Warrington-based Howards Travel’s open-top Leyland Titan became the first bus to cross the new Mersey Gateway toll bridge in mid-October when it was used as the transport for guests on a tour of the bridge, which crosses the river and links Runcorn and Widnes.
The £600m, 1.4-mile Mersey Gateway partially replaces the existing bridge, although local operators have criticised the fact that they will now need to pay a toll to cross between the two towns; previously, crossing the Runcorn Widnes bridge was free.