 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Operator | Stagecoach in Bedford |
| Garage | Bedford |
| Vehicle | Volvo B9R (2009–14) Volvo B11R (2014–21) ADL Enviro400 MMC (2021-present) |
| Predecessors | Stagecoach United Counties |
| Route | |
| Start | Gloucester Green bus station, Oxford |
| Via | Bicester, Buckingham, Milton Keynes, Milton Keynes Coachway |
| End | Bedford Bus Station |
| Length | 85 miles (137 km) |
| Service | |
| Level | Daily |
| Frequency | 30 |
Stagecoach X5 is an inter-urban bus service linking Oxford and Bedford via Bicester, Buckingham and Milton Keynes
Service started in 1992 with an hourly service between Oxford and Cambridge, which was increased to half-hourly in 2005;[1] new vehicles were introduced in 2009 and again in 2015. It operates with a 30-minute frequency for much of the day. Vehicles advertise free WiFi access, air conditioning and leather seats and are wheelchair accessible. The route carried 500,000 users in 2008; passenger numbers grew by 150% between 2004 and 2009, leading to some problems with overcrowding.
As of 2014, according to Stagecoach East's Managing Director, Andy Campbell, the route carries on average 1.3 million passengers annually. It is operated by the group's Stagecoach in Bedford division.
At the end of August 2020, the route was reduced to terminate at Bedford, with passengers on the Bedford – Cambridge leg being transferred to a local bus service. As of February 2020[update], to travel between Oxford and Cambridge directly by bus takes about four and half hours. (The same journey by rail via London takes less than three hours; by car it takes less than two hours.[2])
- ^ Medium-length Trip Patterns: Stage 1 - report & discussion paper: Examples of inter-urban bus services: Route X5 Oxford - Milton Keynes - Bedford - Cambridge, Commission for Integrated Transport, September 2010
- ^ Google route planning