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Oxford Tube
by S TAJ
Disappointing for the following reasons: I was cheated (in my opinion) of £8 by an extremely rude driver: Informed by the driver of the Oxford tube that an open return journey would cost £20. Having a long queue behind me, I apologised to the driver as I could not find my other £10 note (I took an additional 1 min to check my wallet ... which I already held in my hand) and the irritated driver told me that a single was £14. I got the message - paid up and found a seat, worried I had lost my note. Within 5 min I had located the missing note - safely tucked behind my oyster card and waited patiently for the next stop. I approached the driver to let him know that I had found my note and to ask if he could refund the single and issue me a return ticket? Now I have been on this coach a few times before where I have had to wait until the end of the journey for my change and been absolutely fine with this. I have never had a problem with 'losing' my money before but it's when you find yourself in a situation like this that you can really see what the customer service and staff training is like. The driver had a serious attitude problem and suggested that if I wanted to buy an additional £20 return ticket he could help me, otherwise he could not (mocking me perhaps?) Surely the drivers are able to reverse a transaction and reissue me a return ticket? The drivers reply to this was 'No, my till will be out by £14 so your too late - you bought your ticket 15 minutes ago'. This does not make a lot of sense - a driver should be able to reverse a transaction (what if he had made a mistake?) - I was still on my journey and of course there was time lapsed from the purchase of the single to when I was able to safely speak to the driver i.e. when the coach next stopped. Extremely bad customer service, totally unnecessary and avoidable in my opinion. TAKE MY ADVICE: check for cheap rail tickets - I found several tickets for my single journey back for various times, priced at £4, £5, £10, £11 & upwards to London Paddington (go to nationalrailenquiries or thetrainline.com) If you can be flexible with your time its always worth checking - the journey is more comfortable and a lot quicker.
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Oxford Tube
by numlock08
The oxford tube is the most flexible ways of getting from oxford to london and its one of the best value services. I've never waited more than 15 minutes for one to come in either direction which makes it better than some local london bus routes. And if that all wasn't enough, it also runs 24 hours (though obviously much less frequently ... at 2am).
Unlike many other coach services on the same route, the Oxford Tube doesn't require you to book a specific coach time. That means you can show up at one of their stops at any time and get a coach without worrying about being late which is great if you'd prefer flexible travel times.
You can buy a single ticket or one of two types of returns. The first is cheaper and allows you to return within the next day and the other gives you return within three months. I will say that at £16 for a next day return ticket, its not the cheapest price out there. The cheapest services will get you there and back for under £10 if you book early enough but will charge you extortionate prices if you want anything like the flexibility offered by the Oxford Tube. Also, there are concession prices available and discounted passes if you travel back and forth frequently. So even though its not the cheapest form of travel, its still one of the best value.
In terms of the service, its a perfectly comfortable coach ride. Legroom is decent, there's wifi on board and the coach rides are surprisingly quick. It stops at convenient locations in central london and in oxford.
All in all, its the best option I've seen for this particular travel route.
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Oxford Tube
by grey0220
I most recently used the Oxford Tube to get to Oxford from London for dinner with some friends from uni - I was able to get out of work relatively early, and had more than three hours to make my way to the city, so I didn't have to make the familiar panicked rush to Paddington to catch my train. Furthermore, I was returning to London ... immediately after my dinner - I knew the coach wouldn't be battling rush hour traffic as I returned to the Big Smoke, and as the service runs throughout the night, I'd be able to relax at dinner, not worrying about the last train. For these two key reasons, I chose to take the Tube over the train.
I only waited about 15 minutes at the Marble Arch pick-up station and easily got a seat at about 4.30pm on a Wednesday afternoon. The Oxford Express bus came with the same frequency, I'd say. The ride was pleasant enough, though I do know it's at least an extra 15 minutes longer than the ride on the Express, as it makes the stop at Lewknor. But the bus was clean and the ride was pleasant - the lights were dimmed, and my fellow passengers were quiet. It took me just over an hour and a half to get to Oxford, and a little less than that to make my way back to London, though I did have to wait a little longer in Oxford for the coach (around 11.30pm), but because I was returning within 24 hours, my ticket was only 16 quid - and I had the flexibility of leaving dinner a little late, not having to rush to catch the last train.
If under more severe time pressures, I would probably take the train back, but if gifted with another leisurely day, then I would consider taking the Tube again. I would recommend it to anyone on a budget, not under severe time constraints who wants the flexibility of returning late into the night. It was very clean, and got the job done!
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