A RIOT of colour will brighten the streets as Oxford Bus Company rebrands 11 services in all colours of the rainbow.

Since Wednesday, a new fleet of pink-liveried City5 buses, running from Oxford Railway Station to Cowley and Blackbird Leys, has been turning heads in town.

In an effort to make the company’s local services more user-friendly, the City4 from Wood Farm to Abingdon also now has purple buses and the City6 from the city centre to Wolvercote is now operated by green buses. Eventually every service will be emblazoned with a different colour.

Oxford Bus Company’s managing director Phil Southall said: “We want to make the City5 buses instantly identifiable to make it easier for passengers to catch the right bus.

“When the new buses are delivered from manufacturers, they arrive in ones or twos until they are finished.

“But even though the first buses have been on the road for a couple of days, they have really caught the public’s imagination.”

Julie Barry, 49, who works in a Cowley newsagent, said: “I was on one this morning. They are lovely buses.

“It’s a good idea and it means that you can identify your bus before it gets to the bus stop.”

Despite their fuchsia exterior, the new vehicles are now the greenest on Oxford’s roads, meeting stringent European standards in reducing nitrogen oxide emissions. Power generated from braking is used to operate on-board electrical systems like temperature controls and lights, making them more efficient.

Overall the revamp cost £2.3m.

Mr Southall added: “We have plans to do something similar on the City2, City3 and City8/9 routes but, to avoid unnecessary costs, it will only be done when the buses are due for refurbishment or replacement. We are still considering which colours we will use.”

Andrew Smith, MP for East Oxford, said: “It’s great to see investment in the latest and most environmentally friendly buses.

“I look forward to seeing them at my end of the road.”

Not all commuters, however, are as impressed with the new-look City5. Truck driver Gary Helm, 50, from Blackbird Leys, said: “I use the buses quite a bit and some people just hate the colour.

“It doesn’t go with the aesthetic. For a modern town like Milton Keynes it’s OK but with Oxford’s old buildings and history, it’s not right.”

Student Kate Pulman, 20, from Jericho, added: “I think having multi-coloured buses around town is going to make Oxford look terrible. Stick to red and learn which bus number you have to catch.”