Dear BLOC Bus Families,
We hope this message finds you well. Following yesterday’s productive meeting with our bus company, we wanted to reach out about the recent route changes and share our plan moving forward.
First, we need to acknowledge that we didn’t handle last week’s changes as well as we should have. The lack of proper consultation and clear communication wasn’t our finest moment, and for that, we sincerely apologize. However, every challenge presents an opportunity to improve, and that’s exactly what we’re doing now.
We are facing significant challenges with driver shortages, which has impacted our ability to maintain reliable service across all six routes. This proposal to temporarily reduce to five routes aims to ensure more consistent and dependable service for all families.
Why We Are Proposing These Changes
It’s important to note that this change is intended to be temporary for the remainder of this academic year only. We have already agreed with the bus company that Bus 14 will return next academic year, as Europa School is expanding and we anticipate increased demand.
An alternative option could be to contract another company to run route 14, but this would significantly impact costs for all users.
Consultation and temporary arrangements
According to our constitution, any major route changes can only be implemented following a proper consultation process. During the consultation period, the bus service will run as follows:
- This week (ending March 7th): We will continue with the current arrangement (five buses) as implemented last week
- March 10th-21st: We will temporarily return to the original service (six buses)
Consultation Process as Outlined in Our Constitution
Our constitution states:
2d. Any major route changes, involving more than two stops changing from one route to another route, shall only be made following the completion of a consultation process involving the routes concerned, and then two thirds of those members impacted voting in favour.
2e. All consultation processes for route changes shall follow the following format:
i. BLOC committee to propose a solution to concerns and publish to respective groups
ii. Respective Users will be given 7 days to consider proposals and provide feedback
iii. BLOC Committee to consider feedback and accordingly revise proposals in the best interest of the users impacted
iv. BLOC committee to publish updated proposals and allow a further 3 days for final feedback
v. BLOC committee will hold a vote in accordance with requirements
Official Consultation Timeline
- Please submit your feedback to info@blocbus.org by 11:59 PM on Monday, March 10th.
- The committee will review all feedback and may revise the proposal based on your input.
- A virtual meeting for all parents on the affected routes will be held on March 20th at 7:30 PM – meeting link is here.
- At this meeting, we will present any revised proposal and hold a vote.
Proposed Route Details
Please note these are proposed timetables that are subject to change based on your feedback.
Proposed Bus 11
| Morning Pickup | Location | Afternoon Drop-off |
| 07:00 | Marston, St Nicholas Church | 17:00 |
| 07:02 | Marston, St Nicholas Sch Stop | 16:58 |
| 07:06 | Marston Rd, Crotch Crescent | 16:42 |
| 07:10 | Marston Rd, Edgeway Rd/Ferry rd PM | 16:40 |
| 07:15 | Cowley Rd, Manzil Way | 16:30 |
| 07:17 | Cowley Rd, Magdalen Rd | 16:28 |
| 07:19 | Cowley Rd, Shelly Rd | 16:24 |
| 07:21 | Cowley Rd, Marsh Rd | 16:22 |
| 07:23 | Cowley, The Swan PH | 16:19 |
| – | Cowley, Barns Rd, Templars Square | 16:16 |
| 07:25 | Sandy Lane West | – |
| – | Littlemore Shops | 16:13 |
| 07:52 | Europa School | 15:55 |
Proposed Bus 2
| Morning Pickup | Location | Afternoon Drop-off |
| 07:00 | Headington, Bayswater Road | – |
| 07:03 | Headington, Gladstone Rd | 16:55 |
| 07:06 | Windmill Rd, NOC | 16:50 |
| 07:10 | Morrell Av, Divinity Rd | 16:44 |
| 07:12 | Morrell Av, East Av | 16:43 |
| 07:15 | Iffley Rd, Henley St | 16:32 |
| 07:17 | Iffley Rd, Magdalen Rd | 16:30 |
| 07:19 | Iffley Rd, Howard St | 16:28 |
| 07:22 | Iffley Turn | 16:25 |
| 07:24 | Rose Hill Parade | 16:22 |
| 07:26 | Littlemore Shops | – |
| – | Littlemore, Dudgeon Drive | 16:16 |
| 07:30 | Littlemore, Hospital | 16:15 |
| 07:32 | Sandford, Rock Farm Ln | 16:10 |
| 07:52 | Europa School | 15:55 |
You can find the current bus schedule here.
We’re committed to maintaining open dialogue throughout this process and finding solutions that work for everyone. Thank you for your patience and engagement as we work through these changes together.
Best regards,
BLOC Bus Committee