A new Oxford Bus Company 35A service will run twice a day between Kennington and Matthew Arnold School and comes into effect on 3 September 2015.
Please see attached a poster publicising the service and timetable; this has been affixed to some village bus stops.
Details can also be found here Matthew Arnold School : Oxford Bus Company.
The service has been negotiated by Lou Sumner and Helen Forey with the Bus Company and Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) and we are delighted that a solution to the removal of school transport has been found for 2015-16.
It is important to note that this pilot will run for one academic year and will be under review in the course of the year.
Children entitled to free transport have been provided with a bus pass. Those not entitled have the option to buy single, monthly or annual tickets, with the latter costing just over half as much as a concessionary place on Council-procured transport, where concessionary places are available. OCC are supporting this new initiative financially as its establishment saves £40k in year 1. Ongoing funding is not secured and will need to be sought elsewhere.
So while work remains to be done to establish and secure this essential service, the affordable 1-year pilot is a significant step forward.
