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Bus services across Wirral will return to public control this Sunday for the first time in 40 years, bringing more frequent buses, expanded evening and weekend timetables and improved connections across the borough.
The switch follows the recent rollout of publicly-controlled services in St Helens, which are already delivering 97% reliability with punctuality up by more than 10% since launching last month.
New routes will link to both Arrowe Park Hospital and Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, while popular services are being extended and re-timed to better connect residents to town centres and rail interchanges.
All new buses will be rolled out across the Wirral in yellow and grey, complete with better seating, USB charges and more space for wheelchairs and prams.
Most bus services in Wirral are getting new numbers to remove duplicates across the region – all routes will now start with 4, so service 17 will become 417.
The £2 adult single fare cap and £2.20 young person's day rider MyTicket remain available, and concessionary passes including Over-60s and Disabled Person's passes will continue to work as normal.
Information sessions across Wirral
Bus network staff are hosting in-person sessions where passengers can ask questions about the changes in information sessions across the Wirral. Here are the listed events:
Cherry Tree Shopping Centre, Liscard – Monday 19th October, 11am to 2pm
West Kirby Concourse – Tuesday 20th October, 10am to 2pm
Birkenhead Bus Station – Wednesday 21st October, 10am to 2pm.
ASDA Arrowe Park – Friday 23rd October, 10am to 2pm
Birkenhead Bus Station – Sunday 25th and Monday 26th October, 10am to 3pm
Pyramids Shopping Centre, Birkenhead – Monday 26th October, 10am to 3pm
Updated timetables and route details are available on the Merseytravel website and through the Merseytravel Journey Planner app.
Councillor Paula Basnett, Leader of Wirral Council, said: "For many people, buses are a vital part of everyday life. Bringing services back under public control gives us the opportunity to build a network that better reflects the needs of our communities and supports our ambitions for a more connected, inclusive and sustainable Wirral."
Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said people across Wirral will start seeing benefits from day one. The changes in Wirral are the latest phase of a region-wide transformation, with the publicly-run network expanding to Knowsley, Liverpool, and Sefton in 2027.
