Oxfordshire Dial-a-Ride

0845 310 11 11

A transport service for disabled and mobility- impaired people

operated by

With financial support from

What is Dial-a-Ride? Oxfordshire Dial-a-Ride is a door-to-door transport service for those who are unable to use or who find it difficult to use conventional public transport, such as elderly or disabled people. The drivers of the vehicles are specially trained in the assistance of wheelchair users and those with mobility problems.

Where can I go?

Whatever your journey purpose*, Dial-a-Ride is available to take you! *The only exception is for journeys to hospitals for appointments. Please speak to your doctor about travel schemes to enable you to make your appointment .

How do I qualify to use Oxfordshire Dial-a-Ride? • You must be resident in Oxfordshire. • You can use Dial-a-Ride if you have a mobility or other condition which means that you cannot use, or find it difficult to use, conventional public transport. You don’t have to be registered disabled or be a wheelchair-user. For example, you might be unable to walk to the bus stop. • Age and nature of disability are irrelevant.

Advantages of using Oxfordshire Dial-a-Ride

When and where can I travel? The service is available between 9:00am and 5:00pm as follows:

We want to make sure that the Dial-a-Ride service is available to as many members as possible, as fairly as possible, every day it operates. However, due to high demand, and to make best use of the buses, we serve certain areas on set days, allocating places to customers to travel on the day when the bus is in their area. We may also try to group together people travelling to the same destination. All travel is offered subject to vehicle and seat availability.

The Oxfordshire Dial-a-Ride is NOT booked on a first-come-first-served basis – so there will no longer be any advantage gained by telephoning the bookings number first thing in the morning. Instead, all telephone requests for journeys will be accepted on a ‘provisional’ basis each day. Once the lines are closed, we will then look to schedule each bus in the most efficient way possible. We will then phone you back to confirm the date and time of your booking, or to advise you if we are unable to find space to take you on your requested day. Where possible, we will try to offer you an alternative journey to meet your needs.

This way, we hope to give everybody a fair and equal chance of getting a booking and ensuring that those journeys that NEED a specific time (i.e. an appointment) can be given priority, whilst those journeys for such things as shopping can be timed more flexibly.

NOTE: The areas of operation shown below are current at the time of publication, but boundaries may be adjusted in the light of experience to reflect demand, subject to vehicle availability.

SOUTH OXFORDSHIRE DISTRICT Available primarily for journeys into the local market town from surrounding areas –

Monday – general service offering journeys anywhere within South Oxfordshire District or to Oxford City or Abingdon.

Tuesday – Thame, Chinnor & Watlington service to include Adwell, Aston Rowant, Beckley, Brightwell Baldwin, Britwell Salome, Chinnor, Crowell, Cuddesdon & Denton, Cuxham, Elsfield, Forest Hill, Garsington, Great Haseley, Great Milton, Holton, Horspath, Little Milton, Lewknor, Pyrton, Shirburn, Stanton St. John, Stoke Talmage, Sydenham, Tetsworth, Thame, Tiddington, Towersey, Waterperry, Waterstock, Watlington, Wheatfield, Wheatley, and Woodeaton parishes, providing journeys to/from THAME, CHINNOR or WATLINGTON.

Wednesday – Didcot service to include Berinsfield, Chalgrove, Clifton Hampden, Culham, Didcot, Dorchester, Drayton St. Leonard, East Hagbourne, Little Wittenham, Long Wittenham, Marsh Baldon, Newington, North Moreton, Nuneham Courtenay, Sandford-on-Thames, South Moreton, Stadhampton, Toot Baldon and West Hagbourne parishes, providing journeys to/from DIDCOT.

Thursday – Henley service to include Binfield Heath, Bix & Assenden, Checkenden, Eye & Dunsden, Harpsden, Henley, Highmoor, Kidmore End, Mapledurham, Nettlebed, Nuffield, Pishill-with-Stonor,

Rotherfield Greys, Rotherfield Peppard, Shiplake, Sonning Common, Stoke Row, and Swyncombe parishes, providing journeys to/from HENLEY.

Friday – Wallingford service to include Aston Tirrold, Aston Upthorpe, Benson, Berrick Salome, Brightwell-cum-Sotwell, Cholsey, Crowmarsh, Ewelme, Goring, Goring Heath, Ipsden, Moulsford, South Stoke, Wallingford, Warborough, Whitchurch and Woodcote parishes, providing journeys to/from WALLINGFORD. (Note that Goring has an additional service to Reading on Thursdays, provided by ReadiBus – phone 0118-931 0000).

Journeys will be available between points in the area indicated to the destination designated for that day. On Mondays journeys will be available to destinations within the South Oxfordshire District Council area, to Oxford City, and to Abingdon, dependent on demand for that day.

How much will it cost? There is an annual charge of £5 per person for membership of the Oxfordshire Dial-a-Ride scheme. No membership is required for those escorting scheme members, and escorts travel FREE.

Fares : for any journey within Cherwell or Oxford City or South Oxfordshire or Vale of White Horse or West Oxfordshire District Council areas: £2.00 single or £4.00 return.

For other journeys, including journeys from Cherwell or South Oxfordshire or Vale of White Horse or West Oxfordshire District Council areas to and from Oxford City Centre: £3.00 single or £6.00 return.

Concessionary bus passes are accepted at all times on Oxfordshire Dial-a-Ride, and give FREE TRAVEL for all journeys! However, you MUST carry your pass with you during the journey and show it if requested.

How do I register? Complete the attached membership application form and send it, with your remittance of £5 per person (payable to Oxfordshire County Council), to Dial-a- Ride, Oxfordshire County Council, PO Box 842, Oxford, OX1 9GX. You may wish to obtain a doctor’s stamp on the application form if you think that this would be helpful.

How do I book? Bookings can be made between 8.30am & 5.00pm (4pm on Fridays). Bookings will not be accepted more than seven days before the intended travel date. You can book by calling 0845 310 11 11 or by e-mailing [email protected] . Booking requests will be taken on a provisional basis, subject to confirmation of the appointed collection time. Bookings within two days of travel will only be accepted on an urgent need basis subject to availability.

Contact address

Dial-a-Ride, Alternative formats of this Oxfordshire County Council, publication are available on PO Box 842, request. These include other languages, large print, Braille, Oxford, audio cassette, computer disk, OX1 9GX or e-mail. Telephone: 0845 310 1111 Please telephone 01865- Leaflet published June 2012 815585