Oxford University Hospitals
“No more searching for carparking!” OUH’s free Park and Ride scheme for staff
In April 2024, Oxford University Hospital Trust launched a new scheme to give their staff more choice about how to travel to their three Headington sites: the Churchill Hospital, John Radcliffe Hospital and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre (NOC).
The trust employs around 14,500 people, the majority of which are at the John Radcliffe. There is significant and increasing pressure on car parking on the site, and finding a space is a considerable source of stress for many staff who drive. With a new operating theatre being built on land which is currently used for car parking in 2026, the Trust needs to encourage as many staff as possible to get to work in different ways. As many OUH staff are travelling from across Oxfordshire, and other counties, the Park and Rides (P&Rs) are key.
The Travel and Transport Team created a scheme which makes it as easy as possible to use the P&Rs. Employees can get on the buses for free by showing their Trust identity badges to the drivers - they don’t have to download an app or sign up in advance. This scheme is operational on routes from the three P&Rs which serve the John Radcliffe, Churchill and the NOC directly. These are:
Thornhill P&R
400 to/from London Road stops between Headington Shops and Brookes University
700 to/from JR Hospital, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre or Churchill Hospital
400 and 700 to/from London Road stops between Headington Shops and Brookes University
Redbridge P&R
X3 to/from JR Hospital
X32 to/from JR Hospital and London Road stops between Headington shops and Brookes University
Oxford Parkway
700 to/from JR Hospital, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre or Churchill Hospital
The buses are free for all staff, including those who are already not driving. Or for those who already park at the Park & Ride as they do not qualify for a permit.
However, because the key purpose of the initiative is to free up car parking space for medical uses, the staff that try giving up their parking permit also get free parking at the P&Rs.
Staff cannot use the scheme for travel outside of work - this is for taxable perks reasons. Therefore, employees can only board and alight at the three P&Rs, and the hospitals themselves, but not the many other stops along the routes. The only exception to this is the Headington Shops - a stop near all three sites, where various services are located. This recognises that people value a bit of flexibility, and a very strict rule may have discouraged overall take up.
If employees need to travel to other sites on a regular basis, such as the Horton Hospital in Banbury, they are still able to park there.
The best thing about the scheme according to employees who have taken it up is a resounding relief at not having to drive around the car park searching for a spot.
The Travel and Transport Team get the data every week showing numbers of the staff using the scheme, split out by routes and boarding points. This has been vital in evaluating the scheme and reviewing the impact of communications.
Top tips from the OUH travel team
Reduce take up friction: getting started is the hardest part of changing habits. Make it as easy as possible for staff to try. They always have their Trust badge, so this was the best way to allow them to board for free. No apps to download, just turn up and get on.
Make it a genuine trial: getting people to experience something for themselves is the most effective way to encourage them to change. However, people are unlikely to give up their parking permit if they feel like they will not be able to get it back if the scheme doesn’t work for them, for any reason. Ensure the language emphasises that it is trial, and isn’t a back door way of removing parking permits!
Advertise it well: spread the word! On the intranet, staff mailings, at big team meetings and encourage those who are using it to tell others!
