So you need to know if there is a Park and Ride in Oxford. This is a great idea as driving into Oxford city centre is a slow process and car parking for a day can cost you as much as £39.40. Making Oxford one of the most expensive places to park in the country.
Working out where the park and rides are in Oxford and if, where, or how you need to pay in any or all of the Oxford-based park and ride sites can be very confusing. So this article aims to clearly explain everything you need to know about how to simply and effectively use Oxford Cities Park and Ride services.
Park and Ride in Oxford
For a start, confusion is caused when people find contradicting addresses for the Park and Ride in Oxford. This is because there isn’t just one, but five Park and Ride in Oxford, there are car parks dotted all around the A-roads of the city. The five car parks for the Park and Ride in Oxford service are:
- Oxford Parkway – North Side
- Pear Tree – North Side
- Thornhill – East Side
- Redbridge – South Side
- Seacourt – West Side
- Bicester – North Side
There is also a sixth Park and ride called Bicester, which can be found 8 miles north of Oxford Parkway Park and Ride. Bicester would take approximately 42 minutes to get into the centre of Oxford by bus but could be a good choice on very busy high-season days.
If you want a Map of the Best Free Parking in Oxford, Click Here
BEST ALTERNATIVE TO OXFORD PARK & RIDES
If Parking miles away from your final destination and then getting public transport into Oxford isn’t your thing. Road Trip Heroes are here to help and have visited, searched, researched, and created a bespoke Google map showing you where the best unrestricted FREE parking spots are in and around Oxford.
This map unveils the unrestricted roads where you can park for free nearest to West Gate shopping centre, Clarendon Oxford shopping centre, the John Radcliffe Hospital and Churchill Hospital and near to Oxford International Airport.
Also shows free parking opportunities nearest to Banbury Road, Botley Road, Abingdon Road, Iffley Road, and more. To get parked up is easy, just:
- Buy the Map – & the map Instant download
- Choose your Free Parking Spot on the map
- Let Google navigate you straight there
- Park up safely & enjoy your day
Why use the Park and Ride in Oxford Service?
Mainly because Oxford is the United Kingdoms’ 8th most visited city and attracts over 7 million visitors per year. A large number of visitors choose to drive in, and the city centre literally could not cope with the congestion or the additional pollution that cars create.
So, by default, parking in the centre of Oxford city has become, to a degree, a luxury and so is priced at a premium. The worse case scenarios, as of writing this post, are the Glouster Green, Worcester Street, and Westgate car parks charging £35 for a 24-hour stay. Still, the most expensive is surprisingly Oxford station car park which charges a whopping £39.40 for 24 hours, to deter you if not anything else. Any of the Park and Rides charge only £4.00 for a 24-hour stay.
So, the only and best result is to allow cars to park in mass and cheaply on the outskirts of Oxford. The 5 Oxford-based Park and Rides car parks offer just this. Additionally offering frequent and replicable public transport into the city centre.
The conclusion is that you get cheap parking and can ditch the car for the day for up to 3 days. Oxford city eases its congestion and pollution problem without losing any of the £780 million visitors spend in Oxford each year. Everyone is a winner.
Pros of Each of the Park and Rides in Oxford
There is no point in writing about the cons of these services, Park and Ride, as the con would be the same for all of them. This being the park and ride on the opposite side of Oxford city, to the direction you are arriving in, is too far away.
So let’s just focus on the positives. Let’s get started, starting from the north and going clockwise around.
If you want a Map of the Best Free Parking in Oxford, Click Here
Oxford Parkway Park and Ride – North
Oxford Parkway Park and Ride, formally called Water Eaton, is Oxford’s most northern Park and Ride in Oxford, located just 2.2 miles above Pear Tree, which I will be talking about next.
It does have the added benefit of being right next to a train station, and so, although it may be further away, it can get you into Oxford City quicker than the bus from the nearer Pear Tree Park and Ride.
There is also more likelihood there will be availably here, further away. For details, see our article on Oxford Parkway Park and Ride – All You Need to Know.
Pear Tree Park and Ride – North
Pear Tree Park and Ride is just off the A34 motorway and is easily accessed from the Pear Tree roundtable under the A44. It has over a thousand spaces as well as electric charging ports.
Pear Tree is the southernmost Park and Ride in Oxford on the north side of Oxford.
It is then a 1-minute walk to the bus stop where you can get a 300 bus into Oxford city centre. Buses run as frequently as every 8 to 10 minutes in the daytime, and the journey is only around 15 minutes long.
To read more on the Pear Tree Park and Ride, read our more in-depth article titled Pear Tree Park and Ride, Oxford – All You Need to Know.
Thornhill Park & Ride – East
Thornhill Park and Ride are perfect if you are coming in from the East of England, like London, Cambridgeshire, or Norfolk.
