Have your say on Metro Mayor's plan to franchise future bus services
Wirral residents are being asked what they would like to see from their future bus services ahead of the biggest shake up to the Liverpool City Region’s transport network in almost 40 years.
Last year Mayor Steve Rotheram made the landmark decision to take back control of bus services in the Liverpool City Region following the recommendation of local authority leaders. The decision followed a major public consultation in which around 70% of people backed plans for franchising.
The Combined Authority will now work to deliver a franchised bus service for the region that will, in the future, will allow greater local control over fares, routes and timetables.
Bus franchising is set to be introduced in phases from 2026, beginning in St Helens and Wirral. A fully franchised system is set to be in place across the whole of the city region by the end of 2027.
Cllr Steve Foulkes, Chair of the Transport Committee at the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority said:
Hundreds of thousands of people in our area rely on buses to get about every day, with 82% of all public transport journeys locally taken by bus.
Franchising is the biggest shake up to our region’s buses in four decades and, while it will take a few years to make all the changes we want to see to the entire network, the results will be transformational.
The new system will mean we have greater control over fares, tickets and routes and are able to ensure that services are run in the best interests of the public and not private shareholders.
Now we want to hear from people in Wirral about what they think of the plans for franchised services in the borough, and what kind of changes might encourage them to use buses more often.
The Combined Authority today starts four weeks of public engagement with people being invited to take part in an online survey or attend one of 16 in-person roadshows being held across the borough.
Residents will be able to give feedback on bus connections they would like to see and potential future improvements to the network. The survey will also ask people to suggest future changes that might encourage them to uses buses more frequently.
The engagement follows a similar consultation in St Helens where residents were also asked for their views on the plans for new publicly operated bus services in the borough and the wider region. In the coming months people will also be invited to make their voice heard about services in Halton, Liverpool, Knowsley and Sefton.
Cllr Paula Basnett, Leader of Wirral Council, said:
Buses criss-cross Wirral connecting communities both within the borough and with our neighbours, with tens of thousands of people relying on them every day. To be useful and relevant the bus service must be reliable and affordable, allowing people to use them to get to work and college, for shopping or seeing their family and friends.
Mayor Rotheram is seeking bring buses back into public control and is asking for residents to give their views on his plans. By taking part in this consultation on the proposals you can help to shape the future of public transport in our region.
The engagement will run from Monday 13th October 2025 until midnight on Sunday 9th November 2025
The online survey is available at https://lcrlistens.liverpoolcityregion-ca.gov.uk/bus/wirral-bus-network/
Wirral franchising roadshow events will be taking place at the below locations on these dates:
Tuesday 14 October 4:00-7:30pm at Asda Birkenhead, 222 Grange Road, Birkenhead, CH41 6EB
Thursday 16 October 9:00am-12:00pm at Tesco Heswall, Telegraph Road, Heswall, CH60 7SL
Saturday 18 October 2:00-5:00pm at Bebington Civic Centre Foyer, Civic Way, Bebington, CH63 7RX
Wednesday 22 October 09:00am-12:00pm at Cherry Tree Shopping Centre, 6-8 Cherry Square, Liscard, CH44 5XU
Thursday 23 October 09:30am-12:30pm at Greasby Library, Greasby Road, CH49 3AT
Thursday 23 October 2:00pm-5:00pm at Arrowe Park Hospital, Arrowe Park Road, Upton, CH49 5PE
Tuesday 28 October, 3:00-6:00pm at Asda Bromborough, Welton Road, Croft Business Park, Bromborough, CH62 3QP
Wednesday 29 October, 9:30am-12:30pm at Asda Arrowe Park, Woodchurch Road, Birkenhead, CH49 5PD
Wednesday 29 October, 1:30-4:30pm at Wirral Hospice St Johns Moreton Store, 268 Hoylake Road, Moreton, CH46 6AF
Thursday 30 October, 2:00-5:00pm at Birkenhead Library, Borough Road, Birkenhead, CH41 2XB
Wednesday 5 November, 9:00am-12:00pm at Company Shop Beechwood, Manor House, Prenton, CH43 7ZU
Thursday 6 November, 12:30-3:30pm at Benricks Tea and Coffee Shop, 342 Woodchurch Road, Birkenhead, CH42 8PQ
Friday 7 November, 10:00am-1:00pm at West Kirby Library, The Concourse, West Kirby, CH48 4HX
- Saturday 8 November, 1:30-4:30pm at Birkenhead Bus Station Stand Four, Claughton Road, Birkenhead CH41 6RT
