Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member: Transport Management

Forward Plan Ref: 2025/242

Contact: Katherine Broomfield, Technical Lead – Bus Service Improvement (Katherine.Broomfield@oxfordshire.gov.uk)

Report by Director of Environment and Highways (CMDTM5).

The Cabinet Member is RECOMMENDED to:

a)    Retain the price of the MyBus day tickets at current levels in response to analysis of their usage and benefits.

b)    Approve a price increase for the MyBus weekly tickets from 11 January 2026, or as soon as practical thereafter, as follows:

·       From £25 to £30 for an adult week ticket

·       From £14.50 to £17 for a young person week ticket

c)    Approve the reallocation of £1,895,857 to the MyBus scheme in 2025/26 from other bus related projects detailed at para 27: £240,000 from Oxfordshire County Council (the Council) internal funding and £1,655,857 from the Department for Transport (DfT) Bus Grant allocation.

Recommendations approved.

The Chair introduced the item to the meeting.

The Chair noted that due to the success of the scheme, it had ended up costing more money than anticipated as the County Council reimbursed the bus companies the difference between the price of a normal ticket and the different offers, as well as the government decision to increase the national fare cap from £2 to £3.

The Char noted that the approach moving forward would try to safeguard the benefits of the scheme, whilst addressing the funding gap.

The Chair outlined the difference in performance between the weekly and daily ticket offers. The recommendations proposed an increase in the weekly daily ticket price, but not the daily offer.

The Chair asked officers if the national Bus Grant allocation, which had been recently received, made any substantial difference to this scheme. Officers commented that they would be reviewing allocations received, but that the first priority would be to maintain existing bus service provision.

The Chair noted how the scheme reflected the County Council’s commitment to LTCP through supporting public transport, particularly for young people, who had higher subsidies to encourage greater use.

The Chair thanked officers and agreed to the recommendations in the report.

RESOLVED to:

a) Retain the price of the MyBus day tickets at current levels in response to analysis of their usage and benefits.

b) Approve a price increase for the MyBus weekly tickets from 11 January 2026, or as soon as practical thereafter, as follows:

· From £25 to £30 for an adult week ticket

· From £14.50 to £17 for a young person week ticket

c) Approve the reallocation of £1,895,857 to the MyBus scheme in 2025/26 from other bus related projects detailed at para 27: £240,000 from Oxfordshire County Council (the Council) internal funding and £1,655,857 from the Department for Transport (DfT) Bus Grant allocation.