Talks of Liverpools bus network being "council" run

[SNL 824]

RE: Talks of Liverpools bus network being "council" run

(01/11/2014 10:16)Barney Wrote:  IF this proposal ever comes about - and I for one hope it does - I would like to think that cross-border routes (Merseyside/Cheshire and Lancashire) would be negotiated and agreed between the two relevant authorities.

For anyone on this forum to have any real memory of bus operations before the setting up of the MPTE, they would now be close to being eligible for a Merseytravel bus pass. It therefore might surprise some people to learn that before the establishment of the PTE, on the Wirral Birkenhead and Wallasey Corporations had clearly defined operating areas and did not cross into each others area. Travelling from Bebington to New Brighton necessitated using buses operated by two different corporations and paying two lots of fares.

In Liverpool, Ribble services that operated through Bootle from Crosby, Thornton and Southport were not allowed to pick up passengers after the stop at North Park and were not allowed to let passengers from Liverpool alight until North Park. Consequently, passengers could only ever use the joint services(the 50s services) but not the L or S services.

Also, in those days the 10 - one of the busiest routes in Liverpool - terminated at Prescot and if a passenger wanted to continue on to St Helens they had to board a St Helens Corporation vehicle.

With the establishment of MPTE in 1970 and its enlargement in 1974 these issues were resolved. I am sure that should this proposal to set up a franchising system ever happen cross-border services would easily be accommodated.

I'm still a few years short of a bus pass - but not too many. There were Lancashire United routes to St helens - but that was in PTE days. I used them to go and ride on the ex St helens and Birkenhead PD2s that were still in service in the town.

On the Wirral though there were some joint services between Birkenhead and Wallasey. The one that springs to mind was the 11 from New Brighton to The Wiend in Tranmere. As a Birkenhead boy it was always a treat to get a wallasey vehicle on the route as they were older and more interesting than most of the Birkenhead fleet and also had much more luxurious interiors. And for those of you used to today's buses - yes you could use that word in respect to Wallasey Corp buses.