An express bus service will return to the Liverpool City Region on 16 December when Arriva Merseyside begins new route X4 between Runcorn and Liverpool city centre on a trial basis.
Those locations were linked by limited-stop service X1 until 2022. It was operated by Arriva and latterly by now-defunct independent MP Travel. The X4 will be provided with funding from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) Bus Service Improvement Plan settlement.
LCRCA says that the X4 will have an average end-to-end journey time of 50 minutes, almost half the journey time for some existing services.
The Combined Authority adds that Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram has been working with Halton Council since 2022 “to ensure the return of a rapid bus link for the area.”
Development of the conurbation’s bus network has been cited as a priority of Mr Rotheram, who in 2023 decided to proceed with franchising of the region’s network. The X4 will be part of the £2 single fare cap that in the Liverpool City Region will continue until September 2025.
Speaking about the X4, Mr Rotheram says: “I know people have been calling for the return of an express bus between Runcorn and Liverpool to make travelling quicker, so I am delighted that we have been able to step in and find a solution.
“For too long, people have had to contend with a bus service run in the interests of shareholders rather than passengers. That is why last year I took the decision to bring buses back into public control in almost 40 years.
“A franchised system will give us the power to set routes, fares and timetables. The X4 service will be fast and affordable, an example of the kind of new express bus connections I want to see linking communities across our city region.”
