Express bus services providing a vital link between Runcorn and Liverpool city centre are to return, Liverpool City Region Mayor, Steve Rotheram has announced today.
Beginning on Monday 16 December the new Arriva-operated X4 service will run hourly with stops in Widnes, Speke and Aigburth, providing fast and affordable connections for people travelling to and from Halton.
Passengers will benefit from shorter journeys with an average trip between Runcorn and Liverpool ONE bus station on the X4 taking approximately 50 minutes, almost half the journey time of some existing services.
Tickets will cost £2, in line with the reduced adult single fare which Mayor Rotheram has committed to extend until September 2025.
Express bus services between Runcorn and Liverpool ended in April 2022 when the commercially operated X1 service was withdrawn. Mayor Rotheram has since been working closely with Halton Council to ensure the return of a rapid bus link for the area, which will initially operate on a trial basis.
Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region said: “This is more great news for Halton on top of the tens of millions of pounds we have been able to invest to bring about jobs and prosperity for the area.
“I know people have been calling for the return of an express bus between Runcorn and Liverpool to make travelling quicker, so I’m delighted that we’ve been able to step in and find a solution.
“For too long people have had to contend with a bus service run in the interests of shareholders rather than passengers.
“That’s why last year I took the decision to bring buses back into public control for the first time in almost 40 years. A franchised system will give us the power to set routes, fares and timetables.
“The X4 service will be fast and affordable, an example of the kind of new express bus connections I want to see linking communities across our city region.
“This is another positive step on the journey to putting the public back into public transport.”
Cllr Mike Wharton, Leader of Halton Borough Council and Deputy Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, said: “Since the withdrawal of the express service between Runcorn and Liverpool in 2022, our residents have continually requested that the service be reinstated to reduce travel time.
“Halton has worked closely with the Combined Authority and so it is really good news that an express service is to be reinstated and will also include an additional stop at Widnes Green Oaks.”
In his most recent manifesto, Mayor Rotheram pledged to introduce express bus services on key routes, as part of a commitment to radically improving the region’s transport network.
Last year saw the Mayor take the landmark decision to bring bus services back into local public control through franchising, a move backed by 70% of people in the region. Earlier this year the Mayor also announced the purchase of more than 100 new all-electric double decker buses to bolster the region’s zero-emission fleet.
Development of the bus network is a key element of Mayor Rotheram’s plan for an integrated London-style transport system that is quick, simple, affordable, and accessible to all.
Other major investments include more than £100m towards new walking and cycling routes, a £32m transport interchange for St Helens town centre, £26m for the first new Mersey Ferry in over 60 years and £96m for the new Liverpool Baltic rail station.
That’s in addition to the successful introduction of a new £500m rail fleet and the opening of the £80m Headbolt Lane railway station in Kirkby as part of the Mayor’s ambition to create a ‘Merseyrail for All’.