Go-Ahead Group-owned Thames Travel has reported a 13% increase in passenger numbers on its Connector services in the last year, which was used by over 1.5 million people, 200,000 more than in the previous 12 months. This is the result of investment in vehicles and improvements to connectivity to employment sites in the south of the county.
This includes buses between the city of Oxford and Harwell Campus, and between Abingdon and Culham Science Centre, as well as new services to Great Western Park in association with Taylor Wimpey and Oxfordshire County Council, which provide links to Didcot, Harwell and Milton Park. On average, over 30,000 passengers per week are being carried on Connector services.
Thames Travel Managing Director Phil Southall said: “A key part of our strategy has been to develop attractive bus services to serve major employment hubs in the south of the county via our Connector brand. We have done so via investment in new routes and services which has improved connectivity for some of the fastest-growing areas of economy in the county. The annual figure is encouraging and demonstrates the value of bus services to the overall economic well-being of the county. The investment has created more jobs for the Oxfordshire economy, and we are actively seeking drivers to support this important growth area.”
The increase has also meant that the company has vacancies for new drivers for its expanded services, offering a pay rate of between £11.00 and £17.21 per hour for a 40-hour week, with overtime also available.
