Liverpool City Region Bus Franchising

[Jw88]

RE: Liverpool City Region Bus Franchising
I am looking at the 73 (473) timetable, does it really need a Sunday route starting as early as 06:50 from Heswall Bus Station? I would understand if it went to a hospital like Clatterbridge or down to Bromborough, but all this route does is loop around Poulton Lancelyn.

[moreton407]

RE: Liverpool City Region Bus Franchising

(14/09/2026 20:13)Jw88 Wrote:  I am looking at the 73 (473) timetable, does it really need a Sunday route starting as early as 06:50 from Heswall Bus Station? I would understand if it went to a hospital like Clatterbridge or down to Bromborough, but all this route does is loop around Poulton Lancelyn.

Totally agree. Why have evening or Sunday journeys on services that don't carry that much during the day when services that have decent loads during the day like 409 or 464 don't have and evening (409/464) or Sunday service (409)?

[moreton407]

RE: Liverpool City Region Bus Franchising
Also there is no mention of the 129 (Liscard-Frankby Cemetery)

[Jw88]

RE: Liverpool City Region Bus Franchising

(15/09/2026 00:03)moreton407 Wrote:  Also there is no mention of the 129 (Liscard-Frankby Cemetery)

According to this spreadsheet Merseytravel posted: https://merseytravel.adidocdn.dev/timeta...26--2-.pdf ,

The 129 is being sadly withdrawn, as is the 216/217, 81 and Evening and Sunday 423s.

Another odd thing is despite being covered by franchising, it looks like the 811 will be operated by Huyton Travel rather than Go North West.

[DVG526]

RE: Liverpool City Region Bus Franchising

(15/09/2026 00:01)moreton407 Wrote:  Totally agree. Why have evening or Sunday journeys on services that don't carry that much during the day when services that have decent loads during the day like 409 or 464 don't have and evening (409/464) or Sunday service (409)?

Higher Tranmere and Bebington have been crying out for an improved evening and Sunday service to Birkenhead:Liverpool for years, this was the chance and all they get is an hourly 17 that will carry no one as it’s only doing the loop one way round Eastham, pathetic.

[MTL0201]

RE: Liverpool City Region Bus Franchising
The Sunday 407 needs retiming as that goes a few minutes behind the 438A which is bonkers considering both routes are hourly on Sundays

407 departs Birkenhead for Moreton around xx45
438A departs Birkenhead for Moreton & West Kirby xx41

It's not great going from Moreton either

407 departs Moreton Cross for Birkenhead & Liverpool xx18
438A departs Moreton Cross for Birkenhead & Eastham Ferry at xx16

My suggestion is keep the 438A times as they are, but retime the 407 to run about 30 minutes later so that's better co-ordinated with the 438A frequency between Birkenhead & Moreton.

As for the 407 Liverpool-Birkenhead Sunday shorts that's so buses don't spend so long on layover in Liverpool but this is surely an error.

xx32 from Liverpool arrives in Birkenhead at xx45,
xx57 from Liverpool arrives in Birkenhead at xx21.

How does one take 13 minutes with the other one taking 24 minutes on exactly the same route?

https://merseytravel.adidocdn.dev/timeta...5Oct26.pdf

[Jw88]

RE: Liverpool City Region Bus Franchising

(15/09/2026 14:27)MTL0201 Wrote:  The Sunday 407 needs retiming as that goes a few minutes behind the 438A which is bonkers considering both routes are hourly on Sundays

407 departs Birkenhead for Moreton around xx45
438A departs Birkenhead for Moreton & West Kirby xx41

It's not great going from Moreton either

407 departs Moreton Cross for Birkenhead & Liverpool xx18
438A departs Moreton Cross for Birkenhead & Eastham Ferry at xx16

My suggestion is keep the 438A times as they are, but retime the 407 to run about 30 minutes later so that's better co-ordinated with the 438A frequency between Birkenhead & Moreton.

As for the 407 Liverpool-Birkenhead Sunday shorts that's so buses don't spend so long on layover in Liverpool but this is surely an error.

xx32 from Liverpool arrives in Birkenhead at xx45,
xx57 from Liverpool arrives in Birkenhead at xx21.

How does one take 13 minutes with the other one taking 24 minutes on exactly the same route?

https://merseytravel.adidocdn.dev/timeta...5Oct26.pdf

I am unsure of why the 407 shorts though the tunnel will take longer, that will lead to longer layover times.

It is a shame they did not try and interwork the 407 with a trailed evening and Sunday service on the 464 if timetabling allowed, instead of going back and forth through the tunnel on short routes to and from Birkenhead Bus Station, where there are plenty of buses going the same way

It is a waste of resources to run one bus behind the other, there are many examples of this across the network with large gaps then two routes come in the space of 2 - 5 minutes, while changing, the current 423 and 471/472 overlap each other between Liverpool and Arrowe Park minutes behind each other then no bus for 30 minutes, although, it looks the problem still persists, with a 4 minute gap between services 413/471/472 before a 26 minute gap before the next bus. Spacing out the times was something i hoped franchising would have achieved.

[moreton407]

RE: Liverpool City Region Bus Franchising
Services 473/474/475 now showing as not running on Sundays.

[DVG526]

RE: Liverpool City Region Bus Franchising

(15/09/2026 15:45)Jw88 Wrote:  I am unsure of why the 407 shorts though the tunnel will take longer, that will lead to longer layover times.

It is a shame they did not try and interwork the 407 with a trailed evening and Sunday service on the 464 if timetabling allowed, instead of going back and forth through the tunnel on short routes to and from Birkenhead Bus Station, where there are plenty of buses going the same way

It is a waste of resources to run one bus behind the other, there are many examples of this across the network with large gaps then two routes come in the space of 2 - 5 minutes, while changing, the current 423 and 471/472 overlap each other between Liverpool and Arrowe Park minutes behind each other then no bus for 30 minutes, although, it looks the problem still persists, with a 4 minute gap between services 413/471/472 before a 26 minute gap before the next bus. Spacing out the times was something i hoped franchising would have achieved.

Same as 38A and 487 evening and Sunday (and 410) all leave bus station at around xx40 leaving big gaps to Higher Tranmere and Bebington

Nothing has been changed really on the main routes apart from the 423 being withdrawn and 492/5 running later, a few small bits and pieces on 414/Heswall/Wk locals to satisfy some box ticking and spin by Steve to make things look good.

[MTL0201]

RE: Liverpool City Region Bus Franchising
There is a new 483/484 Arrowe Park-West Kirby circular, this will be the first Metro service on Wirral as first bus is 05.20 West Kirby-Arrowe Park even on Sundays.

The School 653 is becoming an all day 453, bringing back a link that was withdrawn when Avon went belly up, although i'd have preferred it going West-Kirby Clatterbridge rather than Thingwall complementing the 22/22A.

The 82 is being diverted to Heswall [482] but direct via Telegraph Road from Caldy meaning it'll will carry fresh air most of the time.

I'd have liked to have seen a evening 442 introduced as you just have an hourly 441 which is not great.

I do like the 492/495 is getting a proper evening & Sunday service even if it it hourly, the current timetable is ridiculous with last buses 2020 & 21.20 with last buses on Sundays at 16.10 & 17.10, & 2 hourly, that serves a large area in Beechwood & Noctorum.