Thames Travel in science park contract success
Thames Travel has announced a new contract to provide enhanced services to science, business and technology centre Milton Park in Oxfordshire. The new deal will enable the Go-Ahead-owned operator to increase the frequency and capacity of its services to the site, in response to a growing demand for bus travel and the popularity of the Park’s £20 employee bus pass.
The news follows Milton Park’s survey of over 1,000 employees which, for the first time, found over 50% were opting for more sustainable methods such as bus, bike and car sharing to travel to work, compared to single occupancy vehicles.
The survey also found an 18% uplift in bus usage since the pandemic, enabled by Milton Park’s commitment to sustainable transport, ongoing partnerships with local providers and incentives such as the Park’s £20 employee bus pass.
In addition to the increased frequency, 13 Milton Park-branded buses will now operate on routes across the county, with double-decker buses becoming more widespread on the route from March 2024, as single-deckers are gradually phased out.
“Thames Travel hopes the improvements will bolster reliability, giving the service extra resilience and in-built capacity to cope with future traffic conditions” – Luke Marion, Managing Director of Thames Travel
Luke Marion, Managing Director of Thames Travel, said: “While roadworks across Oxfordshire have caused problems with congestion in recent months, this significant investment from Milton Park will allow Thames Travel to work closely with Milton Park’s team to improve the punctuality and reliability of timetables and services, especially on the X32 route.
“Performance has been monitored closely through a real-time tracking system, which shows the route needs greater capacity, which is why an extra bus will be added to the service from 7 January 2024. Thames Travel hopes the improvements will bolster reliability, giving the service extra resilience and in-built capacity to cope with future traffic conditions.”