More evening and weekend services, extended routes and a brand-new express link to Liverpool John Lennon Airport will operate from day one when the St Helens bus network comes back under public control in September.
Passengers in St Helens and beyond can also look forward to travelling on an-all new fleet of state-of-the-art, low-emission buses.
The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has published full details of improvements ahead of the introduction of bus franchising in St Helens on Sunday, September 6. Buses running every two hours in St Helens will become hourly while other routes will be extended to give better connections to hospitals, colleges and rail stations.
Some services will also be renumbered to remove duplicate service numbers, creating one easy-to-understand network for the whole Liverpool City Region.
The improvements are designed to make the bus network more dependable and easy-to-use. As a direct result of the changes, an additional 5,000 residents will now be within a 400-metre walk of a bus stop in St Helens.
Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:
“In the 80s our bus services were deregulated. So now, for the first time in four decades, we are bringing our bus services back where they belong – under public control. This is a historic milestone for St Helens and a major step forward in delivering the biggest transport change in our region’s history.
“New trains, a new ferry ‘cross the Mersey, new buses across a newly franchised network, Merseyrail coming back under public control, new train stations and a brand-new rapid transit system on the way, this is nothing short of a public transport revolution.
“From day one, passengers in St Helens will see a real, tangible difference. We are doubling frequencies on crucial routes, expanding evening and weekend services, and launching a brand-new direct express link to Liverpool John Lennon Airport.
“We’re backing this new era with state-of-the-art, low-emission buses fully equipped with modern features like USB charging points. This, alongside our new £35 million transport interchange, built in the heart of St Helens Town Centre, demonstrates the benefit of being part of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. We are building a first-class, green network that local people can truly be proud of.”
The buses will join 108 brand-new, electric buses already in service, as well as the region’s new fleet of publicly-owned trains and the first new Mersey Ferry in more than 60 years as part of a major transport fleet modernisation programme – the most comprehensive in the country.
The investment in a new bus fleet also comes alongside the development of St Helens Transport Interchange, which is currently under construction. Being delivered with £32 million of funding from the Combined Authority, the interchange will better connect bus and rail services in St Helens town centre with climate-controlled waiting areas, step-free access and real-time travel information via digital screens.
In 2023, Mayor Steve Rotheram and the Combined Authority took the landmark decision to bring buses back under public control. For the first time in more than 40 years, services will be planned around the needs of passengers and communities, with the Combined Authority deciding when, where and how often buses run.
The move is part of Mayor Steve Rotheram’s pledge to create a faster, greener and better-connected transport network that works for the 1.6 million residents of the City Region.
(Picture: St Helens Borough Council)
