Liverpool City Region has begun bringing its bus network under local public control, with government funding supporting the introduction of franchised services across the region.
The Government has committed 86.3 million GBP in funding through to 2029 to support the transition, alongside a share of a new 3 million GBP fund intended to help Mayoral Combined Authorities establish bus franchising arrangements.
The move gives the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority greater control over bus routes, service frequencies, branding and fares. Under the franchising model, the authority can determine how the network is planned and where services operate, rather than leaving decisions primarily to individual commercial operators.
The first franchised services are being introduced in St Helens. The model is due to extend to the Wirral later in 2026, before being rolled out across the remainder of the city region during 2027.
The changes are intended to improve reliability, connections and access to employment, education and healthcare. The programme also includes the introduction of a new Metro fleet of buses.
Local Transport Minister Simon Lightwood 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.
The Liverpool City Region is one of six Mayoral authorities being supported by the government to establish bus franchising. London and Greater Manchester already operate franchised bus networks, although their respective arrangements differ.
The introduction of franchising follows changes to the way bus services have been regulated in the region since deregulation was introduced outside London in the 1980s.
Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram 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.
The Liverpool City Region franchising programme is being delivered as part of the Government’s wider approach to devolving transport powers and responsibilities to local leaders.
