A NEW community bus service set to launch in West Oxfordshire has been welcomed by transport campaigners.

West Oxfordshire Community Transport Ltd is launching its new route to restore a bus service to five villages in West Oxfordshire.

Route 210 will start running five days a week* between Witney and Chipping Norton via Crawley, Leafield, Ascott-under-Wychwood, Shipton-under-Wychwood and Milton-under-Wychwood on Monday.

Chairman of Bus Users Oxford Hugh Jaeger said the new route has the potential to benefit thousands of people in those villages.

He added: “Leafield has 950 residents, Ascott-under-Wychwood has 500 and Witney’s Deer Park Estate has hundreds more. 5,000 residents is probably an under-estimate.

“One bus five times a day may not meet every need for every resident. But it can take them to the most popular destinations at the most popular times.”

From Mondays to Fridays there will be five buses a day between Witney and Milton-under-Wychwood via the Deer Park housing estate and the industrial estates just west of Witney.

The timetable includes peak-hour services for villagers to commute to work or college.

Three buses a day will continue north from Milton-under-Wychwood to Chipping Norton, providing an off-peak only service convenient for shopping.

For more information see woct.org.uk.

* A previous version of this story stated the bus was available six days a a week. The service, in fact, does not run on Saturdays. Apologies for any inconvenience caused.