Bus service change means fare rise and longer trips

CHANGES to a bus service between RAF Benson and Cholsey have upset councillors and residents in surrounding parishes.

Thames Travel has altered the timetable of its 136 service following the introduction of a 20mph speed limit around the base.

The company says the restriction brought in by Oxfordshire County Council, the highways authority, means it can longer afford to run the service that ran from RAF Benson to Cholsey and back due to the longer journey time.

The route has now been split into two, with the section between Wallingford and Cholsey remaining 136 and the section between Wallingford and Benson being renumbered 139.

The 136 operates via the current route between Wallingford and Cholsey, while the 139 operates in a clockwise loop from Wallingford via Benson, RAF Benson and Clack’s Lane back to Wallingford.

The Saturday service will include earlier and later trips as part of the changes, which took effect on Monday.

Residents of Benson, RAF Benson, Cholsey, Crowmarsh Gifford and Ewelme say the changes mean passengers now have to pay twice as much in fares in return for longer journey times.

The former six-minute journey from Benson to Cholsey now takes an hour and the cost has risen from £4 to £8.

Critics say Thames Travel failed to consult with parish councils over the changes and reached out to just one volunteer travel representative in Benson. Councillor Andrea Powell, who represents Benson, Ewelme, Crowmarsh and Warborough parishes on South Oxfordshire District Council, said: “Thames Travel have said a lot of it is to do with congestion, particularly around Oxford, but in this particular case they have split the service into these two loops, even though it has been running like it was for years.

“The old route was convenient and timely and went between RAF Benson and Cholsey station and through the middle of Wallingford so the people from Ewelme could get to Wallingford and Cholsey.

“It has also been very handy for commuters.

“They haven’t really made it clear why they need to make this split into two loops. It’s a really bad idea.

“Now there are now all kinds of problems: If you’re in Ewelme and you want to go to Benson, which used to take five minutes, you have to go all the way round Wallingford, sit in Wallingford for 35 minutes and wait for the bus to take you back to Benson.

“A lot of older people in Ewelme and Benson depend on the shops in Benson and the pharmacy, dentist and Co-op. I was contacted by an elderly resident in Ewelme saying: ‘This is crazy’.

“She is fortunate enough to drive but doesn’t want to drive to Benson. She also said: ‘What happens when I no longer drive? It will take an hour to get to the GP surgery in Benson’.

“The other problem is people will have to buy two tickets to get from Benson to Cholsey station as they have to use two different buses.

“They didn’t consult with everybody. They claimed they consulted with Benson Parish Council but it says they didn’t except for one email to someone who acts as a volunteer representative.

“In Ewelme, our public transport representative is David Cooper and he was not consulted.

“RAF Benson was not consulted and they’re pretty unhappy because they have people who work in Benson and it feels detrimental to young mothers who maybe are on their own when their husbands are posted abroad and now have to go on an hour’s loop to visit Wallingford.

“There was a lack of consultation and flexibility. I get they have to make changes to their services but this one seems to have been very clumsily handled. Them saying, ‘We put it on our website’ is not enough.

“The people who use the buses are probably older and are not likely to be checking Twitter and the website. It’s very customer-unfriendly.”

Cllr Powell also criticised Oxfordshire County Council, which approved the changes, saying they contradicted its green policy of encouraging the use of public transport, particularly for shorter journeys.

She said: “It seems to be a retrograde step and is not going to encourage people to use the buses. If you’re going from Benson to Wallingford it doesn’t make much of a difference if your destination is Wallingford but it’s an issue for those who want to go in an anticlockwise direction.”

A spokesman for Thames Travel said: “We advised Oxfordshire County Council that a decision to implement 20mph zones around RAF Benson, as recommended by the local parish council, would mean we could no longer operate the 136 service within available resources.

“Despite this, the decision was made to proceed with implementation of the 20mph zone and we were therefore forced to make the changes to the service.

“We have managed to retain a bus service to all parts of the previous 136 route, through interweaving the service with other routes we operate in the Wallingford area.

“Only a small number of passengers previously made use of the through links that no longer exist and in all cases passengers can still make these journeys by changing buses in Wallingford.

“We regret the changes have been necessary, however where we’re aware a route cannot reliably be operated in accordance with its timetable, we are duty bound by the Traffic Commissioners to review and make changes to the timetable.

“Our team extensively consulted with Oxfordshire County Council before these changes were implemented. We are not required to consult with parish councils.”

• What do you think? Write to: Letters, Henley Standard, Caxton House, 1 Station Road, Henley or email letters
@henleystandard.co.uk