Liverpool City Region Bus Franchising

[Barney]

RE: Liverpool City Region Bus Franchising

(25/07/2023 05:48)St Helens Rider Wrote:  Limited Stop/Express routes are what the region is desperately short of. I have recently travelled on routes which one would think would be fast but aren't (these being the X1 Liverpool - Chester, X2 Liverpool - Preston and 500 Liverpool - Airport) and none of these routes seem to be any quicker than other routes on their respective corridors.

Perhaps this topic should have its own thread but, nevertheless, I shall express my views here.

I agree that the journey times on many trunk routes are far too long and that there is a need for limited stop and express routes across the LCR but in the current set-up I cannot see this happening. Currently, profitability on each and every service is paramount and the wider cost-benefit analysis to society - and the environment - as a whole is of no concern to any bus operator.

In the the past, LCPT/MPTE operated several limited stop 5** services several of which several morphed into peak hour Rapidride 4** services whilst Crosville, Lancashire United and Ribble also ran their own genuine express/limited stop services in their respective operating areas.

From memory, all of the 4** and 5** services were withdrawn upon Deregulation and apart from one or two failed attempts have never been reinstated. Currently, the 500 is to all intents a stopping service.

It is by no means certain that franchising will be adopted by the LCR but if it is I would think that introducing specific limited stop/express services might be a way of showing that the model benefits passengers over profits.