The demise of Runcorn’s only express bus service to Liverpool has been slated by Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram as another example of why the region’s public transport “needs fixing”.
This Saturday, April 2, the X1 will run its final trips to and from the city centre ending decades of its status as a vital and convenient way to access amenities such as work, leisure, education, culture and family visits, including under the route’s former guise as the X5.
Repeated efforts have spared the service the axe in recent years, with Mike Amesbury, Labour MP for Weaver Vale, making a series of interventions to save it. Pressures on the service date back over a decade, and in 2012 Mr Amesbury’s Tory predecessor, Graham Evans, presented a petition to the then-transport minister Norman Baker after the bus stopped running after 8pm or on Sundays from October 2011 onwards.
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MP Travel, the latest company to run and now cancel the service, cited a driver shortage, fuel costs and low passenger numbers when it announced its intention to pull the X1 in early March. The X1 is reported to have suffered vandalism in recent months but that was not one of the reasons stated for ending its operation.
Halton Borough Council and Mr Amesbury have launched separate consultations to gauge passenger habits and X1 use in a bid to find an alternative, but as it stands the X1 will end on Saturday. The move means passengers will face longer journeys on other buses such as the 79c, which can take anywhere from one hour, 27 minutes, to about one hour, 45 minutes, to travel from Halton Lea South in Runcorn to Queen Square Bus Station.
The X1 completes a similar journey, from Halton Hospital to Liverpool One, in about 55 minutes. Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram told the ECHO the demise of the X1 showed “deregulated” buses don’t work everywhere and the system “needs fixing”.
He said private travel operators running public transport can pull services “without proper consultation”. His proposed answer is to bring buses under public control and create a “London-style transport system” under a “franchising” model.
This would involve private companies being contracted to provide bus services, but with routes, timetables and fares controlled by the six councils that form the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. Mr Rotheram told the ECHO: “This is yet another example of how our region’s deregulated bus network just does not work for some places.
“Once again, private operators are able to withdraw routes that do not make them enough money, without proper consultation, while taking the gains from more profitable ones. It is a system that needs fixing and, as mayor, I am working to put it right - despite the complex nature of the legislation.
"I want our region to have a London-style transport system that makes travelling around as quick, cheap, green and reliable as possible. We recently announced our intentions to take greater control of our bus network, choosing franchising as our preferred model of governance.
“This would give us control over routes, timetables and fares. The clue is in the name: public transport should be designed around the needs of the public – not shareholders.
“I understand that consultations with passengers who use the service are ongoing. It is important to understand their needs and wants, and hopefully a solution can be found.”
Gaz McAllister-Partridge, director of MP Travel, said the bus service's "short notice" was done in consultation with the relevant authorities and he supports the idea of public control. He said: "The X1 was given short notice authorisation in consultation with the local authorities (LA), Halton Borough and Merseytravel.
"Under current rulings with service registrations, if I wanted to cancel without short notice I have to provide 56 days' notice however shorter i.e. 28 days, this has to be supported by the LAs. In a personal view I support the idea of services being under public control, however, there’s always many variables.
"We have cut the service as we can not sustain it. If it’s under public control then maybe the LAs would have to find another operator at short notice."
Writing on social media, Mike Amesbury MP said: “Many of you are aware the operator of the X1 Runcorn to Liverpool express bus service has announced it is due to cease from this Saturday. But Halton Borough Council and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority are looking for a new operator to take over the service.
“As part of this search, it is beneficial to understand the needs of customers and how the service can be adapted to make it work for all concerned. That's why I'm launching this survey to help better understand the needs of those who use the service.
“Please help me to help you by filling it in. Thank you.”
A council spokeswoman said: "The decision to withdraw the service was a result of a commercial decision taken by the operator. However, work is ongoing to fully understand the impact of the service withdrawal, allowing us to consider exploring potential alternative options."
Mike Amesbury’s survey can be completed here .
Passengers who use the X1 can email their thoughts to Halton Council at ntt@halton.gov.uk or by calling 0800 1953 173, making sure to state where they get on and get off the service, why they use the bus and how often they use it.
