Liverpool City Region transport leader's call as bus consultation reaches ½ way mark

LIVERPOOL City Region's transport lead has issued an important call as a major 12 week consultation on the future of bus services in the Region reached its ½ way point.

Highlighting the:- "really big decision we have to make" Cllr Liam Robinson has encouraged more people to take part in the consultation, saying was:- "vital that we hear from as many people as possible across our Region; whether they're bus users or not."

Launched last month by Mayor Steve Rotheram, the 12 week consultation is giving people chance to have their say on proposals to change the way bus services are run in the Liverpool City Region.

Currently private operators decide the routes, timetables, fares and standards. There is also limited coordination between private bus operators and other forms of public transport. The new bus franchising scheme proposed by the Combined Authority would allow greater local control over fares, routes and timetables.

Reform of the Region's bus network is a key part of Mayor Rotheram's wider ambition to build a London style transport system that makes getting about:- faster, cheaper, cleaner, more reliable.

Cllr Liam Robinson, leader of Liverpool City Council and Transport Portfolio Holder for Liverpool City Region Combined Authority said:- "The Liverpool City Region runs on buses; 8 out of 10 public transport journeys here are taken by bus. That's hundreds of thousands of people each day using the bus to travel to:- work, School and College, to the shops or to see family and friends. We want to see a bus service that works for everyone in our Region, and we believe that means taking greater local public control of the network so we can do things like set fares, routes and timetables. We've had a fantastic response to the consultation so far, with thousands of responses received already and 6 weeks still to go for people to make their voices heard. There's a really big decision we have to make about the future of our bus services and it's vital that we hear from as many people across as possible across our Region; whether they're bus users or not."

Mayor Rotheram and the Combined Authority voted unanimously to confirm franchising as the Region's preferred future model for running the bus network and services. The Region is 1 of only 2 in the country, to run a consultation on the future model for bus services.

A major advertising campaign is currently underway to encourage people to take part in the consultation, with information booklets on the bus franchising proposals being delivered directly to households across the Region. In person road show events are also being hosted at venues across the Region over the coming weeks.

For more information and to take part in the consultation visit:- LiverpoolCityRegion-CA.Gov.UK.

Northern customers can now compare cost, travel time and CO₂ emissions of their journey versus the equivalent trip by road before they book

CUSTOMERS travelling with Northern can now compare the cost, travel time and CO₂ emissions of their journey against the equivalent trip by road. The train operator provides the information via the Savings Calculator comparison tool on their website.

Ticket prices are compared against the average cost to travel the same distance in both a diesel and electric car; journey times are compared to peak car journeys in Google maps; and CO₂ emissions are calculated using Government certified data sources and assumptions.

The new feature forms part of Northern's commitment to put customers at the heart of everything it does by enabling them to make informed decisions.

Mark Powles, commercial and customer director at Northern, said:- "Encouraging people to make the switch from road to rail is something we are, naturally, very passionate about. The 'Savings Calculator' tool on the website now highlights 3 of the biggest issues our customers tell us are important to them; and we're confident our trains will more than 'hold their own' against the car when it comes to saving people time, money and the CO₂ emissions of their journeys."

Some example comparisons for popular journeys on the Northern network include:-

Northern is the 2nd largest train operator in the UK, with 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.

All calculations are made using Government conversion factors. Environmental data regarding Northern's fleet of trains is validated each year by an external auditor. For further information on this calculation, visit:- NorthernRailway.Co.UK.