ARRIVA and Stagecoach have confirmed a series of changes to bus services on Wirral and across Merseyside.

The private operators have finalised number of changes to routes across that will begin on Sunday, September 4.

Several services considered to be ‘vital routes’ have been protected from the proposals after Mayor Steve Rotheram and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority stepped in to provide funding support to save them.

These include the 492 and 495 to Birkenhead, 37 from St Helens to Eccleston and the 76 and 78 from Halewood to Liverpool city centre.

Currently, the majority of bus services in Liverpool City Region are operated on a commercial basis by private operators – predominantly Arriva and Stagecoach. Under this deregulated bus system, these private companies have control over aspects such as routes, timetables and fares.

Earlier this year Liverpool City Region leaders took an important step towards reversing this power imbalance after local leaders voted to confirm franchising as their preferred model for the future running the network – a landmark move that would reverse the industry’s deregulation in the mid-1980s.

This would give the Combined Authority the ability to set routes, timetables and fares.

Proposals for the changes were published in late June, followed by a public consultation to give people the chance to provide their feedback.

A full list of the final changes and more information on why the review has taken place can be found at http://lcrbusreview.commonplace.is. If a service is not listed on this site, then no changes have been made.

A summary of some of the key changes to services on Wirral from September 4 is below:

  • 16/17: Eastham Rake to Moreton Cross; operated on behalf of Merseytravel by Stagecoach: The route has been amended to serve the bus interchange in Arrowe Park Hospital grounds.
  • 38: West Kirby to New Ferry/Eastham, operated by Stagecoach: Monday-Saturday daytime frequency returns to every 30 minutes between West Kirby and New Ferry and continues to extend every 60 minutes to Eastham.
  • 41/42: Mill Park – Woodchurch/Arrowe Park Hospital, operated by Stagecoach: Routes will be extended from Woodchurch to Arrowe Park Hospital. Services will no longer operate around Woodchurch in a loop but instead operate in both directions from Monday to Sunday.
  • 73: West Kirby – Poulton Lancelyn, operated on behalf of Merseytravel by A2B Travel. The operator will change from Eazibus to A2B Travel.
  • 80/81/82
  • 80: West Kirby/Newton Circular, 81: West Kirby – Arrowe Park Hospital and 82: West Kirby to. Caldy Circular. The 81 will be re-routed via Greenbank Road and timetable changed. The operator will change from Stagecoach to A2B Travel.
  • 91/91A: Birkenhead to Holmlands Estate. The operator will change from Stagecoach to A2B Travel
  • 106/107: Liscard Circular via New Brighton and Wallasey Village. The route has been amended to include Mount Road.
  • 129: Liscard – Frankby Cemetery. The operator will change from Stagecoach to A2B Travel.
  • 216/217: Woodside to Woodside via Arrowe Park Hospital. Frequencies will be reduced from every 30 minutes to every 60 minutes from September 4.
  • 409: Birkenhead – Wallasey Village. Service operated by Arriva. Minor timetable change
  • 411: New Brighton – Woodside. Service operated by Arriva. Extra round trip introduced
  • 410: New Brighton – Clatterbridge Hospital. Evening frequency reduced from every 30 minutes to every 60 minutes from approx 10pm: Monday – Friday. Evening frequency will be reduced from every 30 minutes to every 60 minutes from approx 9pm weekends.
  • 418: New Ferry – Birkenhead. Frequency reduced from every 40 minutes to every 60 minutes.
  • 432/433: New Brighton – Liverpool. The evening frequency of 432 will be reduced to every 40 minutes from approx 6:30pm, with 433 journeys introduced every 40 minutes. Both services to operate every 60 minutes from approx. 10pm.
  • 437: West Kirby – Liverpool. The evening frequency will be reduced from every 20 minutes to every 30 minutes from approximately 10pm.
  • 471/472: Liverpool - Heswall. The Stagecoach-operated 471 on Monday-Saturday, daytime frequency returns to every 20 minutes. The 471/472 will return to being operated equally by both Arriva and Stagecoach on a combined 10-minute frequency on the common sections.
  • 492/495: Birkenhead – Noctorum Circulars. Monday-Saturday daytime frequency remains every 30 minutes with Merseytravel Support.
  • 811: Leasowe/Moreton – Broughton. The bus operator will change from A2B Travel to Selwyns