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Scrapped bus service reinstated with public funds

Liverpool City Region Turquoise and navy double decker bus on road near bus station Liverpool City Region
An X4 service between Runcorn and Liverpool ONE bus station will resume operating on 16 December

An express Merseyside bus service has been reinstated thanks to an injection of public funds two years after it was scrapped.

The X4 service between Runcorn and Liverpool ONE bus station in the city centre will resume operating on 16 December.

Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram said that the service had closed because it was "not commercially viable".

However, he said he hoped using a short-term subsidy to revive it could attract new passengers and entice private bus companies to take on the route in future.

The X4 will take about 50 minutes to get from Runcorn to Liverpool, around half the time of existing services.

The previous incarnation of the route ended in April 2022 when the commercially operated X1 service was withdrawn.

Steve Rotheram, with grey hair and wearing a navy blue blazer, smiles at the camera in front of a yellow bus holding a sign saying 'We're taking back control'.
Steve Rotheram says he hoped the service would attract enough passengers to become commercially viable again

Mr Rotheram told BBC Radio Merseyside: "Halton is a very important part of the city region and people there were missing out on opportunities because they were not getting from Halton to Liverpool in a reasonable time and vice versa.

"So I had a lot of lobbying from the two local MPs there and they were very keen on a reinstatement of the old service or an improvement to that, and I think that's what we've brought forward.

"It's a quicker service and I think that might be more attractive to people."

The price for the service will be capped at £2 in line with the freeze on an adult single fare across the city region in place until September 2025.

The X4 will involve vehicles from the combined authority's new fleet, which are zero emission and have free wi-fi and charging points.

It is set to run hourly with stops in Widnes, Speke and Aigburth on the way into the city centre.

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