DOUBT has been cast on bus company proposals to cut bus numbers in the city centre by a quarter and deliver the early pedestrianisation of Queen Street.

Oxford’s two main bus companies last week set out how they hoped to take buses out of Queen Street as early as next year, two years ahead of Oxfordshire County Council’s schedule for pedestrianisation.

Oxford Bus Company and Stagecoach also revealed they were looking at joint ticketing and timetabling to reduce the number of buses without hitting the regularity of services.

But Oxfordshire County Council has responded to claims that its Transform Oxford plans are unworkable by insisting that it is the bus company proposals that are unrealistic.

Ian Hudspeth, county council cabinet member for transport, said all sides now wanted to form a bus quality partnership, allowed under new Government legislation. It would give bus firms and councils powers to co-ordinate timetables and ticketing.

But he said that while Oxford wanted to see one of the pioneering schemes, details of the legislation were still being drawn up and there remained uncertainty about how it would work.

He said: “It is ambitious to say that a partnership could be in place within 18 months. You have to remember that all bus operators in the city will need to sign up and it will also cover things like emissions.”

Introducing joint ticketing could then take another 18 months, he said.

Mr Hudspeth said: “To put it mildly, I am not convinced that they can bring about the changes quickly enough to justify putting off this year’s Queen Street scheme.

County Hall wants to introduce a two-stage approach, removing bus stops from Queen Street from the summer, with full pedestrianisation to follow in 2011 or 2012.

Mr Hudspeth said: “The bus companies are suggesting that a quality bus partnership will allow only a 25 per cent reduction in bus numbers during the quieter times.

“If this is all they are hoping to achieve, it doesn't even automatically mean it’s possible to fully pedestrianise Queen Street as they suggest. It lends even more weight to our argument that we need to do something in Queen Street now.

“If we go along with the bus companies’ way forward on this scheme we could have far too long to wait before the ball starts rolling.”