Liverpool bus network franchise plan moves forward

The proposals could see regulated services for the first time since 1986

A major step has been taken to bring Liverpool's "broken, fragmented and too expensive" bus system back into public control.

Members of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority have given their backing to proposals to adopt a franchise system.

It would allow the authority to set routes and control fares while private operators run the buses on contracts.

It could see regulated services for the first time since 1986.

The plan is part of the Liverpool City Region's mayor's plan to introduce a "London-style" transport network, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Steve Rotherham told the combined authority meeting the opportunity to fix the "broken, fragmented and too expensive" bus system was one of the main reasons he stood to be mayor.

He said the plan was a "once in a lifetime opportunity to reverse the disastrous decision to deregulate services outside of the capital" and members needed to "grasp the opportunity devolution has afforded us for generations to come".

Mr Rotheram described the decision as "momentous" and said the move was well overdue.

"It's taken 36 years to be able to reverse something that most of us knew, at the time, was the wrong thing which was the deregulation of bus services," he added.

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The mayor said it was expected the network's transfer over to public control would happen in eight "chunks", with St Helens earmarked to begin the process.

"We're looking towards potentially St Helens as the first one, then the others over an extended period it has to be said. It'll take longer than 12 months to get them all online," he said.

Currently, private companies Arriva and Stagecoach manage the city region's road network but Mr Rotheram did not rule out other companies coming in to operate the buses once a procurement stage has been completed.

John Fogarty, executive director of corporate services, said the move represented a "significant milestone" as buses are the "most important strand of the transport network".

Mr Fogarty said there would be further work done on affordability.

The decision to adopt a franchise model will be subject to an audit of the proposed scheme and a full public consultation.