Key express bus route to Liverpool city centre returns

An express bus service into Liverpool city centre will return to operation next month, more than two years after it was scrapped. Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram has announced that the X4 service between Runcorn and Liverpool ONE bus station will begin operating on December 16.

Express bus services between Runcorn and Liverpool ended in April 2022 when the commercially-operated X1 service was withdrawn. Now, the X4 will run hourly with stops in Widnes, Speke and Aigburth en route between Halton and central Liverpool.

The X4 will provide a faster journey between Halton and Liverpool city centre. The journey from Runcorn to Liverpool ONE will take around 50 minutes, which the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority says is almost half the journey time of some existing services.

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Tickets will cost £2, in line with the capped adult single fare which will remain in the City Region until September 2025. The service will initially operate on a trial basis.

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region said: “This is more great news for Halton on top of the tens of millions of pounds we have been able to invest to bring about jobs and prosperity for the area. I know people have been calling for the return of an express bus between Runcorn and Liverpool to make travelling quicker, so I’m delighted that we’ve 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’s why last year I took the decision to bring buses back into public control for the first time 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. This is another positive step on the journey to putting the public back into public transport.”

Cllr Mike Wharton, leader of Halton Borough Council and Deputy Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, added: “Since the withdrawal of the express service between Runcorn and Liverpool in 2022, our residents have continually requested that the service be reinstated to reduce travel time. Halton has worked closely with the Combined Authority and so it is really good news that an express service is to be reinstated and will also include an additional stop at Widnes Green Oaks.”

In his most recent manifesto, Mayor Rotheram pledged to introduce express bus services on key routes, as part of a desire to improve the region’s transport network. Last year saw the Metro Mayor take the decision to bring bus services back into local public control through franchising, a move backed by 70% of people in the region.

The new X4 service will be delivered entirely with funding from the Combined Authority BSIP (Bus Services Improvement Plan) settlement from the government.