- Government funding helps Liverpool City Region bring its
bus services under public control
- Millions of passengers in Liverpool City Region to benefit
from better, more reliable services and affordable fares,
boosting the local economy
- Latest step forward in Prime Minister's mission to shift
power out of Westminster and back local leaders through No.10
North
Millions of passengers across the Liverpool City Region are set
to benefit from better, more reliable bus services as the city
becomes the first to bring its network under public control under
this Government.
In a huge boost for local growth, the Government will provide
£86.3m of funding until 2029 to deliver better services for
passengers, as well as a share of a new one-off £3m pot to help
Mayors take control of their services.
This funding will give the combined authority the power to plan
bus networks to run services where they are
needed most. Like in London and Greater Manchester where bus
services are franchised, this also means local leaders in
Liverpool will have more say over routes, branding
and fares, which could mean cheaper journeys across the
city.
It will also mean people in Liverpool will enjoy more
frequent journeys, better route connections and a
state-of-the-art, brand new Metro Fleet.
Today's agreement is the latest example of the work being driven
through No 10 North to put power back into the hands of
communities, following the recent partnership with leaders in the
West Midlands to take control of local bus services.
Prime Minister Andy said:
"After four decades of deregulation, Mayor is getting back control of
the Liverpool City Region's buses, and we are backing him with
the funding and powers needed to make it happen.
"This is what putting power in the hands of communities looks
like and why I have established No10 North. We are
giving local leaders the levers they need to take back control of
local services, shape their own future, and bring back hope."
Today, Local Transport Minister and Mayor of the Liverpool
City Region attended the launch
of new, locally controlled services, which will bring
better access to jobs, education and healthcare.
Buses are being franchised in St Helens at first, before being
rolled out to the Wirral later this year, and the rest of the
city region in 2027.
Local Transport Minister said:
We're giving those who best know Liverpool's buses even more
power to deliver better, more affordable and reliable services.
This is a huge testament to Mayor Steve Rotheram's determination
to put buses back at the heart of the community and to our No10
North mission to put power back where it belongs: in local hands.
From the national £2 bus fare cap to free bus travel for disabled
people, we're backing better buses and reversing decades of
decline.
, Mayor of the Liverpool City
Region, said:
For nearly 40 years, bus deregulation has failed communities like
ours. Routes have been chopped and changed, fares have risen and
local leaders have been left without the power to shape a service
that millions of people rely on every year.
From this weekend, that change will be impossible to miss. Almost
overnight, people will start seeing our new yellow British-built
buses appearing on the roads a very visible sign that our buses
are coming back under public control and that a new era for
public transport in our region has begun.
For me, public transport is a public service. It should be run in
the interests of the people who use it, connecting communities
with jobs, education and opportunity not simply dictated by what
makes the most commercial sense.
That's why we're taking back control. It means we can decide
where buses go, how often they run and what passengers pay, and
reinvest in a network that is more reliable, more affordable and
better joined-up."
Bus travel is the most popular form of transport in England, with
over 93 million bus passenger journeys taken in the Liverpool
City Region last year.
Liverpool City Region is one of six mayoral authorities this
Government is supporting to set up bus franchising, allowing
local leaders to take control to deliver better services fit for
their communities.
It builds on the £2 bus fare cap coming into effect from January,
saving millions of people a third on bus travel, giving people
breathing room with the cost of living. Concessionary bus passes
are also being extended to give free bus travel to disabled
people all day, every day from April, unlocking opportunities and
access to jobs, education and more.
