New operator found for school bus routes (From The Oxford Times)

New operator found for school bus routes

9:30am Friday 2nd November 2012 in News

NEW operators have been appointed after a second coach company serving Oxfordshire schools collapsed.

Oxfordshire County Council yesterday announced it had contracted Cheney Travel to run five of the six routes previously run by Jeffs Coaches, which went into administration last Thursday. Cheney Travel will run two routes to Cropredy School, two routes between Bicester and Blessed George Napier School and one route between Wardington, Hanwell Fields and St John’s School in Banbury.

The company already operates school buses on other routes.

Students travelling on the single bus route between Cottisford, Mixbury and Magdalen School in Brackley will be picked up by a County Connect bus run by Northamptonshire County Council.

Cropredy Primary School governor Mark Simmons said: “It is very good news and we are very pleased that the county council has been able to move forward quickly and sort this out with the minimum of disruption to the children.”

Oxfordshire County Council said the changes had saved £45,000 when compared to the contracts with Jeffs Coaches.

It said this was saved through a “process of competitive tendering from operators in the area.”

Rodney Rose, the deputy leader of the county council and cabinet member for transport, said: “It was obviously important for us to act quickly.”