Sir – Many people understand the frustration of not being able to use a ticket from one bus on another operator’s services.

I do understand this, and so I welcome the proposal to introduce joint ticketing in the response by Stagecoach and the Oxford Bus Company to the county’s “Transform Oxford” proposals.

I also welcome the apparent conversion of the county’s cabinet member for transport to joint ticketing. He even seems now to believe there is such urgency he wants it done more quickly than is humanly possible for the bus companies. Also, the leader of the council himself is quoted (Report, March 12) calling for the bus companies to implement joint ticketing. What a pity they didn’t understand the importance of such a scheme until now.

Unfortunately, county council Conservatives haven’t always been so supportive of such improvements to our public transport. In fact, I remember that little more than a year ago, they rushed over themselves to reject precisely the suggestion of multi-ticketing when I and the Liberal Democrats proposed it at the county council.

While I’m not going to complain about Tories taking up good Lib Dem ideas, you must wonder how long their new-found interest will last. Some of us are interested in public transport throughout the year, not just at election time.

Zoé Patrick, Leader of the Opposition, County Hall, Oxford