohibitively expensive.

No I did mean what Neil and hassanhc said, but I was told if you book online you have to be tied to a specific service. Can't have been correct then what I was told!

That's good in that case then!

 

[Antman]

I've recently used the Oxford Tube service for the first time, couldn't fault it, high spec double deck coaches etc.

I do wonder how the rival X90 service manages to make a profit though.

Same route, same fares, X90 is less frequent, Oxford Tube has much higher profile consistent brand, Oxford Tube generally has more impressive coaches, Oxford Tube has a much more substantial presence at Oxford bus station, being the both the first stands you come to and having two coaches in at once.

I assume the X90 does well with through ticketing from Oxford Bus Company local services?

I've used the Oxford tube a few times and always found it very good, they certainly seem to get far bigger loadings than the X90 although Oxford Bus Company have recently invested in new coaches so they must be happy with it

 

[Busaholic]

I've used the Oxford tube a few times and always found it very good, they certainly seem to get far bigger loadings than the X90 although Oxford Bus Company have recently invested in new coaches so they must be happy with it

It seems to be a rare example in the transport world where genuine competition works well for the consumer/passenger over a long period of time.

 

[extendedpaul]

I've found it really easy to get £1 tickets on Megabus for that route and if plans change or a coach is missed I pay on the day and am only a pound down.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It seems to be a rare example in the transport world where genuine competition works well for the consumer/passenger over a long period of time.

I think it works well where there is a very large demand that basically can't be satisfied by one company.

 

[Antman]

I think it works well where there is a very large demand that basically can't be satisfied by one company.

It could be satisfied by one company, in the unlikely event of the X90 being withdrawn Oxford Tube frequencies would soon be increased, and so probably would the price!

 

[W-on-Sea]

I live in Oxford, and use the Oxford Tube, quite regularly, when going to and from London - in short because it is more frequent, and as it is a really first rate service.

Who uses the X90? I would guess, principally, a mixture of the following

a) those going to those areas of London that it serves that the Oxford Tube does not serve (principally Baker Street/Marylebone)

b) those who appreciate the *slightly* quicker journey to London it provides, as a result of the route it takes in London, and by missing out the stop off the M40 at Lewknor TUrn that the tube serves

c) those who have an Oxford Bus Co/Thames Travel all-inclusive pass (for the Oxford Area) alongside their X90 pass. (Similarly the Oxford Tube would attract those with the equivalent Stagecoach Oxfordshire pass alongside their OT season)

d) those (work commuters) who prefer the *very slightly* more "business" ambience of the X90 coaches. Not saying the Oxford Tube is always "overrun" by students and/or tourists (it is generally far too frequent for that to be the case), but the X90 coaches may be quieter inside, or perceived as such, sometimes. ( Of course, the Oxford Tube coaches are substantially larger, though, so...)

e) those who just get on the first coach (from Oxford to London, or, where the two routes overlap, in the other direction) that turns up.

 

[ivanhoe]

im quite surprised (pleasantly)of the success of these services. Is this due to less than adequate Oxford to London train services?

 

[Buttsy]

im quite surprised (pleasantly)of the success of these services. Is this due to less than adequate Oxford to London train services?

Half hourly in the main, but from the West of the city. A lot of coach passengers are from the satellite towns and villages North and East of Oxford using Thornhill P&R as getting to the station is a pain.

It will be interesting to see the effect on the coach services Oxford Parkway will have as that should take a fair bit of the Kidlington traffic.

 

[Statto]

im quite surprised (pleasantly)of the success of these services. Is this due to less than adequate Oxford to London train services?

I looked at the timetable earlier & its basic 4tph Oxford-London, 2 an hour express, 2 an hour stopper[with extras at peak times] the express takes about an hour, but the problem is Oxford Station is on the other side of the City from most of the residential areas & you have to go through the City Centre to get there, that could add a good 30-45 minutes to the journey, then there's getting off at Paddington, which unless you're going nearby means another change to Tube or Bus, so the coach is more convenient.

