Liverpool City Region taking buses back under public control
The region will be just the second area outside of London to re-regulate its bus network in nearly 40 years
The Liverpool City Region's buses will be brought back under public control.
Mayor Steve Rotheram has announced the historic move in front of local politicians and leaders.
It means the region will become just the second outside of London to re-regulate its bus network in nearly 40 years.
More than 6,000 people took part in a 12-week consultation on how buses are run in the region, with nearly 70% of respondents supporting a franchise model.
Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram said:
"Today marks the start of a new era for public transport in our area - we're taking back control of our buses!
"Hundreds of thousands of people in our area rely on buses to get about every day, with 82% of all public transport journeys taken by bus. Yet, for too long, our residents have been forced to contend with a second-class service that places profit before passengers and leaves behind the very people who need it most.
"Today we have chosen a completely new course for the future of our buses. Under franchising, we will have greater control over fares, tickets and routes to ensure that bus services are run in the best interests of passengers - not shareholders.
"Whilst it will take a few years to reregulate the whole network, and the change will be transformational - it is not one that will happen overnight. There are several stages that we still need to go through before we can expect to see franchised buses on our roads.
"By turning back the clock on nearly 40 years of failed deregulation, we're putting our buses back where they belong: under public control. It is another massive step forward on our journey to building an integrated London-style transport network that will make getting around our region faster, cheaper, greener, simpler and more reliable."
The region follows part of Greater Manchester in making this move - Wigan and Bolton, as well as parts of Salford, Bury and Manchester, last week became the first to see bus services come back into public control.