Chesterton has daytime buses again. New routes 25 and 25A replaced the H5 and 29 on 20 September, with up to two buses an hour from Bicester to Upper Heyford.

Chesterton has a regular daytime bus service again, for the first time in many years. It comes from a new route 25, one of several changes to Bicester’s buses that started on Sunday 20 September.

Go Thames Valley, the group behind Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel, has also bought seven new buses for the area. It announced on 23 September that the six double-deckers and one single-decker, all from Alexander Dennis, cost £2m. They are being painted in Bicester branding and will have Wi-Fi, USB chargers and tap on, tap off payment.

The routes were won under contract and run in partnership with Oxfordshire County Council.

What has changed

The operator’s full list of changes from 20 September covers the whole county. For the Bicester area it says:

Route Runs between What changed
25 Upper Heyford and the John Radcliffe Hospital New. Hourly, via Heyford Park, Middleton Stoney, Chesterton, Bicester, Ambrosden and Islip. Replaces Stagecoach’s H5
25A Upper Heyford and Upper Arncott New. Hourly, via Heyford Park, Middleton Stoney, Bicester and Ambrosden. Replaces Stagecoach’s 29
21 Bicester, Highfield and Kings End Extra daytime journeys. Moved from Oxford Bus Company to Thames Travel

Together the 25 and 25A give up to two buses an hour between Upper Heyford, Bicester and Ambrosden.

Later buses and Sundays

The 25 has extra late evening journeys between Bicester, Heyford Park and Upper Heyford. The last bus leaves Bicester Village Station at 11pm.

Sunday buses between Upper Heyford, Bicester and Upper Arncott are not part of the change. Stagecoach still runs them.

The 21 no longer starts in Chesterton

On weekdays, the first 21 of the day used to start in Chesterton. It now starts at Bowmont Square in Highfield. Chesterton is covered by the new 25 instead.

What the operator and the council said

Luke Marion, Managing Director of Go Thames Valley, said the company was “particularly proud to be providing a regular daytime service in Chesterton”.

Councillor Gareth Epps is the county council’s cabinet member for transport. He said the changes restore buses to Chesterton and restore “a bus link between Heyford Park and Oxford”. He also pointed to the council’s “preservation of the Bicester Bee services for our villages”.

What it means for you

  • In Chesterton: you can now catch the 25 into Bicester and on to the John Radcliffe Hospital during the day.
  • If you used the H5 or 29: those numbers are gone. Look for the 25 or 25A, and check the new times on the operator’s changes page before you travel.
  • In Heyford Park or Upper Heyford: you have up to two buses an hour into Bicester, and a direct route to Oxford’s John Radcliffe on the 25.
  • Watch for diversions: Go Thames Valley warns of road closures in Islip and Heyford Park “over the coming months” that may affect the 25 and 25A. It posts them on its service updates page.

For trains rather than buses, see our Banbury train times to London page, and for current road closures our roadworks and travel page.