Liverpool furthers its London-style ambitions for bus network with BSIP bid
Liverpool City Region Combined Authority says its Bus Services Improvement Plan will be a blueprint for delivering improvements designed to encourage more people to travel by bus.
The plan is being produced with input from bus operators and local authorities in response to the government’s National Bus Strategy, with the region bidding for a share of £3billion of national funding.
Building on its existing LCR Vision for Bus, the new bid includes plans to provide services that are more frequent, reliable, and affordable while making it easier for passengers to understand and use. Key areas identified for investment include frequency improvements, fare reductions, zero emission vehicles and bus lanes.
Improving bus services is seen as a part of Liverpool metro mayor Steve Rotheram’s ambition to emulate a London-style transport system.
“Good public transport is vital for connecting people with each other and with opportunity, with people in our region overwhelmingly relying on the bus to get about,” says Rotheram. “Thanks to the failed deregulation of the 1980s, too many bus services don’t work for the people who use them.
“I’m determined to fix that. Getting around our region should be quick, cheap and reliable – like it is in London. If it’s good enough for the capital, then it’s more than good enough for people in our region.”
The BSIP will include the four key areas of improvement that were agreed as part of the LCR Vision for Bus in July 2019:
- Punctuality and reliability of bus services
- Ticketing and the cost of travel
- Network design (hours of operation, service frequencies, network coverage and integration)
- Onboard experience
A customer charter is also being developed, which will set out the standards passengers should expect when travelling by bus.