A celebration with a birthday cake highlighted the frustration felt by locals marking two years since bus services were suspended.

On August 19, the Florence Park-based Save Our Buses campaign group marked the milestone of communities being cut off from bus routes across Donnington Bridge.

The structure was shut to all heavy vehicles including buses in August 2024 after the council discovered structural defects that needed examination.

Judith Secker, representing Save Our Buses, expressed that residents in Cowley had spent two years unable to take a straightforward 46 bus journey when they wanted, such as trips to Hinksey Park and Pool, religious venues situated near Abingdon Road, and connections to services like the X40 running to Wallingford and Reading.

She added that inhabitants of Hinksey and Donnington had lost convenient access to Donnington Health Centre and budget-friendly shopping at Templars Square and Retail Park.

She noted that passengers on the 46 were not the only ones impacted.

The ST1 route linking Oxford’s city science districts and Harwell Campus across the bridge can no longer be used by these communities for commuting purposes.

The county council has provided financing for a 46A service running once hourly on weekday mornings only, using vehicles that cannot accommodate all disabled passengers, leaving locals without any transportation in afternoons, evenings and at weekends.

Caroline Raine, another campaigner, stated that the council’s application to the Structure Fund offered reason for hope.

She cautioned, though, that numerous applications were being made to the structure fund from across the nation so nothing was guaranteed.

She emphasised that should the application fail, the group would persist.

The organisation is prepared to begin fresh campaigning efforts to push the county council to create alternative solutions.

Contingency preparation must commence immediately, she said.

Even with funding approval, completion of repairs could require several years.

An Oxfordshire County Council spokesperson explained that funding for bridge repairs was scarce throughout local government and authorities were collectively managing as best they could.

In this specific situation the council was submitting a bid to a government fund specifically established to provide assistance, he continued.

He further noted that expanding the minibus services was not currently planned as the expense would be prohibitive, and stated that replacement bus services could be reached within a brief walk from Donnington Bridge.