Two new bus routes to Merseyside hospitals announced

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 9 Oct, 06:14 · Archive

Two new bus services will link Merseyside hospitals to surrounding areas when Wirral's bus network returns to public control on 25 October.

Two new bus routes will launch in Wirral on 25 October, the day the borough's bus network returns to public control for the first time in around 40 years. The new 453 service will connect Irby and Heswall to Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, while the 483 and 484 circular services will link Arrowe Park Hospital with West Kirby, Meols, Hoylake, Moreton, Saughall Massie and Upton. The services are intended to give tens of thousands of residents direct links to healthcare facilities.

Under the move to public control, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority will determine bus routes, fares, timetables and service standards rather than individual commercial operators. This means services will be driven by local need rather than commercial profit. Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram said: "Taking back control of our buses has never simply been about changing who runs them. It's about building a network that works for passengers."

Rotheram added that the new services would "make it quicker and easier for thousands more people to get to work, attend hospital appointments, or visit family and friends". He also noted that the franchised network will lead to increased evening and weekend services on key routes and improved links to Merseyrail stations.

How it is being reported

• Two new Wirral bus routes will give thousands of patients direct links to hospitalsTWO new bus routes providing direct links to major Wirral hospitals will launch when the borough's bus network returns to public control this month.Wirral Globe · 9 Oct, 05:00
• New bus routes to key Merseyside hospitals announcedWirral's bus network is set to return to public controlLiverpool Echo · 8 Oct, 19:35

In this story: Steve Rotheram · Liverpool City Region Combined Authority · Arrowe Park Hospital · Clatterbridge Cancer Centre · Wirral

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