Despite anecdotal reports on social media of delayed services Liverpool City Region Combined Authority releases data showing Wirral bus services have improved since coming back under public control in October. Tony McDonough reports

It has been two weeks since bus services in Wirral came back under public control for the first time in 40 years and new data indicates the change has been a success so far.

Despite anecdotal reports on social media of delayed services Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has released data showing reliability (a bus completing its entire route) is up 10% while has risen by 15%.

Posts from passengers on social media sites such as Facebook and X suggest people having to wait longer for buses, particularly those waiting in Liverpool city centre for services to Wirral.

However, the data shows overall reliability across the publicly-controlled network in Wirral and St Helens, which was first to undergo the change, is at 92% and punctuality is at 80%, with more than a million passenger journeys taken so far.

Cit region Mayor Steve Rotheram said: “Good public transport is a lifeline – it gets people to work, to hospital appointments and to see family and friends. It’s something people rely on every single day.

“For too long, our buses were run for private profit, with passengers left putting up with services that didn’t meet their needs. Bringing them back under public control means we can put passengers first.”

Beginning with the service early on the morning of Sunday, October 25, bus users in Wirral have seen later and longer running timetables as well as new links to local hospitals including Arrowe Park and the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre.

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A new UK-built bus fleet has been rolled out in the region’s distinctive yellow and grey Metro livery. The low-emission buses feature more comfortable seating, USB charging points, audio-visual announcements and more space for wheelchairs and prams.

Following the introduction of publicly-controlled bus services in St Helens and Wirral, preparations are actively underway to bring Knowsley, Liverpool, and Sefton under public control by 2027.