Busy commuters wanting to get on their bikes have been given a boost with a new service at Oxford train station.

Cycle business Bainton Bikes has set up a special gazebo so the hundreds of cyclists who use the station each day can have their machines repaired and maintained without having to wait, while those visiting the city can hire a bike.

Kevin Moreland, of Bainton Bikes in North Oxford, who also runs Walton Street Cycles in Jericho, said he recognised a need for the service with an increase in commuter cycling promoted by high-profile figures such as Mayor of London and former Henley MP Boris Johnson.

He said: “We were talking to First Great Western about putting hire bikes at the station and they said they wanted a repair service as well.”

Mr Moreland and partner Honour Tomkinson visited Cambridge to see how a business called Station Cycles is prospering there and decided a station-based venture could be sustainable.

“We know people in Oxford want longer opening hours. The feedback we have had is that they just don’t get the chance to get to a bike shop,” he said.

"Commuters leave at 7am and get back at 7pm and at the weekend they want to stay at home. Some of the bikes we have seen have been in quite a state.”

Initially the gazebo will be open from 6.30am until 7.30pm every Monday, so people can leave their bikes in the morning and collect when they return.

Mr Moreland said: “It has also allowed us to offer hire and cycle tours to visitors and we are planning to open seven days a week from March or April, depending on how things go.”

They have taken on a new employee for the gazebo and plan to take on another later, taking their workforce to 10.

First Great Western integrated transport manager Andy Saunders said: “Oxford is one of our most popular stations for commuting cyclists and I’m delighted to partner Walton Street Cycles and Bainton Bikes to offer this innovative service.”