Thame is a market town in Oxfordshire sitting along the A418, about 13 miles east of Oxford and 10 miles southwest of Aylesbury with a population of 11,561. The CPM Group and Travelodge have their HQs in the town, and it also regularly features in Midsummer Murders TV series. For a town of its size there is a disproportionately high number of bus routes, some with high frequencies. In late 2023 new rural services were introduced by Oxfordshire County Council utilising government funding.
Bus services December 2023
40 Thame - Chinnor - Stokenchurch - High Wycombe. Hourly, operated by Red
Rose Travel;
110 Aylesbury Bus Station – Worminghall, The Avenue. 4 outward and 5
inbound journeys operated by Redline Buses;
111 Oakley – Aylesbury. 3 outward and 4 return journeys, operated by Z
& S Transport;
112 Waddesdon – Aylesbury. 1 trip Wednesday & Friday operated by Z
& S Transport;
113 Oakley - Princes Risborough. Tuesday & Thursday, 1 full and 2
partial trips operated by Z & S Transport;
120 Aylesbury Bus Station - Oxford Westgate via Stone, Haddenham,
Thame, Thornhill (Park & Ride), Headington. 1 trip Monday to Friday
school days only, operated by Redline Buses;
121 Thame-Thame every 30 minutes (30-minute round trip).
126 Watlington - Chalgrove – Thame. Tuesday & Thursday, 1 trip,
operated by Red Rose Travel;
127 Watlington - Tetsworth – Thame. Tuesday & Thursday, 1 trip
operated by Red Rose Travel;
280 Aylesbury – Oxford, every 15 mins operated by Arriva;
321 Princes Risborough - Longwick – Thame. 1 trip school days only,
operated by Red Rose Travel;
X7 Aylesbury – Oxford. Every 30 mins operated by Arriva;
X8 Aylesbury – Oxford. Peak hours only, operated by Arriva;
X20 Aylesbury Bus Station - Westgate, Oxford via Stone, Thame. Every
30 mins, operated by Redline Buses.
The 121 service is a circular route of two variants that goes hourly around Thame creating a 30-minute frequency in the town centre. Until the end of April 2023, Redline Buses had operated the route. However, in May 2023 it was announced by Thame Town Council that Z & S Transport would take over the service. On both days of the visit MK63 WZV operated the service. The Alexander Dennis E20D B29F started life with South Wales Transport in Neath, followed by a short time on loan to White Bus before joining Aylesbury based Z & S Transport.
In January 2024 the Arriva 280 became the X8, which had previously been for peak journeys only supplementing the 280 to Oxford. The X8 is now used for half hourly journeys between Thame and Oxford making for a 15-minute frequency along with the half hourly X7 on that section of the route contested by Redline Buses with their half hourly X20. BD12 DHV (left) and BD12 DHG are a pair of Mercedes Benz 0530’s B41F on the 280.
The competition on the Oxford route X20 from Redline utilizes a mixture of buses from tatty presentation older stock to anonymous almost new vehicles. Below left and centre BV73 MTF, below right, BV73 MTK - both Volvo B8RLE with MCV B38F bodies.
The two on the bottom row are: left YX12 DKA an Alexander Dennis E20D B29D new to Centrewest and later spending time with Metroline, on the right, YX63 LJE, another E20D this time with B33F body new to Nottingham. For a journey taking 1 hour and 11 minutes, neither bus types seem a particularly comfortable option.
Red Rose Travel gained the contract to operate the 126 and 127 on Tuesdays and Thursdays only in late 2023 having won the Oxfordshire tender. These are new routes into Thame from villages that previously only had services towards Oxford. At rest in Thame whilst the driver headed off for breakfast is MX58 KYR, Optare Solo M710SE B21F, previously with Redline.
The infrequent 110 operated by Redline, on this occasion using SN53 LWR (left) originally a Transbus Dart SLF demonstrator having spent some time with Eddie Brown but much of its life with Redline. On the right, for the afternoon school journey, LK06 FLB an Alexander Dennis Trident H41/26D new to Metroline.
Below, operating hourly Red Rose route 40 is Y23 RRT (YX11 HPL) another AD E20D B29D originally with Abellio, later with Manchester Community Transport who converted it to single door. Later moving to CT Plus Yorkshire and then Powell’s (HTC Group - CT Plus) in Sheffield.
Finally, late afternoon produced several school services, including (left) Redline RL08 (Chinnor to Lord Williams Upper School) using PN52 XBP a Volvo B7Tl with East Lancs Vyking H47/33F body, new to Richardson, Midhurst. Whilst on the right operating Redline 762 (Dorton to Lord Williams Upper School) is LF52 UPO an Volvo B7TL with Wright H41/22D body new to Arriva North London.
In conclusion, if you fancy visiting a pleasant market town
with plenty of bus activity, Thame is the place you should be heading for.
