A DEAL to cut bus numbers in Oxford has been criticised for failing to remove London coaches from the city’s streets.

Businesses and Oxford University colleges in High Street welcomed news that an agreement reached by Oxfordshire County Council and the city’s two main bus operators should see bus numbers cut by a quarter in central Oxford.

But the campaign group High Priority says the deal ignores the problem of London and airport buses, which they say cause the most disturbance to people living and working on High Street.

Jeremy Mogford, owner of the Old Bank Hotel, who founded High Priority, said: “The agreement between the council and the bus companies is a step in the right direction.

“But somebody should have been brave and strong enough to remove the London and airport buses from the heart of the city because they are so big, intrusive and frequent.

“We strongly believe that they should operate from park-and-rides.

“They keep talking about people wanting the convenience of being able to travel to London from the centre of Oxford. But it would be easy enough to operate some shuttle service.

“We would like to see a more radical long-term approach, with bus hubs created outside the city centre.

“We will still have problems as long as there is a station at Gloucester Green, dragging in quarter-full and empty buses.”

University colleges, including University and All Souls, have repeatedly complained of ‘intolerable’ noise, pollution and vibration from up to 2,500 buses a day in High Street.

University College domestic bursar Elizabeth Crawford said Oxford Tube buses travelling to and from London past the college caused the biggest disturbance.

She said: “They cause the windows to vibrate at every level. We will be looking for any new buses to have high standards when it comes to noise as well as exhaust emissions.”

County council head of transport Steve Howell said: “We did look at the possible removal of London buses, but their viability is dependent on a route through the High.”