Go West
via the
Oxford Link

Bristol for £61.00 or Bristol for £25.80?

How to Save on Fares to the West and South-West

Travel by train from Milton Keynes to Bristol via London and a Saver return will cost you £61 - not exactly a bargain.  But by using a combination of bus and rail, the journey is just as quick and the fare is a much more reasonable £25.80.  Here's how...

Take the X5 bus from Milton Keynes to Oxford. The X5 runs every 30 minutes and serves Oxford bus station, a 10 minute walk from Oxford rail station. The last bus returns from Oxford late in the evening so there is no need to cut short your day in Bristol to fit in with the bus. Of course the bus is usually slower than the train but in this case taking the bus to Oxford saves making a long rail journey via London or Birmingham.

A Stagecoach Explorer ticket costs £9 and covers the return bus trip. In fact an Explorer covers the whole X5 route so this fare also applies from Bedford and even from Cambridge. (For a group travelling together, or for senior citizens, there are cheaper Explorer tickets - read the bus page ) 

The cheap day return rail fare from Oxford to Bristol (via Didcot) costs £16.80. It can be used on any train departing Oxford after 09:20.

Bath

The fare to Bath works out slightly cheaper.

Other Destinations

Bristol and Bath are not the only journeys via Oxford worth considering. There are also rail connections from Oxford to Moreton-in-Marsh, Worcester and a good direct service to Southampton and Bournemouth on the south coast. There are ferry connections available at Southampton to Cowes on the Isle of Wight.
 

Bus Stops in Oxford

Following the introduction of new regulations it has been necessary to provide drivers on the X5 route with additional breaks. In order to keep costs (and fares) under control, the X5 no longer serves Oxford rail station. Buses to Oxford terminate outside the bus station in George Street. Buses from Oxford start from bay 11 inside the bus station.

Regular passengers were probably aware that, as a result of congestion in Oxford city, a lot of staff and vehicle time was taken up by the short journey between Oxford bus and rail stations. In fact at busy times it could be just as quick to walk between the stations. 

For anyone without heavy luggage there is no need to be deterred by the revised route. Walking to the rail station is a perfectly viable option. Check out the pedestrian route here. Holders of Stagecoach Explorer tickets can of course travel on other Stagecoach services to the rail station (e.g. service 100 picks up in George Street and stops outside the rail station).

Regrettable the combined bus/rail tickets that allowed travel on the X5 and onward rail travel from Oxford will no longer be sold. But it is of course still perfectly possible to buy separate bus and rail tickets. Indeed rail tickets from Oxford to Bristol and other destinations mentioned on this page can be purchased at Milton Keynes station in advance if that is more convenient than buying them at Oxford station.