congestion charge

Twelve easy hacks to beat Oxford’s Traffic Filters

Traffic Filter signage - don't worry, we'll have a better picture soon!

Want to travel in Oxford, but worried about the traffic filters from Monday, 28 September 2026? We got you. Here's the tea on how you can avoid the traffic filters entirely, and still visit all your favourite places in the city centre. There's an official website of course, but our page of hacks is better. First, it's shorter and more fun. We know, we know, we published a very similar version when the Congestion Charge launched. But hey, we are pro-recycling, and if it helps people find their way in and around Oxford. Oxfordshire residents, you got this!

Hack 1: Use your permits

Oxford residents get 100 free day permits every year ahead – apply here. If you already have Congestion Charge permits, you will get 100 new Traffic Filter permits on 28 September.

Two people with two cars? You each get 100 permits. And they’re free. Boom! Once you've used up your permits, you'll have to obey the filter restrictions, otherwise it's a £70 fine (£35 if paid within 14 days). You track the number left on an online account.

Oxfordshire residents outside Oxford itself get 25 free permits a year, same rules as above.

There’s a big old list of exemptions too, so if you're a blue badge holder or a care worker, or a frequent hospital patient, the council has you covered. The list is amusingly comprehensive. Driving a hearse? You get a permit. A firefighter? So do you. A magistrate driving to court? A new one to us, but [gavel bang] – permit! Check out the list here; you might be surprised. All the permits are virtual. The cameras do the work.

Rock out together to the best tunes. Don't forget the snacks. (Annie Williams, unsplash)

This one's super cool. Most cars fit 4 or 5 people. If you can find 4 colleagues to share permits and a car, you save petrol money into the bargain, and you all get to leave work on time. Just don't argue too much about the radio station, hey?

Hack 3: Car club

Take it to the next level with a car club like Co Wheels, Enterprise CarClub or Zimbl. These have an automatic permit, already set up by the club. You don't need to own a car. You don't have to insure, maintain, tax or even wash it! Just log in, book, and drive. They aren't just an Oxford thing, you can find these all over the county but the county council is running an extra special electric vehicle car club trial in ten locations across the county, and each car club car replaces over 20 private cars, meaning less cars parked on our crowded streets – result!

The wheels on the bus can go round very fast, if more people take them instead of drive (image by Roger Close)

Hack 4: Take the bus

Not been on the bus for a while? Oxford now has 173 electric buses for a smooth ride, with automatic announcements so you won't miss your stop. Many buses have free wifi and charge points for your phone. New services were added with the Congestion Charge, timetables have been sped up, and the reopening of Botley Road has seen further changes.

Buy tickets on the bus or on the app. If you haven't ridden for a while, you'll be surprised by how easy it is. Just tap your debit or credit card or use coins or cash (small denominations please).

Worried where your bus has got to? The Oxford Bus Company app is free, and really good. It has live departures for every bus (including Stagecoach), not just OBC ones. There’s even a ‘Track Vehicles’ button so you can watch your bus approaching on a map. Independent site bustimes.org has animated maps too: here’s Oxford Bus Company, Thames Travel and Stagecoach.

(That’ll get you started, but for bus, train or active travel, Oxford Travel Options gives you the full run-down of choices for your specific route. These include zone tickets covering every bus: SmartZone for Oxford, MyBus for the county. Remember: it's free for pensioners after 9 on weekdays and all weekend.)

Long Hanborough station (via Oxfordshire County Council)

Hack 5: Let the train take the strain

This one won't work for everyone, of course, but the lines in from Bicester, Hanborough and Didcot are pretty good.

Here's the thing: Trains might not have worked for you previously because you still had to get from the Oxford rail station to, say, Headington on a bus... and the buses were, ahem, slow. That's all changed now, so maybe the train makes sense after all?

Travel off-peak (usually after 9.30am, or any time at weekends) for cheaper fares. Get a Network Railcard for chunky discounts if you travel at weekends or into London.