Although one of the smaller of the five Oxford park and rides, it can still accommodate over 750 and is only six stops and a 14-minute bus ride into the centre of Oxford to the High Street L2 bus stop
Like the other park and rides around Oxford, Thornhill park and ride had free disabled bays for anyone with a clearly displayed blue badge.
I have written more on this subject, titled Thornhill Park & Ride, Oxford – All You Need to Know, if you would like more details.
Redbridge Park & Ride – South
Redbridge Park and Ride can be found to the South of Oxford just off the A4 144, north of where the Southern by-pass road and the Eastern by-pass road mean the A423.
Redbridge is also the UK’s oldest running full-time Park and Ride, dating back to 1973, so not only will you be parking a nippy 3.3 miles from the centre of town but also parking in a bit of history.
On a serious note, if you are coming up to Oxford from the south, this is, without a doubt, the park and ride for you.
For the full details, see our helpful post on Redbridge Park & Ride, Oxford – All You Need to Know.
Seacourt Park & Ride – West
The Seacourt Park and Ride benefit from being the closest to Oxford city centre. It sits just 1.4 miles East of High Street, and if you don’t have heavy bags, it can be an easy 29-minute walk.
Like all the other four Oxford Park and Ride, Seacourt is open for use twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week and offers an efficient bus ride into town.
The 400 bus picks you us just outside the park and rides on Botley road, and is only an 11-minute ride into High Street, in the heart of Oxford.
This is a great little Park and Ride if you are arriving from the east of the UK or like being within walking distance. For more details, read our article on Seacourt Park & Ride, Oxford – All You Need to Know.
A BONUS PARK & RIDE
Bicester Park & Ride – North
Bicester Park and Ride isn’t considered one of the main five Park and ride services in Oxford city, but it’s a good one to know about for the height of the season when the other Park and Rides may be overwhelmed with visitors.
Parking here is completely free for up to a day (24 hours), and then penalties apply. Bicester Park and Ride can be located at Vendee Drive, Kingsmere, Bicester, OX26 1BT
For more information, go to our Bicester Park & Ride Near Oxford – All You Need to Know post.
Helpful Questions
How many Park and Rides are there in Oxford? There are 5 Park and Rides in Oxford. These are Seacourt, Redbridge, Pear Tree, Thornhill, and Park & Ride. A sixth park and ride
Where is Oxford Park and Ride? There are 5 Park and Ride services that surround and service Oxford city. These are Oxford Parkway and Pear Tree in the north, Thornhill Park at the east, Redbridge in the south, and Seacourt Park & Ride on the Westside of Oxford.
What is the address for the Park and Ride in Oxford? There are five services of the Park and Ride in Oxford. Their addresses are:
- Oxford Parkway – OX2 8HA
- Pear tree – 21 Lakeside, OX2 8JF
- Thornhill Park – London Rd, Headington, OX3 8DP
- Redbridge – Abingdon Rd, OX1 4XG
- Seacourt Park 234 Botley Rd, OX2 0HP
What are the Oxford Park and Ride opening times? There are 5 Park and Ride services in Oxford. These are Seacourt, Redbridge, Pear Tree, Thornhill, and Park Ride. These Oxford-based Park and Rides are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Do you have to pay to use the Park and Rides in Oxford? There are 5 Park and Ride services in Oxford. These are Seacourt, Redbridge, Pear Tree, Thornhill Park & Ride services. You do need to pay for all five
How do we pay to use the Park and Ride in Oxford? There are many ways to pay for parking at all of the five Oxford Park and Ride sites. These are:
- At the Machine, using cash or card
- By Phone 01865-989-000 using the Location ID number
- By a text on 81025 using the Location ID number
- On the RingGo app
You will then need to pay for the bus ride separately once on the bus
Is there a closer and cheaper alternative to using the Oxford Park and Ride Scheme? A good alternative is to download the Best Parking Spots in Oxford map
Does the Park and Ride in Oxford have disabled bays? All five park-and-ride sites in Oxford have disabled parking bays. Parking is also free when a disabled Blue Badge is clearly displayed
Can you park overnight at the Oxford Park and Ride? No matter which of the five Park and Ride car parks in Oxford you use, be it Seacourt, Redbridge, Pear Tree, Thornhill Park or Ride services. You can park overnight in all of these for a maximum of 3 nights or 72 hours.
One thing to keep in mind about Oxford’s park and ride service is that there are five sites surrounding the city, and so the best one for you is the one on the side of Oxford for which you are arriving. Google has got very clever at navigating you to the correct park and riding for you based on your location when you googled ‘Oxford Par and Ride’ but still, best to check.
Have a safe drive, and I wish you an enjoyable time in this stunning city.
