ROSE Hill residents last night renewed calls for an hourly bus service to Cowley after Oxfordshire County Council secured a £300,000 windfall.

County Hall netted the cash after Stagecoach declared it no longer needed subsidies for three Oxford bus services that it decided had become commercially viable.

Now councillors and residents are calling for the money to be ploughed into re-establishing the link from Rose Hill to their nearest shopping and employment area.

Commuters currently have to make do with just two Heyfordian buses to Cowley a week.

The estate’s 3,000 residents could then connect to buses going to the John Radcliffe Hospital without having to change buses in the city centre.

Terry Kirkby, 67, of Desborough Crescent, said: “This is desperately needed.

“Everyone loves to go to Oxford, it’s my favourite place, but many people cannot get to our local shops and facilities in Cowley or the onward connections to the hospital.

“There are a lot of people that haven’t got a car here and Rose Hill is an aged area and our residents need all the help they can to get on and off the buses.

“I’m convinced this would be great for anyone wanting to use the hospital; not everyone has a car and parking at the JR is a nightmare.”

In the spring, the council will decide which services will benefit from £3.2m of funding for subsidised buses across the county.

From February, the No 12 from Greater Leys to Oxford, the No 14 from the John Radcliffe to Oxford and the No 16 from Littlemore to Oxford do not need subsidising, freeing up £300,000 annually.

Ed Turner, city councillor for Rose Hill, said: “Obviously everyone is pleased the county council is saving some money, and if the services for people in Greater Leys and Littlemore improve, that is excellent news.

“This enormously strengthens the case for a regular, at-least hourly service from Rose Hill to Cowley, and perhaps through to the hospitals.

“The current twice-weekly service is woefully inadequate.”

Hugh Jaeger, Oxford’s representative for Bus Users UK, said the Rose Hill to Cowley route was now the most deserving connection needing to be filled in the city.

He said: “Rose Hill suffers outrageous exclusion from retail and employment opportunities at the moment.

“Unless you’re shopping or working in the city centre you need a car to live in Rose Hill.”

Stagecoach commercial manager Robert Williams said: “We are sure that everybody would like a service, but the question is how many would actually use it.

“When we tried running services between Rose Hill and Cowley in the past very few people used them, but the level of demand does change over time.

“We would be surprised if the county do not put a new service out to tender, but do recognise that any level of service costs money to provide and that finances are tight at the moment.”

County Hall spokesman Owen Morton said: “The council is keen to look at ways of reinvesting this money in public transport. However, no decisions are due to be taken regarding bus subsidies until next year.

“We welcome comments as part of our ongoing review of Oxford bus subsidies, and are aware of calls for an hourly service from Cowley to Rose Hill.”