Sir, We're sorry Andrew M. Pritchard has had problems with our no 4 service recently (Letters, October 13). He must have been tearing his hair and out and so were we. Sadly it's a situation that we have little control over. The City 4 services pass along the High Street in both directions and all road users have been badly delayed by the road works at the junction with Longwall. The normal layout has been suspended and there is, in effect, just one lane controlled by temporary lights to serve all routes.

We've been turning some journeys round in the city centre to help passengers like Mr Pritchard on the Botley Road end of the route. But many of our customers want to travel across the city centre. We have increased the number of buses on the route but as so many of our services pass through the road works there's a limit to the extras' we can run.

I wish I could wave a magic wand but all I can do is offer Mr Pritchard our apologies and appeal for understanding from all our passengers held up in the roadworks.

Louisa Weeks, Director and General Manager, Oxford Bus Company