MORE than 100,000 journeys have been made on PickMeUp, the Oxford Bus Company’s ground-breaking app-based service since it launched.

The landmark was broken on Wednesday in the eastern part of the city where buses have been operating.

More than 22,000 registered users have signed up to the app and an average of 3,700 journeys are now completed per week.

Oxford Mail:

Bus company bosses have also announced they are expanding the zone to serve Summertown and Jericho in response to public demand from Sunday, April 21.

READ AGAIN: Former teaching assistant has learned how to drive a PickMeUp bus

Oxford resident Luisa Kapp was the 100,000th passenger. She said: “As I live on the outskirts of Oxford, it‘s often very difficult to get to places that aren’t in the city centre. PickMeUp is a great solution to that problem."

Since its launch in June PickMeUp has allowed passengers in eastern Oxford to summon minibuses to pick them up on a street corner of their choice, to go to a chosen destination in the eastern part of the city.

The north and north-west boundaries of the eastern zone will be extended, and will now take in northern Jericho, Summertown (as far as South Parade heading north) and Marston Ferry Road.

READ AGAIN: PickMeUp buses win funding from Oxford Science Park

The zone expansion forms part of growth plans which have also seen a further investment in five new jobs and two new buses this year, and corporate backing from Oxford Science Park.

Oxford Mail:

Phil Southall, managing director of Oxford Bus Company, said: “To have completed 100,000 passenger journeys in the first nine months of operation is a fantastic achievement and would not have been possible without the hard work of our great team.

“It is ahead of our expectations and we’re focused on developing the service further. It is still a challenge commercially especially given this is a new approach to public transport and securing more commercial partnerships remains vital.

READ MORE: Oxford app-based bus service PickMeUp is expanding

“Developing new public transport services is difficult, but we’re good at it. Local businesses said they wanted greater connectivity and we have provided it and we need more businesses to support the service to enable it to continue to grow.

"There is no reason why PickMeUp cannot continue to grow and compliment traditional bus services if the ingredients are right.

“The zone expansion is great news for the residents of Jericho, who previously were without a bus service. Those living in the Park Town and Summertown areas will also enjoy new connectivity, including convenient access to the JR hospital seven days a week without needing to change buses in the city centre.”

Oxford Mail:

The service operates between 6am and 11pm Monday to Friday, between 7am and midnight on Saturday and 9am to 9pm on Sundays, with an average response time of 10 to 15 minutes. The introductory fare of £2.50 per journey is still being charged, with a surcharge of £2.50 if the journey could be made via an existing Oxford Bus Company bus route and the walk is 200 metres or less. Multi-journey passes are available as well as corporate packages.