Buses

Buses to and from Charlbury

£2 bus fare

*** NEWS FLASH: SINGLE FARES CAPPED AT £2 ON STAGECOACH BUSES JAN-MAR 2023 ***

Charlbury buses – everything you need to know!

Did you know that from Charlbury there are 9 buses to Witney and 14 buses to Oxford every day? We are really lucky to have these services which are a lifeline especially for older and younger residents – please support them! 

Where/what time do the buses go?

Buses to Witney/Chipping Norton

Pulhams Coaches runs the X9 service from Witney to Chipping Norton. On the way, it passes through Hailey, Finstock, Charlbury, Spelsbury and Chadlington. There are 9 buses each way Monday-to-Friday and 8 on Saturdays.

Buses to Woodstock/Oxford and evening buses to Chipping Norton

These are run by Stagecoach and are a little more complicated.

The S3 bus route from Oxford splits after Woodstock, with alternate buses going to either Chipping Norton or Charlbury.

In the late afternoon/evening, the S3 buses to Charlbury continue on to serve Chipping Norton as well.

In addition, Stagecoach runs the No. 7 route from Oxford city centre (via Oxford Parkway) to Woodstock, and in the late afternoons sends a couple of these No 7 buses on to Charlbury and Chipping Norton.

bus icon

Timetables & Journey planners

Timetables can be found on company websites:

Pulhams – X9

Stagecoach (look up the S3 timetable – this includes the relevant 7 services)

Planning your journey:

The Stagecoach website and Stagecoach Bus App have a journey planner tool: https://www.stagecoachbus.com/plan-a-journey

or you can try Google maps – put in your destination and click on “Directions” – choose the little train icon for public transport options.

Where do I catch the bus in Charlbury?

map of bus routes
Charlbury bus routes

Click here for a larger version of this map

Can I get live updates?

Yes!

See bustimes.org website

Or here are direct links to some of the main bus stops in town:

Charlbury, outside The Bell Hotel – bustimes.org

Charlbury, opposite Spendlove Centre – bustimes.org

Charlbury, outside Enstone Road Bus Shelter – bustimes.org

Charlbury Fiveways (SE-bound) – bustimes.org

Charlbury Nine Acres Lane (SW-bound) – bustimes.org

S3 bus via Charlbury
S3 to Charlbury

Did you know:

  • Contactless: you can now pay by card on X9 as well as S3/7 buses.

  • Lower fares: under a Government scheme, Stagecoach bus company, which operates the S3 and 7 services, is capping fares at £2 for single journeys from 1 January to 31 March 2023. Just get on the bus and ask for a single fare.
  • Charlbury bus services are subsidised by Oxfordshire County Council until August 2024 – if we want them to continue after that, we need to make sure we use them or we will lose them

  • Free travel: if you are over pension age you can apply for a free bus pass here.

  • Travelling in a group? Stagecoach sells a group day ticket for up to 4 people. From Charlbury you want their “Oxfordshire Country Group DayRider” if staying outside Oxford or “West Gold Group DayRider” to go anywhere in Oxfordshire or even some neighbouring counties.

  • Going out for the evening?
    • Services to Chippy run from the Slade at 18:10 (S3), 18:42 (7) and 19:32 (7) – return at 21:40 (S3)
    • Late buses from Oxford/Woodstock leave Oxford at 21:47 (S3) or 00:15 (N7)

  • Country walks (Monday-Saturday): have you thought of going for a longer walk or pub lunch in Finstock or Chadlington and getting the bus home? Look up the X9 timetable.

  • Sundays: currently there are no buses to or from Charlbury on Sundays

  • Watch out! From Oxford, S3 buses go alternately to Charlbury and Chipping Norton – make sure you get on the right one!

  • Oxford Parkway/Park & Ride: the 06:15 (No 7) bus from Charlbury goes to Oxford Parkway station; return at 17:51 or 18:49.

  • Taking a local bus emits a little over half the greenhouse gases of a single occupancy car journey and also helps to remove congestion from the roads