Moving Buses Forward
Buses are the backbone of the Liverpool City Region transport network. Over 400,000 journeys every day are taken here by bus, more than 8 in 10 of all trips by public transport. In communities across our region buses connect people to work, to school and college and to the shops and leisure activities.
That’s why we need to build a bus network that works for everyone with services that are more reliable, efficient and affordable.
In 2023 a major public consultation was held on the future of bus services in the Liverpool City Region, with people being asked to have their say on how the network should be run.
Over 6000 responses were received with almost 70% of those respondents supporting the introduction of franchising and saying they believed it would have a positive impact on future bus network improvements.
After careful deliberation and analysis of the results, Mayor Rotheram took the landmark decision to bring the region’s bus services back into local public control, reversing nearly 40 years of deregulation.
Once in place, bus franchising will give the city region greater control over fares, routes and timetables, allowing the services to be operated in the interests of local bus users.
Franchising will also enable the bus network to be better integrated with other modes of transport in the future, including the region’s fleet of state-of-the-art publicly owned trains. It’s also planned that tap-and-go ticketing and daily fare caps will be rolled out, meaning passengers will always pay the lowest price for their journey.
Under the new plans, private operators will be contracted by the Combined Authority to run bus services – this is the system that exists in London and the one which has been recently introduced across Greater Manchester.
To ensure a smooth transition, franchising will be introduced in phases starting in St Helens and Wirral in 2026. It is planned that the move to a fully franchised system across the Liverpool City Region will be complete by the end of 2027.
People are being asked to make suggestions around what kind of changes might encourage them to use buses more frequently in the future.
Residents and bus users of St Helens and Wirral network have already been asked for feedback on services, with further engagement take place in Liverpool, Knowsley and Sefton in early 2027.
Over the coming months more information will be shared by the Combined Authority about the future of bus services through our digital and social media channels.
Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive (“Merseytravel”) have commenced the process of acquiring seven bus depots in the Liverpool City Region plus parcels of adjacent land for future expansion of the depot sites at Speke and Birkenhead. To meet the programme for bus franchising, it has become necessary for the Combined Authority and Merseytravel to use compulsory purchase powers to acquire the necessary depots.
