Sir – I would like to express my appreciation of a brave decision made by the Oxford Bus Company.

Following the loss of financial support from the county council it would have been very convenient for the company to withdraw the evening and Sunday No 4 service between Cumnor, Wootton and Abingdon that also links these communities to Oxford, and blame the spending cuts.

The management has however decided to keep operating these services in the belief that it can build up patronage and make them fully viable.

The decision has also been taken to double the Monday to Saturday daytime frequency on this route and at long last we will have buses running down the Wootton Road into Abingdon which will serve Abingdon College and local schools.

I recognise that there have been other changes to the No 4 group of buses that reduce the level of service to some parts of Botley which makes it all the more important for residents of our part of Oxfordshire to show their appreciation and make greater use of the services.

I only hope now that Oxfordshire County Council will take effective action in the Frideswide Square and Botley Road area to reduce the congestion which is destroying service reliability particularly in the afternoons.

We have seen enough already to know that even when the works there are completed, the new road layout near the station will greatly disadvantage public transport in the crucial evening peak period, unless a way is found to give buses effective priority over other traffic.

Noel Newson
Sunningwell