On Sunday 6 September, more than forty years after the flawed and occasionally chaotic experiment of bus deregulation first arrived in our region, control of the network returns to public hands as the first services of the new franchised bus network hit the streets in St Helens.
For passengers on the ground, there will be more frequent services, expanded evening and weekend timetables and brand-new connections like the direct express route to Liverpool John Lennon Airport.
For us in devolved government it's the culmination of years of work to achieve one key aim – to make sure transport services can be planned and delivered locally,
Franchising will allow our region to make decisions about how our network operates, to determine where, how often and at what time buses run. It means that the needs of our communities can be put above private profit.
Since I joined the Combined Authority in 2022, the speed at which our team has transformed regional policy into delivery has been remarkable. We have moved from working on strategy documents and engagement exercises to purchasing fleets and a brand-new bus fleet in record time.
Every franchised vehicle rolling out in St Helens and beyond features our signature yellow and grey Metro livery, equipped with modern accessibility standards, audio-visual passenger information, USB charging and low-emission technology. Joined by our growing fleet of 108 zero-emission electric buses, this physical transformation delivers immediate, visible quality to the travelling public.
This fleet overhaul comes alongside an equally ambitious capital build programme across our infrastructure. In St Helens town centre, a £35m state-of-the-art transport interchange is being built to better connect bus and rail journeys and support the wider regeneration of the town centre.
By integrating modes of transport, delivering public ownership, unifying ticketing and coordinating timetables, we will create a world-class transport system built entirely around the needs of our passengers. We will have a joined-up, easy-to-use transport network – just like the one London has enjoyed for years.
The launch of franchising sits alongside a comprehensive transport revolution across our region, covering every mode of public transport.
On the rail network, alongside our half-a-billion pound investment in new trains and related infrastructure, we are preparing for the return of Merseyrail to public ownership by 2028.
To expand the reach of the region's rail network we are also advancing delivery and development of new stations – including sites at Carr Mill in St Helens, Woodchurch in Wirral and Daresbury in Halton – alongside major gateway upgrades to unlock vital access to jobs, housing and regional innovation hubs.
We are building the first new Mersey Ferry in 60 years to secure an iconic connection for generations to come and are committed to delivering a new high-capacity rapid transit network to link Liverpool city centre with John Lennon Airport and both Liverpool and Everton football stadiums.
By integrating modes of transport, delivering public ownership, unifying ticketing and coordinating timetables, we will create a world-class transport system built entirely around the needs of our passengers. We will have a joined-up, easy-to-use transport network – just like the one London has enjoyed for years.
This complete system transformation stems directly from the power of devolution. For decades, decision-making was locked in Westminster, leaving regions to muddle through with a patchwork of private transport operators acting largely in the interests of private shareholders.
But now the Government has made it clear; devolution is the cornerstone of its national agenda. Those at the top in Whitehall are beginning to recognise that the best decisions for regional economies are made within those communities.
The rollout of services on our franchised bus network is evidence of the power of devolution in action. When decisions are made locally, and policy targets social value and economic opportunity, great things can be achieved.
Look at our commitment to affordability on the transport network – the Liverpool City Region was one of the first places to introduce a £2 bus fare cap in 2022. And while national policy shifted, the Combined Authority moved to keep reduced price tickets in place for its residents. When the £2 fare cap is reinstated across the country next year people living, working and visiting the Liverpool City Region will have enjoyed its benefit for over five years.
Protecting that fare cap has meant finding funding within our budget, but local democratic control gives us the mandate to prioritise working families, lower the cost of living and encourage public transport patronage during a cost-of-living squeeze.
But transport is just one area where devolution allows to us to affect genuine positive change – the same model drives transformation across the Combined Authority's entire strategic portfolio.
In housing, devolution allows us to remediate brownfield land at speed, delivering thousands of modern, sustainable homes on former industrial sites rather than precious green space.
In skills and adult education, working closely with employers we're able to direct focus and funding to meet the demands of our local economy, retraining workers for sustainable tech, digital infrastructure and modern methods of construction.
Through our flagship LCR Connect project, we built a 212km ultra-fast, half-gigabit digital highway across all six local authority areas, creating a publicly-owned asset that provides digital infrastructure for local schools, hospitals and businesses.
Strategic investments in culture, tourism and community regeneration use the devolved envelope to build an economy that works for every neighbourhood, from the city centre to the suburbs, from leafy semi-rural villages to new growing housing developments.
As we move to take control of buses, refresh our entire transport fleet, develop infrastructure and builds a transport network that works for the people who live here the promise and the reality of regional devolution is clear. Further up the M62 they often like to say they do things differently. Here in the Liverpool City Region, where we go others follow.
Richard McGuckin is the deputy chief executive and executive director of place at the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority
