A big rise in passenger numbers has been announced by Oxford Bus Company, reversing a decline reported to MPs only three months ago.

Listen to people describing their regular bus routes.

The company said the number of people using its buses shot up by nearly eight per cent in the past six months, with roadworks across the city persuading more people to leave their cars at home.

The dramatic increase is also due to the senior citizens' free travel pass scheme introduced in April.

Managing director Philip Kirk said: "We estimate that about a third of the extra passengers are made under the concessionary fares scheme.

"The majority is through adult passengers. The number of people using the park-and-ride services is also rising.

"There's some evidence to suggest that car drivers are leaving their cars at home and switching to our buses during the current round of roadworks in Oxford."

Whatever the reasons for the increase, it will come as welcome news to Oxfordshire County Council, whose transport strategy aims to get more people to use buses in the city. When Dick Helling, the county's public transport officer, appeared before the House of Commons transport select committee in June, an altogether gloomier picture of public transport in Oxford was painted for MPs.

Admitting that County Hall was running out of ideas to persuade more people to go by bus, he spoke of rising fares, longer journeys and less frequent services.

But Mr Kirk, whose buses account for 17m passenger journeys a year, said passengers were voting with their feet. He added: "We've invested heavily. Earlier in the year we introduced a new fleet of buses, costing nearly £2m, on the City2 route from Oxford to Kidlington. The Mercedes Citaros have proved a hit with passengers and we believe they have attracted new passengers, not just traditional bus users."

Mr Helling said: "If passenger numbers are now found to be increasing again, this would be very good news. It could indicate the work we have been doing, in partnership with the bus operators, to introduce improvements, was bearing fruit."