Liverpool City Region is to benefit from improved bus services and investment in the local economy.
Arriva, Stagecoach and Merseytravel have signed a new agreement that will deliver more than £25m worth of investment in bus services in year one of the five year partnership, for the benefit of existing passengers and in a bid to attract new ones.
The Liverpool City Region Bus Alliance will provide local people with improved, more efficient, joined-up and better value services. The landmark agreement also sees a commitment from operators to provide modern bus fleets with an average age of no more than seven years.
Passengers will benefit from a range of new services and customer-focused improvements, including improved smart ticketing, and Wi-Fi and USB charging on all new buses so passengers can charge their mobile devices on the move.
The formal signing of the Bus Alliance agreement also releases additional Government OLEV funding of £4.7 million – the single biggest award out of the last round of funding in July – for 72 new, greener buses across the city region.
The two operators will partner fully on a range of initiatives including marketing campaigns, on-bus cleaning and customer service training. The agreement promises improved links to the city’s John Lennon Airport, and a new night bus service will continue to be piloted.
To encourage significantly more people to use buses across the city region both operators will also sign up to clearly defined targets around punctuality and passenger satisfaction.
The Liverpool City Region Bus Alliance is a key element of a comprehensive bus strategy for the region. Built around the idea of ‘multimodal’ transport for customers, changing between rail and bus services will be simplified making journeys easier and more enjoyable for passengers.
Howard Farrall, Area Managing Director, Merseyside, said:
“The signing of the Alliance is an exciting milestone for passengers across the region.
It commits all operators and our partners to a package of measures designed to make the bus network here on Merseyside even more attractive, affordable and accessible for passengers.
The Alliance promises to be a first-class partnership for our region. It brings together operators and the local authority, working together under an agreed framework to deliver even better bus services, networks and customer service for passengers.”