Bus services in the Liverpool City Region have begun returning to public control for the first time in four decades, with St Helens becoming the first area to make the switch.
The new franchised network began operating in St Helens on Sunday, 6 September, with the Government formally marking the launch on Monday as part of a wider programme that will eventually cover the entire Liverpool City Region.
Under franchising, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority will have greater control over routes, timetables, fares and service standards, while bus operators can continue to run services under contracts awarded by the authority.
The Department for Transport said the Government will provide £86.3 million in funding through to 2029 to support better bus services in the region, alongside a share of a new £3 million fund intended to help mayoral authorities establish franchising arrangements.
St Helens first to return to public control
St Helens is the first part of the city region to move to the new system, ending around 40 years of deregulated bus services.
The initial changes include more frequent services on a number of routes, additional evening and weekend journeys, extended routes and a new express service connecting St Helens town centre directly with Liverpool John Lennon Airport.
The Combined Authority says an additional 5,000 residents will now live within 400 metres of a bus stop as a result of the changes.
Passengers are also beginning to see a new fleet of publicly owned, low-emission buses carrying the Liverpool City Region's yellow and grey Metro branding.
Government commits £86.3m through to 2029
The Department for Transport said £86.3 million of government funding will be provided through to 2029 to support bus services across the Liverpool City Region.
The region will also receive a share of a separate one-off £3 million fund intended to help mayors take greater control of local bus networks.
The Government says franchising gives the Combined Authority the ability to plan the network around local demand and exercise greater influence over routes, branding and fares.
More than 93 million bus passenger journeys were made in the Liverpool City Region last year, according to the Department for Transport.
Rotheram says deregulation failed communities
Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram has described the change as a historic moment for the region.
Rotheram said nearly four decades of deregulation had left local leaders without sufficient power to shape services around the needs of communities.
He said public control means the Combined Authority can determine where buses go, how frequently they operate and what passengers pay, while reinvesting in the wider network.
The Mayor has also committed to retaining the region's £2 adult single fare cap as the franchised network is introduced.
What public control means
The change does not necessarily mean every bus service will be directly operated by the Combined Authority.
The Liverpool City Region is adopting a franchising model similar to those used in London and Greater Manchester.
Under that system, the public authority controls the design of the network and awards contracts to operators to provide individual services.
The Combined Authority therefore gains responsibility for decisions including routes, frequencies, fares and standards rather than leaving those decisions primarily with individual commercial operators.
New services and publicly owned buses
Passengers in St Helens are seeing several changes from the first phase of franchising.
Services that previously operated every two hours are being increased to hourly frequencies, while additional evening, Sunday and early-morning journeys are being introduced on selected routes.
Routes including the 33, 35 and 34/34A are being extended to improve connections with hospitals, colleges and railway stations.
The new X3 limited-stop service provides a direct connection between St Helens and Liverpool John Lennon Airport.
The new publicly owned buses include USB charging, improved seating, additional space for wheelchairs and prams and audio-visual announcement technology.
Wirral next before region-wide rollout in 2027
The return to public control will now be extended across the Liverpool City Region in stages.
Wirral is scheduled to follow later in 2026, before franchising expands to Knowsley, Liverpool and Sefton during 2027.
The entire regional network is expected to be operating under public control by the end of 2027.
Liverpool City Region is one of six mayoral authorities being supported by the Government to establish bus franchising.
Burnham links change to devolution agenda
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has linked the Liverpool changes to his Government's wider programme of transferring decision-making powers away from Westminster and towards regional leaders.
Burnham said: “After 4 decades of deregulation, Mayor Steve Rotheram 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.”
The Government has presented the launch as another element of its No.10 North agenda, which is intended to give mayors and local authorities greater influence over services and economic development.
The Liverpool City Region scheme follows the established franchising models in London and Greater Manchester and comes as other mayoral authorities consider or prepare similar changes.