WEEKEND cross-river night buses are to be axed as Arriva claim a lack of passengers means they have become too costly to run.

Notices on Arriva’s fleet of buses state that the N23 Liverpool to Moreton, the N37 Liverpool to West Kirby and the N450 Liverpool to New Brighton services will be withdrawn from Saturday, July 26.

A spokesman for Arriva said: “Unfortunately, the number of customers travelling on the Wirral night bus services has fallen significantly during the past few years.

“The night bus services are costly to operate and the falling passenger numbers has resulted in the decision to withdraw the services.

“We apologise to our customers who are affected by this change.”

The night buses offer those living in Wirral a cheap way to get home after a night out in the city.

At present, the N23 and N37 night buses depart Queen Square Bus Station every 30 minutes from 12.30am to 4am on Sunday mornings.

The N450, meanwhile, runs every 20 minutes on Saturday and Sunday mornings between 12.10am and 5am.

The withdrawal of what some deem vital services leaves Wirral with just the 500 Liverpool to Birkenhead night service.

Run by Ace Travel, the 500 operates seven days a week but only goes as far as Hamilton Square, meaning those living in other parts of the borough will need to find alternative transport.

The 150 service, run by Merseytravel, was brought in to cover days when there was no commercial cross-river night bus service but that too will be withdrawn on August 3 following the introduction of the 500 bus.

A spokesman for Merseytravel told the Globe they are aware of Arriva’s decision to withdraw its weekend night bus services, adding: "We recognise that these services are important to the night time economy and we’re currently in talks to explore the potential for additional services.”

The spokesman added that 13 weeks’ notice must be given before a service is removed which is why there is an overlap between the 500 service starting and the 150 service ending.

  • What do you think of the weekend cross-river night buses being axed? Have your say below or email emma.rigby@nqnw.co.uk