Worth’s Coaches based in Enstone, Oxfordshire, have brought the curtain down on two of their regular bus services after 80 years.
The number 69 and the 81 bus services from Chipping Norton to Witney and Banbury have been cancelled after dwindling passenger numbers. The services were further hit when the council stopped subsiding the route.
Competition from a rival service, which receives a subsidiary from the council, was another contributory factor in the demise of Worth’s Coaches route. The service was no longer deemed economically viable, and so the decision was made to pull the plug on the number 69 and the 71 buses.
Despite the declining passenger numbers, the bus routes had a strong following of loyal customers with 5,000 passengers a month travelling on the service.
The current director at Worth’s Coaches, Paul Worth, described it as a “sad day” when the company ran its last number 69 and 71 services. Recalling the days when his grandfather started operating the bus services during the 1930’s, Mr Worth said that the route was so popular, that even double-decker buses couldn’t cope with the demand.
The company still has 12 coaches and says they will now be concentrating on private hire business.