Reprieve for city ‘X1’ bus service

THE X1 express Runcorn to Liverpool bus has been saved following an outcry. Last month its future was thrown into doubt after Arriva opened a consultation citing an intention to withdraw the route due to it not being commercially viable.

Merseytravel has now revealed that Arriva has decided to retain the X1, but with a revised timetable from January 19.

A statement on Merseytravel’s website said the service will generally run every 40 minutes.

This is a slight reduction from the every half hour schedule the X1 runs on at present.

However, Arriva has said the number of departures from Runcorn and Liverpool during rush hour will not change.

The consultation revealed that: the X1’s speed and directness makes it more attractive than the alternatives; there is a core of customers who use the service to commute; diverting the bus to other areas could improve its performance; and the bus is often busy.

Arriva said it will not divert the bus to avoid impacting on journey times, and it responded that although the service is popular, it does not generate much revenue because ‘fares are low’.

‘Fare structures’ are due to be reviewed in January, meaning they could go up.

Arriva North West’s most recent accounts filed with Companies House revealed the firm was running at a loss of £2.89m in 2018.

Among those welcoming the U-turn was Mike Amesbury, Labour candidate for Weaver Vale, who had panned the proposals and launched a petition opposing the loss of the service.

Following the announcement that the route had been saved, Mr Amesbury said: “This is a victory for common sense and the thanks go to the local community in Runcorn who have driven the campaign to save this vital X1 bus service.

“This should never have been threatened with the axe in the first place and demonstrates that the current system of bus provision is not fit for purpose.

“A big thank you to over 1,000 residents that signed my petition.”

In a statement Merseytravel said: “Arriva initiated the consultation due to their intention to withdraw the service due to it not being com

.“mercially viable.

“The consultation held in November has given Arriva time to examine the responses and following on from the feedback they will retain the service and operate it on a new timetable as of January 19, 2020.

“The timetable will generally be every 40 minutes Monday-Saturday.

“Arriva would like to thank all participants of the consultation.”