New fleet of Arriva buses arrive on Merseyside

Bus passengers in Merseyside are about to benefit from more than 50 new buses on the roads.

Leading bus operator Arriva has invested in new vehicles, which will bring a range of benefits to customers.

The new fleet of 56 single-deck low-emission micro-hybrid buses are about to be rolled out across the region.

Arriva has invested £14 million in the vehicles, which will boost the bus network and operate across the entire Liverpool City Region Combined Authority area.

The new vehicles will be deployed in the iconic new livery that is being introduced by the Liverpool City Region as part of its ambition to create a London-style integrated transport system that is easy to use and recognise for all passengers.

Area director for Arriva Merseyside Richard Hoare said:

“I am thrilled to announce this transformation to our fleet in Merseyside, which will enable us to carry on our work in boosting the sustainable and efficient transport system across the region.

“We take our responsibility of improving our bus network seriously. Having a comfortable, viable, attractive alternative to travelling by car is key in reducing congestion on our roads and carbon emissions.

“The most important consideration is our customers – they deserve to rely on our buses to get them to the people and places that matter to them and that’s why having newer, better buses is really beneficial for them.”

Cllr Steve Foulkes, chair of the transport committee at Liverpool City Region Combined Authority said:

“It’s great to see these brand-new vehicles which will soon be operating on routes across our city region, including on the new X4 express bus service linking Runcorn and Widnes with Liverpool city centre.

“The new buses’ design and colour scheme, as well as their Metro branding, mirror the livery that will feature on the more than 100 new electric buses being purchased by the Combined Authority as well as the design of the city region’s £500m fleet of new publicly owned trains.

“The plan is for this new yellow, black and grey livery to be introduced across the network over the coming years, as plans to deliver an integrated London-style transport system for the city region move forward.”