A new bus service run by and for the community is connecting villages that have been stripped of scores of bus routes.

First & Last Mile is running minibuses every two hours on weekdays between Standlake, Stanton Harcourt, Northmoor, Hardwick and Bablock Hythe and Eynsham - for onward links to Witney and Oxford - and with Long Hanborough railway station.

There is also an extended service to Bartholomew School.

The driving force behind it is David Miles, Witney’s parish representative on public transport for over 30 years, who was also heavily involved in the creation of West Oxfordshire Community Transport which stepped in to connect Witney and the Wychwoods after subsidised bus services were slashed by Oxfordshire County Council to save £3.7million costs in 2016.

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He said: “We have season tickets and we take a lot of pupils to Bartholomew School from Standlake in particular who are not eligible for free transport.We are basically providing a school bus service. We are full twice a day to and from the school and that pays for the quieter times during the rest of the day.

“We also take a lot of commuters from the villages to Eynsham to get the main buses into Oxford."

First & Last Mile are now operating three 16-seater buses, one of which is electric, which may be the first electric rural bus service in the county.

It is hoped these pilot services could lead to the creation of similar set-ups in other parts of the county or even the UK.

For passengers it’s a lifeline, either saving them from hiring a minicab, enabling their commute or trip to school or giving them back their independence.

Maggie Sasanow, who lives in Sutton and lost her licence due to epilepsy, said: "Having no bus service here was catastrophic for me. I have a disabled son who is also epileptic. Now he's getting the 8am service from Sutton which connects to town at Eynsham for his job in Oxford. The timing's are not quite working but it's great.

"But I'm using it to regain my freedom. If I want to go and have a haircut I would have to ask someone to come and take me, it was always so complicated. Now I can do the whole thing by myself, I am an independent individual again.

"There is such an issue with rural bus services, it's a necessity. It's a huge difference. I've already got the timetable in my head."

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Most of the funding has come from Section 106 funds from housing developers plus the OCC Community Transport Support Grant and a grant from Eynsham Parish Council, however, Mr Miles said the service does have to be largely self-sustaining.

He said: “It’s going reasonably well but there are a lot of challenges like buses that don’t work. It’s a lot of work but it can be done.

"Everything is done by villagers with all the drivers coming from the villages. They are people who want to help the community. In most cases they are retired because if you got your driving licence after 1997, you’ll need to apply for a minibus licence but we are looking for more drivers, both paid and voluntary, and one of the buses is small enough that it only requires a passenger car licence to drive it."