PASSENGERS are being promised improved bus services despite Oxfordshire County Council cutting £200,000 from its subsidy for services in West Oxfordshire.

Bus operators Go Ride, Stagecoach and Villager Community Bus will run currently subsidised services on eight routes without council money from June.

Abingdon-based Go Ride will take over the 213, 214, 215 and 233 services from Stagecoach.

The 233 bus from Witney to Burford and Milton-under-Wychwood, currently has an irregular timetable with waits of up to 90 minutes in non-peak times, but there will be a new hourly timetable and the route will be extended to Kingham and Chipping Norton.

Stagecoach will in future run the No 11 and 242 routes at its own commerical risk. The 242, which links Woodstock, Long Hanborough, North Leigh and Witney, will be extended to Burford.

Villager Community Bus will take over the 23A and 243 routes.