Liverpool City Region Names First Bus Franchise Operators

After four decades of deregulation, Liverpool City Region is about to try something decidedly unfashionable in the 1980s, but very on trend in 2026. Putting buses back under public control.

Liverpool City Region Combined Authority

In one of the biggest shifts in local transport policy for a generation, the Combined Authority has appointed Stagecoach and Go Ahead to operate the first franchised bus networks in the region since Thatcher was in Downing Street and shoulder pads were considered sensible workwear. St Helens will go to Stagecoach, Wirral to Go Ahead, with the first services switching to the new model in autumn 2026 and a full regional rollout promised by the end of 2027.

It all stems from Mayor Steve Rotheram’s 2023 decision to pursue franchising, handing control of routes, fares and timetables back to City Hall rather than leaving them to commercial operators. That move makes Liverpool City Region only the second place outside London to take this path, a club currently so exclusive it barely needs a membership card.

Rotheram did not mince his words, framing buses as a lifeline rather than a lifestyle choice and pointing to years of rising fares, disappearing routes and reliability that could politely be described as aspirational. Franchising, he says, brings accountability, the power to shape the network around how people actually travel and the start of a new era in St Helens and Wirral, alongside publicly owned trains and a renewed emphasis on the public bit of public transport.

Passengers are promised early wins. More frequent services, later running buses on key corridors and beefed up weekend timetables are all pencilled in from day one. St Helens will gain a new express link to Liverpool John Lennon Airport, while Wirral is set for route extensions aimed squarely at hospitals and rail stations, the sort of basic connectivity that quietly makes or breaks a bus network.

Local leaders are understandably keen. St Helens Council leader Cllr Anthony Burns linked franchising to the borough’s wider regeneration efforts, including the new transport interchange now rising from the ground, and to Net Zero ambitions that depend on people having a realistic alternative to the car. Over on the Wirral, Cllr Paula Basnett described the change as a landmark moment after decades of limited local influence, with stronger links to key destinations and a cleaner transport system firmly in her sights.

The operators, meanwhile, struck the expected notes of pride, partnership and polished optimism. Stagecoach’s Rob Jones talked up the company’s local teams and long standing presence in the area, while thanking staff in advance for navigating the inevitable upheaval that comes with a new operating model. Go Ahead chief executive Matt Carney called the contract a privilege and a chance to deliver world class public transport, which is exactly what you would want to hear before the hard work begins.

Behind the delivery of all of this sits a sizeable pile of capital spending. Hundreds of millions of pounds are earmarked for new buses, depots and infrastructure, including more than 100 all electric double deckers as part of the region’s push towards net zero by 2035. That investment follows hot on the heels of a £1.6bn transport funding settlement from government, intended to bankroll new railway stations, walking and cycling routes and a future rapid transit system.

Contracts with the new operators will be laced with customer focused targets on punctuality, reliability and cleanliness, the holy trinity of bus performance metrics and the things passengers tend to notice first when they go missing. The Combined Authority is also pouring money into its contact centre and a fresh set of digital tools, promising smoother online ticketing, clearer fares and real time information so you can work out where your bus is without resorting to educated guesswork and a sigh of mild despair.

All of this sits alongside several years of record spending across the Liverpool City Region, from the £500m Merseyrail class 777 fleet now bedding in, to the extension to Headbolt Lane in Kirkby and even a brand new Mersey Ferry, the first in more than 60 years and proof that maritime transport still gets a look in when budgets allow.

If the rhetoric matches reality, St Helens and the Wirral will be the test bed for a franchised future that could reshape how the region moves. If nothing else, it is the most radical thing to happen to local buses in decades and for an industry that thrives on incremental change, that alone is worth watching closely.