In this next instalment of my Split Routes series, I’m back on the buses once again, starting our trip in New Brighton onboard the 432 towards Liverpool City Centre. The 432 travels from New Brighton up Rowson Street onto Seabank Road, then turns into Magazine Lane and heads towards Liscard via Seaview Road. From Seaview Road, it enters Liscard, where it meets the 433. After that, each bus diverges onto its respective route: one via Liscard Road and the other via Torrington Road and Gorsey Lane.

The maps above illustrate the routes taken by each bus. The 432 follows a slightly more direct path, while the 433 takes a longer route via Liscard Road and Poulton. Previously, the 433 concluded its service around 6:30 pm, requiring passengers travelling through Liscard and Wallasey to either take the 432 in the evenings or hire a taxi from Liverpool, and vice versa. However, in recent years, the 433 has been extended to operate alongside the 432, creating an excellent Spit Route series.

I boarded the 432 from New Brighton, just outside Morrisons Superstore at the Kings Parade stop. I’ve previously written a blog post about this little hub, so I hope you’ve had a chance to read it. We left New Brighton fairly on time, but sometimes these buses don’t run punctually, which can be quite frustrating if you have a tight connection in Liverpool. I took the 432 all the way to Liscard town centre, travelling up Rowson St, Seabank Road, Magazine Lane, Mount Pleasant Road, and Seaview Road, before arriving in Liscard, where I disembarked to join the 433.

While in Liscard, I decided to take a short break and grab a bite to eat at the recently opened Greggs, which I’m quite pleased about. After returning from Greggs, I boarded the next bus, the 433, which took me all the way to Liverpool. From Poulton, we rejoined the main section into the Wallasey Tunnel, where both the 432 and 433 meet before terminating near the M&S in Liverpool City Centre, just around the corner from Cook Street.

Upon arriving in Liverpool, we head along Scotland Road towards Whitechapel, then make our way through the city centre on Tibarn Street towards the finishing point just outside the M&S Store. Here, I leave the 433 to head to Cook Street and catch the 432 back to New Brighton, passing through Gorsey Lane and Torrington Lane before arriving back in Liscard.

We’re now on Cook Street waiting for my final bus to take me back to New Brighton. The 432 and 433 are quite interesting routes. I’ve lived on them for most of my life since I was old enough to travel to Liverpool alone and also for college and various other events like meeting friends or simply using the buses. It’s great to be back with this Split Routes series. I’ll focus on the 407 and 437 in my next post as they’re due for changes in October.

Leaving Cook Street, we head back through the city centre towards Sir Thomas Street, another interesting bus interchange. From here, you can catch all services around Liverpool and also onto the Wirral, towards places like Birkenhead, Heswall, West Kirby, and Moreton. If you haven’t read my previous post about riding the 471 and 472 from Liverpool to Heswall, you can do so here. Returning to the 432, we now head back towards the Wallasey Tunnel before making our way through to Liscard, leaving the 433 behind.

I will be quite sad in the next few weeks as I am moving from Wallasey to another location on the Wirral, meaning the 432/433 Route will no longer be my primary route into Liverpool. I will also be using the Birkenhead Tunnel more often from May, which I am very much looking forward to. In my opinion, the 432 takes a more direct route from New Brighton to the City Centre and genuinely feels a lot quicker than taking the 433, for example.

I then rejoin the 433 heading back to New Brighton down Rake Lane, getting off at my final stop, Rowson Street. The bus will continue towards New Brighton (Kings Parade/Morisons), where it finishes its journey. This has been an interesting adventure, checking out the 432 and 433 in their entirety. Hopefully, my next bus adventure will be the 437 and the 407, both of which arrive in West Kirby and start at Liverpool Cook Street. The 437 operates through Greasby, whereas the 407 runs through Moreton and Hoylake.

Thank you so much for reading. I’m very excited to get this blog back up and running for you all to enjoy. Over the next few weeks, blog posts will be published on Wednesdays at 11 am. This schedule helps with my mental health, and I’ve been quite busy with a new relationship, getting to know my partner and everything. Once things settle down, I should be back out on the trains and buses for my adventures. If you’d like more bus adventure stories or journeys, please let me know.