I congratulate the Oxford Bus Company and Stagecoach on introducing joint ticketing and joint timetables (Oxford Mail, January 14) , something that I know they have been keen on for a while now.

It is just a shame that this did not happen earlier, due to the lack of political will at County Hall.

In April 2008 I put a motion to the county council suggesting that joint ticketing be explored to make life so much easier for people and in particular, to encourage public transport.

At that time, legislation had just been introduced to allow Quality Bus Partnerships to set up such schemes.

I well recall councillor Ian Hudspeth saying then that this could not be made to work, just before the Conservative group threw the motion out.

I therefore doubly congratulate the bus companies on managing to convert Cllr Hudspeth to the sense of the suggestion Liberal Democrats made nearly two years ago and have been pushing for ever since.

ZOE PATRICK, Leader of the Opposition, County Hall, Oxford