HUNDREDS of people have spoken out against plans to cancel their local bus service.

A petition with more than 220 signatures has been handed in to Oxford Bus Company’s travel shop in the High Street.

The company is scrapping its 4C service – which connects Wood Farm and the city with Dean Court near Cumnor from Sunday, January 26.

It says it will improve the 4B route, which serves other parts of Cumnor, but residents of Dean Court say the 4C – their only bus service – is a lifeline.

Rev Brian Stops, the chairman of Cumnor parish council, said: “The decision has been made without any consultation and any notice and it is being done for short-term monetary gain by the bus company.

“We don’t really think the reasons are right and I am particularly concerned for the Cumnor parish as a whole, not just the Dean Court ward. We have had homes being built in the area and the last thing we want to see is bus services being cancelled.”

Mother-of-two Cath Little, 35, said she uses the service to take her three-year-old daughter to nursery most days.

She said: “It just feels nonsensical. It’s a reliable service and it is used.”

Oxford Bus Company runs the 4 service from Wood Farm to Abingdon, the 4A to Elms Rise, the 4B to Cumnor and the 4C to Dean Court.

Under the proposed changes, the 4B will run every 20 minutes to Cumnor and the 4C will be axed.

Several services, including the S1 to Witney, run near Dean Court.

Phil Southall, the Operations Director of Oxford Bus Company said: “I can understand the concerns of those who have been affected, but the decision to withdraw the short section of the City4 to Dean Court was taken for commercial reasons. While there are passengers for whom the service is important there are not enough to make that part of the route cost-effective.

“The vast majority of our passengers on the City4 will see a much improved and more reliable service, although operating buses along the Botley Road can be a challenge at times.”