Wirral buses return to public control after 40 years

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 19 Oct, 18:32 · Archive

Wirral's bus services return to public control on 25 October for the first time in 40 years, with new routes and a modern fleet.

Wirral bus services will return to public control on 25 October, marking the first time this has happened in 40 years. The change is the second phase of a broader plan by Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram to bring the Liverpool City Region's buses under public control, following a rollout in St Helens last month.

Passengers will benefit from expanded weekend and evening timetables, more frequent services and improved connections across the borough. New routes will link Arrowe Park Hospital and Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, and services will be better integrated with town centres and rail interchanges. A new fleet of low-emission buses will be introduced in the region's distinctive yellow and grey Metro livery, featuring better seats, USB charging points and additional space for wheelchairs and prams.

All bus numbers will be renumbered to begin with 4, removing duplicates across the Liverpool City Region. Service 17, for example, will become service 417. In St Helens, publicly controlled services are reporting 97 per cent reliability with punctuality increased by more than 10 per cent since the launch last month.

Wirral buses return to public control after 40 years — Image: Liverpool Echo

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How it is being reported

Date set for publicly owned buses to start service across WirralIt is the second roll-out of publicly operated buses this yearLiverpool Echo · 19 Oct, 18:06
Wirral buses return to public control with more services and new fleetWirral bus services return to public control on October 25, with more evening and weekend routes, new buses and links to hospitals under Merseytravel.Wirral Globe · 19 Oct, 12:43

In this story: Wirral · Merseytravel · Liverpool City Region · Arrowe Park Hospital · Clatterbridge Cancer Centre · St Helens · Steve Rotheram

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