Sunday 6th September 2026 marked a significant day for public transport in St Helens, as bus services across the borough were officially brought back under public control as part of the Liverpool City Region’s wider franchising programme. Although services will continue to be operated by familiar companies such as Stagecoach, the network itself is now under the control of the Combined Authority. One of the biggest changes saw Stagecoach take over the Jackson Street depot in St Helens, which had previously been owned and operated by Arriva Merseyside, signalling the beginning of a completely new chapter for bus travel in the area.

It was interesting to see such an important moment taking place, with Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram also present to mark the occasion. He was on board the very first service to operate from Jackson Street depot under the new arrangements, the X3 service heading towards Liverpool John Lennon Airport. For me, this feels like another important step forward for public transport across the Liverpool City Region, and it will certainly be interesting to see how the newly franchised network develops over the coming years as more areas begin to come under public control.

The following day, on Monday 7th September, I decided to make my own trip over to St Helens to see the changes for myself and, of course, check out some of the new buses now entering service! This is just the beginning of a much larger investment in public transport across the Liverpool City Region, with over 500 new buses on order for the wider network, primarily being built by ADL and Wrightbus at a cost of around £150 million. Alongside the £500 million investment in the new Class 777 trains on the Merseyrail network, Steve Rotheram’s ambition is to rebuild the region’s public transport network from the ground up and create a properly integrated system, similar to those found in London and, more recently, Greater Manchester with the Bee Network. To help passengers adjust to the changes, Merseytravel staff were also out and about across St Helens, helping people find their new services and navigate the new network. It was certainly interesting to visit just a day after the launch and see for myself the beginning of what could become a completely transformed public transport network for the Liverpool City Region.

So, with the new system now officially underway, let’s take a look at some of the services now operating under the Metro brand across St Helens. A number of routes have been renumbered and slightly altered as part of the wider network changes, with the aim of providing better connections to important locations across the borough, including hospitals, railway stations such as Lea Green, St Helens Central and Earlestown, along with other key destinations. The overall ambition behind the new Metro system is to create a more connected and integrated public transport network, making it easier for passengers to travel between buses and trains while improving access to important local facilities, including hospitals, communities and even local cemeteries. These changes should hopefully make getting around the area much easier for passengers who rely on public transport every day.

St Helens is only the beginning of these major changes, with the Wirral set to follow on 25th October with another significant transformation to the local bus network. This will also see a new fleet of buses introduced and mark the end of Arriva and Stagecoach operating services across the Wirral in the way that we have known for many years. It is certainly going to be interesting to see how the changes develop as the Metro network continues to expand across the Liverpool City Region, and I am personally looking forward to seeing what the future holds for public transport on the Wirral and beyond.

Let’s now take a look at some of the buses being introduced and the wider connections they will help provide as part of this new integrated approach to public transport. St Helens sits in an important position between Merseyside and Greater Manchester, with services from both areas meeting within the town and providing passengers with opportunities to travel further afield. These connections open up links to destinations such as Wigan, Leigh and other surrounding areas, helping to make St Helens an increasingly important transport hub. By improving connections between different bus networks, alongside nearby railway stations, the aim is to make travelling across local authority boundaries much simpler and reduce the need for passengers to rely on the car for every journey.

The main services connecting St Helens with Liverpool will be the popular 10 and 10A routes, operated using new Wrightbus vehicles as part of the Liverpool City Region’s expanding Metro fleet. While the buses themselves are being provided through the new publicly controlled network, Stagecoach will continue to play an important role by supplying the drivers, maintaining the vehicles and operating the day-to-day running of the services. This means that although the network is now under public control, experienced operators will still be responsible for delivering the services on behalf of the Liverpool City Region.

A very similar system will also be introduced on the Wirral in late October, with Go North West set to take over operations from the Laird Street depot and provide services previously associated with both Stagecoach and Arriva. This will bring another major change to the local bus network and further expand the Metro system across the region. It really does feel like the beginning of a completely new era for bus travel across Merseyside, and it will be interesting to see how passengers adapt as the familiar networks we have known for many years begin to transform into a much more integrated public transport system.

As you can see from the photo above, yellow is quickly becoming the defining colour of the new Metro network, making it look very similar in appearance to Greater Manchester’s Bee Network. Speaking of the Bee Network, there are already some interesting connections between the two areas, with the Bee Network’s 621 service terminating here in St Helens, while the Metro 320 service continues beyond the Liverpool City Region boundary and terminates at Wigan Bus Station. This means that both networks are already providing services outside of their main operating areas, helping to create some useful cross-boundary connections for passengers. I am personally planning to travel on the full 320 service in the near future and provide a detailed review of the route itself, taking a closer look at the journey, the connections it provides and what the experience is like under the new system. If you have already visited St Helens and had the chance to try out some of the new buses, I would love to hear your feedback and know what you think of the changes so far. Is the new system a positive step forward for public transport in the Liverpool City Region? Let me know your thoughts!

I have yet to try out one of the new Wrightbus Ultraliner buses for myself, although I have previously travelled on the Electroliners currently operated by Stagecoach. The two vehicles are very similar in appearance and design, although the Ultraliner is slightly longer and offers additional passenger capacity, while the shorter Electroliner has fewer seats available downstairs. From my experience with the Electroliners so far, I have rather enjoyed travelling on them and think they are a welcome addition to the local bus network. I am therefore very much looking forward to finally trying an Ultraliner, particularly when the new fleet begins to arrive on the Wirral in late October alongside a batch of ADL Enviro200 MMCs.

As I mentioned earlier, Steve Rotheram and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority have placed an order for more than 500 new buses, representing an investment of around £150 million into the region’s bus network. This major investment will see a completely new fleet gradually introduced to replace many of the ageing vehicles currently operated by companies such as Stagecoach and Arriva North West. It is a significant moment for public transport across the Liverpool City Region and, alongside the introduction of the new Class 777 trains, feels like part of a much wider effort to modernise the network and make travelling by public transport a more attractive and reliable option for everyone.

With that said, these are my first impressions of the new fleet, the updated services and the new Metro system in general, and overall I have to say that I am very impressed with what I have seen so far! There is certainly a lot to like about the direction the network is heading, and I am very much looking forward to heading back over to St Helens to actually take a ride on some of the new services, experience the new interiors for myself and have a proper look at the onboard facilities. The new buses come equipped with modern features including USB-C and USB-A charging ports, along with onboard next-stop information displays, something which passengers may already be familiar with from networks in Manchester and London. These might seem like small additions, but they can make a big difference to the overall passenger experience and help bring the Liverpool City Region’s bus network up to a much more modern standard. I am looking forward to seeing how everything develops as more of the new fleet enters service and the Metro network continues to expand across the region.