More than 110,000 passenger journeys were made during the first week of Liverpool City Region’s new franchised bus network in St Helens.
The franchised network began operating in the borough in early September, bringing services under public control as part of the wider rollout of bus franchising across the Liverpool City Region.
The Combined Authority said passengers have used the revised services to travel to work and college, visit friends and family and access destinations across the city region.
One of the changes introduced in St Helens is the new X3 service connecting the borough with Liverpool John Lennon Airport. The route provides a direct public transport link to the airport and surrounding employment opportunities.
Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram said:This has been a really encouraging first week and I want to thank everyone in St Helens for getting behind our new network.
Bringing our buses back under public control was never change for change’s sake. It was about giving us the power to build a bus network around the needs of our communities – one that connects people to jobs, education and opportunity, and gives them a service they can rely on.
The Combined Authority said the St Helens rollout means 32% of the Liverpool City Region’s bus network is now operated using publicly owned buses.
This includes electric buses operating from the Gillmoss depot, which forms part of the region’s wider plans for an integrated public transport network.
The St Helens rollout is part of the Liverpool City Region’s wider bus franchising programme, under which the Combined Authority takes greater control over routes, fares and service standards while operators run services under contract.
The authority will continue to extend franchising across the region as part of the programme to bring the bus network under public control.
