Significantly discounted bus passes to be offered to Oxford Brookes students and staff over the coming years

We will provide final details on exact pricing, routes and how to apply from June 2026, when the new contract is agreed.

Final details for exact routes are subject to the ongoing discussions with bus operators. However, as was the case for the 2025/26 scheme, the new heavily subsidised offer will provide access to all supplier-operated public bus services within the Oxford city wide network. This will support students moving across the city for study, work, placement travel, and leisure or social activities.

Following feedback and a review of the existing arrangements, we are simplifying the new annual bus pass to provide a single, discounted price for all Oxford Brookes students and staff. By doing so, we believe the process for applying for a heavily discounted bus pass will be much simpler and avoid some of the confusion and issues experienced with the previous offer. 

In addition, the University will continue to work with local transport providers to secure discounts on a range of other bus and coach options, such as single and multi-tickets and seasonal passes.

The University has committed to continuing to provide Financial Aid funding for students who may require additional support to access and participate in their studies. The primary purpose of University Financial Aid is to relieve financial difficulties which might impact on a student's participation in higher education at Oxford Brookes and to help them remain at the University. 

Further information can be found on the Financial Aid webpages.

Following feedback and a review of existing arrangements, the University is asking bus suppliers to provide options for how the new annual pass might be paid for in instalments. Once the final contract is confirmed, further details on any instalment options will be added to this webpage from June 2026.

You will need to apply for the new subsidised bus pass with your Oxford Brookes email address, as this will form part of the approval process. Students will therefore likely need to be enrolled (and know their Brookes email address) before applying for, and receiving their new discounted bus pass.

The University will not provide free travel on buses or reimburse journeys made before the issuing of a subsidised bus pass. We therefore recommend that students and staff who wish to apply for a subsidised bus pass do so as soon as they are able to when the application process opens.

Details of how to use your subsidised bus pass will be added to this webpage from June 2026, once final details are known by the University.

As previously communicated via these Frequently Answered Questions, the application process for the 2025/26 CityZone bus pass offer closed for students on 28 February 2026. Staff will be able to continue to apply for the pass until 30 June 2026. Any CityZone passes bought as part of that offer will remain valid for 12 months from the point of activation.

The current OBC discount offers available to staff and students will remain valid until 30 June 2026. In addition to the new heavily subsidised annual pass being introduced for Oxford Brookes students and staff, the University will continue to work with local transport providers to secure additional discounts on a range of other bus and coach options, such as single and multi-tickets and seasonal passes. Further details of these new travel offers will be added to these Frequently Asked Questions from June 2026 once final decisions have been taken.

The final details of the bus routes are currently being discussed with the potential bus suppliers. As with the current scheme, the new heavily subsidised bus pass will give you access to all the supplier's public bus services within the Oxford city-wide network. This will support students moving across the city for study, work, placement travel, and leisure or social activities.

We are currently awaiting confirmation from bus operators on which specific services will continue to serve Harcourt Hill and the surrounding area from September 2026. Currently, Oxford Bus Company’s (OBC) 4A and 4B routes serve the Harcourt Hill bus stop and the Elms Rise stop on Lime Road - both stops are approximately 0.3 miles from Westminster Hall.  

However this may change from September as OBC reviews its routes in collaboration with Oxfordshire County Council. They also need to consider the expected reopening of the Botley Road in September 2026, which would allow bus services to continue into the city centre and beyond without the need for a change at the train station.

Whatever is decided by OBC and OCC, we expect that buses serving the city centre (and onto the Headington Campus) will continue operating at stops close to the Harcourt Hill Campus. Once we have confirmation of the new arrangements from September 2026, they will be added to these Frequently Asked Questions.

The University will not be reintroducing a bus pass that is similar to the type provided before the 2025/26 academic year. The University’s Oxford-based teaching and library facilities have been based at Headington Campus since the start of the 2025/26 academic year. There is therefore no longer a need for students to travel between the Headington, Wheatley and Harcourt Hill campuses for academic purposes. The new offer, which will save pass holders hundreds of pounds a year compared to the standard annual tickets, provides access to a wider range of bus service across the city’s bus network. The University’s significant investment in the new, heavily discounted bus pass offer is therefore a more targeted way to support those students who benefit most from subsidised travel.