Public Transport

Getting to Oxford

Visit our How To Get To Oxford page for full details on the best ways to get to the city.

Bus Services

Oxford City Council is not responsible for local buses in Oxford. If you are travelling within the boundaries of Oxford city, the two main bus companies are the Oxford Bus Company and Stagecoach. Visit their websites for a detailed list of their bus services and up-to-date timetables.

Visit the Timetables and Maps page of the Oxfordshire County Council website to see a full list of bus services in Oxfordshire and where to catch them in Oxford.

People wishing to travel into Oxford should use the Park and Ride service. For information about Park and Ride sites, timetables and fares, visit the Park and Ride pages on the Oxfordshire County Council website.

Stagecoach's X5 service offers a regular service to Bicester Village, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge. This service leaves from Oxford Bus Station at Gloucester Green. Visit the X5 website for more information.

For more information on nationwide coach travel, visit the National Express website.

Rail Services

Visit the National Rail Enquiries website to plan your train journey and look at train times and fares. Alternatively, you can call National Rail enquiries on 08457 484950.

First Great Western operate a frequent direct train service from Oxford to London Paddington (approximately every 30 minutes) along with services to the south via Reading; to the west via Didcot or Reading and to the north via Bicester and Banbury to Manchester and Leeds. Virgin Trains operate other services via Birmingham New Street to the north of England.

Oxford Train Station is located on Park End Street next to the Said Business School and is operated by First Great Western. Visit the Oxford Station Facilities page on the National Rail Enquiries website to see details of facilities and passenger services offered at the station.

Taxi Services

Hackney carriages are available at taxi ranks around Oxford, including the bus station at Gloucester Green and the train station. These are the only vehicles licensed by the Council that can legally stand and ply for hire in Oxford. Any other vehicle you hail may be dangerous and uninsured for public hire.

We also license a number of private hire vehicles in the city. These vehicles should not be hailed in the street and should be pre-booked. For names and contact details of taxi firms in Oxford, please see the table below:

How do I get to London from Oxford using public transport?

First Great Western operate a frequent direct train service from Oxford to London Paddington (approximately every 30 minutes).

Stagecoach run a 24 hour bus service to London called the Oxford Tube. The Oxford Bus Company run a similar service called the Oxford Espress. Both services leave from the Oxford Bus Station at Gloucester Green. Visit their websites for timetables and a full list of where each bus stops.

Visit the London Underground pages of the Transport for London website for information and maps of the London Underground.

How do I get to Heathrow/Gatwick/Stansted/Birmingham/Luton airport from Oxford using public transport?

The Oxford Bus Company runs a frequent bus service to Heathrow and Gatwick called The Airline. Visit their website for timetables and fares.

National Express service 757 runs a direct bus service between Oxford and Stansted. Visit the National Express website for full details. You should also visit this website for services to Luton Airport.

Both of these services leave from the Oxford Bus Station at Gloucester Green.

	Traveline website

There is a direct train from Birmingham International to Oxford. Visit the National Rail Enquiries website for timetables and fares.

How do I plan my journey anywhere in the UK using public transport?

Traveline provides an online journey planner and timetables for any public transport journey in England. This includes details of all bus services in Oxfordshire, including up-to-date timetables. Visit the Traveline website to use their online journey planner and timetable search. Alternatively, you can call Traveline on 0871 200 22 33.

You can also visit the Journey Planner pages of the DirectGov website to plan you journey using public transport, online. 

Where can I find out more information about public transport in the UK?

For information on all forms of public transport, you can browse the Public Transport section of the DirectGov website.

For specific information on the following topics and for information on how to complain about a transport service, please use the links below:

Visit our Transport Links page for useful links to other websites relating to local and national travel.

You can also visit the Public Transport pages of the Oxfordshire County Council website.

Page last reviewed 9 Feb 2010