A map showing the areas that can be accessed from each point on the ring road without passing a Traffic Filter — Map courtesy of Stephen Gower

Hack 6: Use the ring road

If you like it then you should(a) put a ring (road) on it?! Oxford's Traffic filters are similar to other city's 'circulation plans'. These plans all allow drivers to travel within a city but not to drive straight through it.

They take inspriation from Dutch and Belgian cities like Groningen and Ghent and mean that any location in the city can be reached without passing a Traffic Filter point, but you might have to go via the Ring Road to do this. (Only car drivers with no permits need pay attention to this).

You can use the Council's map and work out your routes, or you can use the TL,DR version above - stick to a single colour and you will be fine. (And between 9am and 3pm Hollow Way and Marston Ferry Road are ok too).

We also like the way the map shows how big East Oxford is relative to the rest of the city, and why the Hollow Way and Marston Ferry Road filters are needed in peak times to stop those roads being swamped with traffic, blocking buses and essential users.

Kings and Queens of the road, keeping our city running smoothly. We salute you. (Wikimedia commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)

Hack 7: Have a van

Vans are exempt. Big lorries too. You're a tradesperson, you are basically King of the Road. You may go where you please, blissfully exempt. Apparently the cameras can tell if you're a van or not. Clever, huh? (BRB, just changing my family vehicle for an ice cream van. Admittedly we would also have to be a business that sells ice cream too, but that's a detail).

Hack 8: Go outside the traffic filter hours

Larks and night owls, this one is for you. If you're just nipping in to the Oxford Playhouse for a show, the chances are you don't need a permit (though if you fancy a sneaky pre-drink or seven, maybe take the bus or a taxi anyway?).

Hack 9: Walk

The OG. It's free, it burns fat, you get to see the beautiful city, maybe an easy nip in to the shop en route, and just sometimes it's faster than sitting in traffic. If it rains, enjoy being one with nature, or buy a coat with the money you've saved. Buy yourself a coffee too, you earned it.

Oh and our top tip if you get amongst the dreaming spires: Look up. You will definitely see a new-to-you gargoyle or something else lovely – maybe even a rooftop Antony Gormley statue.

Hack 10: Cycle or scooter

Now, no one is making you buy lycra, or cycle every day through the winter, but replacing some journeys with a bike or scooter will save you permits and beat the filters. Second-hand bikes can be found cheaply at the Broken Spoke, or hire a Lime or Voi bike to get up to speed without sweat. (Squealing WHEEEEEE as you zoom down the Iffley Road is entirely optional, we won't judge.) If you're bitten by the bug, e-bikes are spendy, but we believe this solution is the GOAT to help you get around town, and even up hills pretty effortlessly. If it's a cargo e-bike, you can even put kids and/or shopping in the box/bags. We've even seen people with dogs in them.

This isn't just for city folk. Have a look at the excellent cycle.travel for ideas on the most cycle-friendly routes across our lovely county (and far, far beyond).

Motorcycles are also exempt from the filters. So 'learn to ride a motorbike' also counts as a hack, we reckon.

Hack 11: Park and Ride (another bus)

OK, maybe this is a reprise of Hack 3 but it really deserves its name in ~~lights~~ bold. Drive to one of Oxford's five Park & Ride sites (Pear Tree, Oxford Parkway, Thornhill, Redbridge, Seacourt). Park you car. You'll find the combined 'Parking and Bus' ticket at £3 for five people of any age (at time of writing to at least mid-2027).

This includes parking for up to 16 hours, and return bus journeys to anywhere in Oxford - the city centre, or other places on the bus routes like the JR hospital, Oxford Brookes University, and many more. Show your P&R ticket or RingGo app to the bus driver.

Hack 12: Buy a hearse like in Ghostbusters

Technically this is hack 1. But with Oxford allegedly turning in to a ghost town, we reckon there's a market for this. Go on, do it! Your city needs you! Who you gonna call?

(Oxfordshire County Council has asked us to point out that “in order to qualify for a permit, you must also be a funeral care business”.)

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