Pulhams enhances service to further improve accessibility to Cotswolds

Pulhams has enhanced its long-standing 801 service to further improve accessibility to Cotswolds towns.

The 801 serving Cheltenham, Andoversford, Bourton-on-the-Water, Stow-on-the-Wold and Moreton-in-Marsh now also includes Chipping Norton on its route.

Working closely with Gloucestershire County Council and Great Western Railway (GWR), bus journeys are operating later into the evening between Monday and Saturday. The last bus now leaves Moreton-in-Marsh railway station at 9:40pm. The previously improved Sunday timetable to provide an hourly service all year round remains in place.

Luke Marion, Managing Director of Pulhams Coaches, said: “We’ve been working hard since we took over Pulhams to enhance our long-standing 801 service, starting by increasing the service to hourly, adding the link to Chipping Norton, and developing extra journeys in the late evenings and on Sundays. Over this period, patronage has increased by 60 per cent.

“This is in no small part due to the excellent partnership working with GWR, Gloucestershire County Council and Oxfordshire County Council.

“Passengers can now enjoy a car-free day to the Cotswolds, with improved accessibility from Oxford and London into Moreton-in-Marsh by train, with buses timed to connect for onwards travel into popular Cotswold destinations Stow-on-the-Wold and Bourton-on-the-Water, boosting both local tourism and sustainability.”

In partnership with GWR, the Pulhams 801 service has been formally designated a GWR Rail Link route, allowing passengers to book bus and train journeys in a single ticket.

Nick Reid, Transport Integration Manager at Great Western Railway, said: “Good, efficient local transport links are vital in bringing the railway closer to people as we become more mindful of the need to live and travel more sustainably, and in supporting the local economies that we serve.

“The Cotswolds is a really important destination for the community of this part of our network, for residents and visitors alike, and we are delighted to have worked with Gloucestershire County Council, Oxfordshire County Council and Pulhams to deliver these improvements.”

Enhancements to the 801 route follow Pulhams expanding its exclusive shuttle bus service to and from the Cotswolds Designer Outlet at the end of March.

Earlier this year, Pulhams announced an £8.17 million investment to launch 15 electric buses and make significant depot improvements.