 

[Andyh82]

b) those who appreciate the *slightly* quicker journey to London it provides, as a result of the route it takes in London, and by missing out the stop off the M40 at Lewknor TUrn that the tube serves.

What is the story behind that stop? I assumed it was there for legal reasons, something about bus stops having to have a maximum spacing to be registered as a bus rather than a coach? But then you say the X90 doesn't stop there?

 

[Buttsy]

What is the story behind that stop? I assumed it was there for legal reasons, something about bus stops having to have a maximum spacing to be registered as a bus rather than a coach? But then you say the X90 doesn't stop there?

I think it was added for Watlington/Chinnor commuters. There are a hell a lot of cars parked around there during the day.

 

[LexyBoy]

For a while I used to commute semi-regularly from Sarf London to Oxford, and used the X90 when not on the train for the following reasons:

• Noticeably quicker journey, depending on traffic
• More reliable (don't know how it is now, but with the previous generation of buses used on the Tube I would regularly see them broken down on the M40. Once we stopped to pick up *2* busloads, after a Tube had stopped to pick up stranded passengers and then also broken down.
• I despise many of Stagecoach's business practices and Mr Souter's personal support of regressive and homophobic causes
• The buses used by the Tube are irritatingly vast and noisy
• Possibly was slightly cheaper at the time with a student carnet? Whereas the Tube was cheaper for overnighters IIRC.

I still have a T-shirt with I do it for a fiver emblazoned on it which I was given with a 10-trip ticket

 

[Robertj21a]

For a while I used to commute semi-regularly from Sarf London to Oxford, and used the X90 when not on the train for the following reasons:

• Noticeably quicker journey, depending on traffic
• More reliable (don't know how it is now, but with the previous generation of buses used on the Tube I would regularly see them broken down on the M40. Once we stopped to pick up *2* busloads, after a Tube had stopped to pick up stranded passengers and then also broken down.
• I despise many of Stagecoach's business practices and Mr Souter's personal support of regressive and homophobic causes
• The buses used by the Tube are irritatingly vast and noisy
• Possibly was slightly cheaper at the time with a student carnet? Whereas the Tube was cheaper for overnighters IIRC.

I still have a T-shirt with I do it for a fiver emblazoned on it which I was given with a 10-trip ticket

Strange how many people would totally disagree with much of that.

 

[overthewater]

Strange how many people would totally disagree with much of that.

I have to agree.

 

[radamfi]

If you look at the history of the Oxford to London coach service, you will find that the X90 is actually the legacy service, formerly numbered 190. The Oxford Tube came along as new competition after deregulation as part of the Thames Transit operation which virtually duplicated the Oxford Bus Company's network across Oxford. Unlike most post-deregulation competitors which were generally just out to cream off the daytime profits on major routes at the lowest possible cost, Thames Transit was determined to win custom by innovation and quality and that applied to the coach service to London too.

The X90 therefore had to up its game and as the Oxford Tube made an innovation, the Oxford Bus Company had to try and match it. So whilst the Oxford Tube became the more popular service, probably due to its clever brand name, the X90 was always in the game. When Stagecoach took over Thames Transit, Stagecoach realised the importance of the Oxford Tube branding so it was retained.

Regarding the breaking down coaches, Stagecoach bought a lot of Neoplan double deckers around 2005 for Megabus and the Oxford Tube. These were notoriously unreliable and were replaced by Van Hool double deck coaches which were far better and now the Oxford Tube has replaced them by new Van Hools.

 

[LexyBoy]

Strange how many people would totally disagree with much of that.

Good thing they have a choice then!

Also, I'd argue more that it's down to different priorities. For me, frequency wasn't a big deal as I would aim for a specific departure, nor did I need to travel late at night. I used the time to work, so a quiet environment was better. If I'd been travelling for a night out the Tube would be more attractive with better frequency and table seats.