Proposals to operate bendy shuttle buses on High Street, Oxford, from an interchange near Magdalen Bridge are to be dropped in the face of widespread local opposition.

Pensioners and other city residents had warned the east of Oxford would be cut off from the rest of the city if buses were stopped at The Plain and passengers forced to switch to large shuttle buses to get into the city centre.

The idea had been put forward, as part of Oxfordshire County Council’s Transform Oxford scheme, to cut the number of buses travelling up and down the High Street.

Despite the U-turn on buses, County Hall has restated its commitment to reducing bus numbers on the High, after complaints from colleges and businesses about levels of noise and pollution.

With the shuttle bus idea being widely viewed as unworkable, the council is to rely on new legislation giving local councils a decisive say about bus numbers and frequency of services.

The county council now wants bus companies to sign up to a partnership agreement to deal with what are seen as the downsides of bus deregulation, paving the way for measures such as joint ticketing to reduce the number of near empty buses travelling through the city centre.

The legally enforceable partnerships between councils and bus operators can also cover the size and type of buses.

County Hall was taken aback by the outrage sparked by the High Street shuttle idea, which managed to unite cyclists, pensioners and bus companies in opposition.

The elaborate scheme would have seen passengers arriving at a new terminus near Magdalen Bridge or South Park, before transferring on to giant shuttle buses.

Ian Hudspeth, county council cabinet member for transport, said: “It was an idea we put forward. It was never cast in stone and we have listened to people’s concerns.

“It is clear that a large number of people are happy with the vision to improve the pedestrian experience in the city centre but wary about the idea of a bus interchange east of Magdalen Bridge. So we are now looking at different ways to do things.”

Mr Hudspeth said the council would be looking to get better use of the city’s park-and-rides, adding that he would be reluctant to see all the London and airport buses taken out of the High.

The Local Transport Bill, which received Royal Assent before Christmas, has created an opportunity to work with bus companies to decide “when and where we want buses”, Mr Hudspeth said, adding: “We could have the same frequency of service but fewer buses.”

The act provides a range of ways for councils to influence bus services. In addition to partnership agreements, the act includes ‘quality contracts’, based on the London model of bus franchising, where the bus network is planned by the local authority and operated under contract by private companies.

Philip Kirk, the managing director of Oxford Bus Company said: “We are pleased that the idea of making passengers change buses at The Plain seems to be dropping down the county’s list of ideas. We think that this would prove very unpopular and would have a negative impact on the city centre.”

He said the new act meant measures which have previously been unlawful because of competition regulations, such as joint ticketing and joint timetabling, were now possible.

Martin Sutton, the managing director of Stagecoach, said: “In terms of the number of buses on the High, there is some scope for re-routing. Bendy buses do a super job in the right place. But they need big wide roads. The Oxford network does not lend itself to them.”

Meanwhile, Oxfordshire County Council is now consulting on plans to cut bus numbers by half on Queen Street in the centre of Oxford, with improvements to take place this summer in the first phase of the Transform Oxford programme.

Improvements will see bus stops relocated from Queen Street to nearby streets, more space created for pedestrians and pavements resurfaced.