I READ with amusement and incredulity the letter (October 25) from the lady who was complaining there were too many empty buses going both ways up and down St Aldate’s.

Of course there will always be plenty of empty buses going up and down that street, because the ones coming into the city disgorge most of their passengers at the Carfax end of High Street and the ones coming up are empty following their turnaround to pick up their first passengers from the various stops at the top.

Oxford probably has the most-used public transport system per head of the population in the country. Most buses are now fitted with catalytic converters, which eliminate fuel emissions considerably.

As a regular traveller at all times of the day, my experience is that most of the double deckers are there because they are constantly filling up with passengers, 16 hours a day, seven days a week, from all stopping points.

The suggestion that the double deckers be replaced by mini-buses is absurd. For example, on the 1 and 5 routes, this would mean they would be stacked toe to tail from the top of St Aldate’s to the far end of Speedwell Street, employing around 60 drivers instead of the 10 or so the double deckers would use.

The writer states that she travelled by taxi from St Aldate’s police station to Carfax and then had a 10-minute wait – surely not for a bus, with so many empty ones to choose from.

JONN MACKIE Hendred Street Cowley