Liverpool and Wirral night buses return as part of festival trial

Merseyside night buses have returned for the festive period, having resumed service on December 8 following its cancellation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The service, which will be operated by Stagecoach, will run between Birknhead and Allerton, going through the Liverpool city centre, Mossley Hill, Toxteth and Wavertree every hour between midnight and 05:00 GMT. Tickets will cost £2.

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Natasha Evans told Resident Advisor that “the return of the night bus is completely revolutionary for Merseyside.”

“With multiple independent organisations who supported night culture in the area having closed recently, it’s a finally a piece of long-awaited good news and a glimmer of hope.”

“As someone who grew up in the Wirral, nightlife in Liverpool was inaccessible with the extortionate costs of taxi fares being a huge barrier. It’s pretty absurd and archaic the amount of division between these two areas face despite there being just a five-minute drive under the Mersey between them,” said the Queensway Collective founder.

The Queensway Collective started with in 2022 with the aim to platform underrepresented groups within electronic music, collaborating with forward-thinking establishments and venue within the region.

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Steve Rotherm, Liverpool’s Metro mayor, told BBC North West that the return of the late bus services between Liverpool and the Wirral was the result of close work with local campaigners, students, late night workers and the hospitality industry.

“We’re about to enter the busiest time of the year for our visitor economy and, while we want everyone to have a greeat time celebrating in our region, we also want them to get home safely,” said Rotheram.

The Metro mayor celebrated this “massive result for local people, many who have been campaigning for this moment for three years,” stating that the nightbuses will “make it safer, cheaper and easier for people to travel home without having to cut the party short.”

Tibor Heskett is Mixmag’s Digital Intern, follow him on Twitter