Sir – I listened to the leader of the county council repeating, as Mr Nimmo Smith did earlier, that only 10 per cent of buses are affected in proposals to withdraw subsidised buses.

This is a manipulation of the facts: 10 per cent may well be true in the city of Oxford area, where only 15 buses of 150 running into Oxford are supported, but outside the figure is very different.

If we take buses that run 30 mins or hourly into Bicester off-peak, there are 11 arrivals/departures an hour. Seven are commercial services and four are subsidised. This is 36 per cent, not 10.

From what I have seen, services 22, 23, 24 under all three options are to be withdrawn next year. Given that this means all of Bure Park, Southwold and Caversfield (all more than the suggested 400m of commercial buses) will be totally isolated from Bicester town centre, with no service at all.

How can you call that a realistic solution providing for the growth of the town? On Friday, when additional supported market day buses run, this figure rises to 14, of which seven are subsidised.

Apart from the loss of town services, vast numbers of villages in North Oxfordshire will also lose services, isolating communities even more.

Derek Taylor
Walnut Close, Bicester