Sir – M F Fawcett’s suggestion of a Water Eaton to Headington bus service (Letters, September 11) would not work because he misses several points. First it would use Queen Street, which is being closed on John Lewis’ say-so as part of the deal to redevelop the Westgate Centre.

Even if this were not the case, Queen Street is one-way so the service would have to use a long loop via Speedwell Street; it is exactly this loop which proved the death-knell for cross-city services as most passengers found it quicker to walk up Cornmarket than ride round almost one-mile loop.

Third, park-and-ride services run limited stop and are, therefore, of limited use to the communities along the route. If limited services are to be allowed to run through the city centre once more they should be regular ‘city’ routes which can serve everybody en route.

Mr Fawcett may dislike the idea of buses on Cornmarket but ideas are needed to solve this bus conundrum, and shouldn’t we at least listen to ideas from people who actually have experience of running buses?

Noam Bleicher, Oxford