City bus network to get £110m boost - mayor says

Mayor of Liverpool Steve Rotheram has laid out plans to improve the city's bus network

People will be put back at "the heart" of a region's public transport, a mayor has said, as he announced a £110m investment in the bus network.

Liverpool City Region will be the second area in England to reverse the deregulation of bus services, following a similar rollout in Greater Manchester.

Mayor Steve Rotheram has set out plans to buy zero-emission electric buses, reinstate bus lanes and build a £32m bus station in St Helens.

He also promised to improve journey times and upgrade existing depot facilities across the Liverpool City Region.

If agreed at the Combined Authority meeting, the funding will be used to improve journey times and reliability, the mayor says

Mr Rotheram made the decision to franchise bus services last year following a public consultation which resulted in 70% of people backing the plans.

Regulated services are expected to begin in St Helens in 2026 and gradually phased in across the region.

He has promised the change will be "transformational".

"For the first time in almost 40 years, we will have control over fares, tickets and routes and will be able to ensure that services are run in the best interests of passengers – not shareholders," he said.

'More affordable'

Part of the plans include building a new bus and multimodal transport interchange in St Helens.

Funding is also being committed to new zero-emission electric buses, in addition to 58 electric double-deckers already secured by the region in April this year, via the ZEBRA (Zero Emission Bus Regional Area) fund.

“We need to make our buses a greener, dependable and more affordable option," Mr Rotheram added.

Funding will also be targeted at some of the region’s busiest bus routes – including the 10A from Liverpool to St Helens, 53 from Liverpool to Crosby and 86 Liverpool to John Lennon Airport.

If approved, a total £108.1m will be drawn from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS), a £710 million pot dedicated to supporting the delivery of transformational transport projects across the Liverpool City Region.