PickMeUp bus service is withdrawn but could return

Oxford Bus Company staff gathered at the weekend to mark the end of the service - the first of its kind in the UK.

It is now applying for a grant via the government’s Rural Mobility Fund, in partnership with the county council, which could result in a revised PickMeUp service returning to the county.

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PickMeUp was launched in 2018 to improve connectivity in the eastern arc of Oxford by complementing traditional bus routes. It enabled passengers in eastern Oxford to summon buses to pick them up on a street corner of their choice, to go to a bespoke destination.

More than 38,000 people downloaded the app and more than 300,000 journeys were made on the service which covered 950,000 miles. However, the service was not commercially viable to run beyond the two-year pilot.

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Phil Southall, Oxford Bus Company managing director said: “PickMeUp was a great innovation by Oxford Bus Company and we are proud of its achievements. We are hopeful it could be reintroduced to Oxfordshire if we are successful in our grant funding application, albeit in a revised format. If the Rural Mobility Fund Demand Responsive Transport proposal is successful, the revised service would serve rural and suburban areas surrounding Oxford city.

Five zones would be created around the city, which would each include a Park&Ride location as a ‘mobility hub’. The service would not serve the city centre.

It would seek to improve connectivity to existing inter-urban bus corridors for rural and suburban communities to provide greater access to employment hubs, shopping, healthcare, and entertainment areas. This would help reduce levels of isolation, enhance independence, and help tackle congestion.

Working in partnership with providers including Oxford Bus Company, the county council recently submitted four Expressions of Interest to DfT to access around £20m of Government support for Demand Responsive Transport services under the Rural Mobility Fund.

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County councillor Yvonne Constance, Cabinet member for Environment and Transport, said: “Demand responsive transport has a future in Oxfordshire and the lessons learnt from the Pick Me Up service will help shape services to come.

"Our hope is to get government support for bus services that will suit people’s travel requirements in different communities across the county, including those who live in some of our more remote areas.”

The zones would include:

1: Summertown zone –serving the suburban area of Cutteslowe and village of Water Eaton/Gosford, which do not currently have any local bus services.

2: Seacourt zone – serving the villages of Godstow, Wytham, North Hinksey, Binsey and the suburban area of Botley.

3: Redbridge zone – serving the villages of Sunningwell, Bayworth, Boars’ Hill and South Hinksey as well as the suburban areas of Kennington and Grandpont.

4: Cowley zone – serving the villages of Horspath, Garsington, Nuneham Courtenay, the Baldons, Cuddesdon, Littleworth and Wheatley, plus the suburban areas of Blackbird Leys, Littlemore, and Sandford.

5: Headington zone –serving the villages of Elsfield, Woodperry, Stanton St John and Forest Hill, plus the suburban areas of Marston and Barton.