The final plans to city centre bus route changes to be rolled out early next year

The final plans for changes to Liverpool City Centre bus routes are now available with the majority of bus users will see no changes in where they get on or off their usual services.

The plans were put together in response to Liverpool City Council’s £45m City Centre Connectivity Scheme (LCCCS) and changes in road layout including on Lime Street and The Strand.

The roll-out of these changes to bus services was delayed due to Covid-19 but they are now scheduled to come into effect from late January 2021.

The majority of current bus services will remain unchanged with more still being retained during morning peak travel times thanks to revisions driven by customer feedback from bus users received during an opportunity to comment held last summer. Most people will still see no change to where they get on and off the bus in Liverpool city centre.

A small number of services will be withdrawn as changes in road layout which come as part of the LCCC scheme mean it will not possible for those services to follow their previous routes.

Boarding and alighting points for most services will generally be focussed in or around Queen Square and Liverpool ONE bus stations, with a frequent cross-city provision running between both bus stations for those who need it.

The city council’s £45m City Centre Connectivity Scheme (LCCCS) has been designed to make the city cleaner and more environmentally friendly, changing how traffic from cars, buses and bikes to pedestrians all move through the city, reducing congestion and improving air quality.

The scheme involves the radical redesign of major highways such as Lime Street and The Strand, new dedicated cycle lanes, more than 200 new trees, a new water feature by St George’s Hall, as a well as a new Bus Hub to accommodate a change in services.

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Key changes to routes

 – Hanover Street Services: 82 services will continue to operate as they currently do in the short term. With the introduction of successful bus priority measures – 82 services will serve Hanover Street, with all journeys operating in both directions. It is anticipated this will coincide with rerouting change in January 2021.

 – Commercial District Services: The majority of services currently operating to Dale Street, Mann Island and James Street will start and finish at Queen Square Bus Station or Sir Thomas Street – however a number of services will continue to travel through in the morning peak period.

 – Brownlow Hill Services: Due to the closure of Lime Street, services will not be able to travel across to Queen Square. Instead journeys will split at Paddington, with the 61 and 79C operating via London Road to Queen Square and all 79 journeys via Brownlow Hill and Hanover Street to Liverpool ONE.

 – 80 & 80A rerouted, but will be reviewed: The 80 and 80A services will operate via Berry Street and Duke Street to Liverpool ONE Bus Station. Routes will be reviewed in Spring 2021 following the introduction of successful bus priority measures on Hanover Street

 – Services 82D & 86D withdrawn: Due to changes to roadways as part of the connectivity scheme, it will no longer be possible for any bus services to travel  to Queen Square from Lime Street South which means that this onward journey to the business district is not possible

 – Cross-City provision: Service 10A will continue to operate as normal through the day, offering a link between Queen Square and Liverpool ONE Bus Stations.

Cllr Liam Robinson, Transport Portfolio Holder for the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority said:

“We’re pleased that following the feedback received from passengers last year, we’ve been able to make some further changes to bus rerouting in Liverpool city centre.

The majority of bus users will be able to continue to use services as they have in the past and will not see any change which is great news for them. However due to changes being made to road layout, some people will not be able to get on and off the bus as they do right now.

I’d like to thank again all those passengers who helped shape these final plans, which still support Liverpool City Council’s City Centre Connectivity Scheme and we share the vision for a transformed, cleaner, greener city centre and city region.”

Cllr Sharon Connor, Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways, said:

“The road layout of Liverpool city centre has hardly changed in half a century – yet how we use it as a place to live, work, shop and enjoy has transformed beyond all recognition in the past two decades.

“The connectivity scheme addresses that amazing transformation and aims to put people at the heart of the experience of visiting and exploring our beautiful city. We want and need it to be a cleaner, greener and healthier city centre and walking and cycling are very much key to achieving this. Equally we need to rebalance how people arrive by bus and car and improvements to Lime Street, The Strand and Hanover Street will help us achieve that.

“We thank Merseytravel and the Liverpool Bus Alliance for their co-operation in working with us to make the journey into the city centre a more pleasurable and practical experience for their passengers.”