A NEW 'Comet' is getting ready to orbit the entirety of Oxfordshire, picking up and dropping off people from all walks of life including those with little access to public transport.

The Oxfordshire Comet was launched on Monday in Stanton Harcourt as a pilot service designed to help meet the needs of those who do not have regular buses running through their villages.

The scheme comes after it was announced in May that at least 50 bus services in the county were to be axed to help the council save £3.7m a year.

Residents in all parts of the county can benefit from the 16-seater county council service, which will be available weekdays between 10.15am to 2.30pm.

Leader of Oxfordshire County Council Ian Hudspeth said it was a great way to utilise the council's minibus fleet.

He said: "This is a fantastic example of us thinking outside the box and offers an affordable, pre-bookable, pre-paid service that can be used by individuals or groups if they don't have access to public transport.

"It is a cost effective solution for the people of Oxfordshire because we already own the vehicles and therefore only have to cover running costs, meaning we can keep costs down for passengers."

The bus is running as a not-for-profit service and costs £1.50 per mile for exclusive use, 75p per mile for shared use, and for parishes, groups and organisations costs £20 an hour.

Passengers are also offered discounts if they put a certain amount of money down for the service in advance.

County councillor for Eynsham Charles Mathew added: "This is a most welcome additional facility to the Lower Windrush Valley, which is losing its county council subsidised bus, the number 18, on July 20.

"Many people in Standlake, Northmoor, Bablockhythe and Stanton Harcourt will welcome a service to Eynsham, from where buses to Oxford or to Witney can be caught.

"It will provide a reliable lifeline to the doctors, opticians, and to the hospitals."

Richard Thomson, who set up a campaign group called 'Save the 18 Bus' is working on a volunteer car driving service to further help people outside of the Comet's running times.

He said: "It doesn't start running until 10.15am so we've started a car scheme as well. These will take people into Eynsham so they can then get the S1 into Oxford or Witney."

Parish councillor in Stanton Harcourt Josie Eaton turned up for the launch and said the service would be a "big help".

She added: "This has been a really big effort and everyone's put in a lot of work."

The Oxfordshire Comet can do one-off journeys, regular and group trips. A fund of £200,000 has also been set aside that parish councils and other organisations can apply for to trial the Comet service.

Visit oxfordshire.gov.uk/comet or to make a booking on the Comet, call 01865 323201.