A start date is revealed for a new express bus service to Liverpool John Lennon Airport. Tony McDonough reports
A new express bus service linking St Helens to Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LJLA) will begin carrying passengers from Sunday, September 6.
This X3 route will give more than 25,000 people direct public transport access to LJLA in under an hour. This time to over 100,000 under 80 minutes via onward rail and bus connections.
It will be one of the first day bus services in St Helens return to public control in more than 40 years as part of city region Mayor Steve Rotheram’s new bus franchising system.
Other improvements to the bus network in St Helens include additional evening and weekend services, extended routes to serve hospitals and buses currently running every two hours becoming hourly.
Steve Rotheram said: “When I said we were taking back control of our buses, it was never just about changing who runs them. It was about building a public transport network that works for local people.
“This new express service is a great example of what that looks like in practice. It will make it quicker and easier for thousands more people to get to LJLA, whether they’re travelling for work, jetting off on holiday or welcoming friends and family to our region.”
Passengers on the X3 will travel aboard brand-new, publicly owned UK-built low-emission buses clad in the region’s distinctive yellow and grey Metro livery. They feature USB charging points, more comfortable seating, level boarding, audio-visual announcements and improved accessibility.
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LJLA chief executive John Irving added: “With more flights to more destinations than ever before, improved connectivity for the airport from across the city region is vitally important and this new express service will now make it much easier and quicker.”
Following the September rollout in St Helens, public control of the bus network will be phased in across the city region, with Wirral following in October 2026 and Liverpool, Knowsley and Sefton by the end of 2027.