“Horror stories” of bus services in one part of Merseyside include mums waiting at bus stops for two hours and children who can’t get to school
Bus stop on Stockbridge Lane(Image: LDRS)
People in one part of Merseyside said they’re effectively cut-off from Liverpool after four o’clock in the afternoon, citing a lack of bus services and poor reliability.
Earlier this month, the Liverpool ECHO reported on criticism of bus services in Stockbridge Village, after Knowsley MP Anneliese Midgley shared a series of “horror stories” about public transport in the borough. These included reports of mums waiting at bus stops for two hours, children who couldn’t get to school, and people completely cut off from other parts of the region.
More than 10,000 residents in Knowsley use the bus network every day, and figures show 36% of households have no car, and rely on buses for getting around the region. As a result, Ms Midgley has helped to launch the Big Bus Survey, which is asking people for ideas on how to shape future transport services in their neighbourhoods.
Knowsley’s MP said: “Every day, people rely on buses to get to work, go to school, see their mates, go to the match, do the shopping, or get to their family who need care.
Stockbridge Village(Image: LDRS)
“I’ve heard plenty of horror stories from my constituents, from mums with young kids isolated from their families who can’t get a bus for two hours on a Sunday, Kirkby kids who can’t get to school, people from Stockbridge Village who’ve had the entire world stopped when the bus has been cancelled for days with no warning.”
To find out more, the ECHO took to the buses and headed to Stockbridge Village, and asked people what they thought about transport in their area. We meet Mary, June and their friend as they’re happily chatting away to one another, waiting for a bus to take them home.
We ask for their thoughts on the local bus services, Mary said: “They’re not very good. When you’re in town or other places you see all these services and we’ve only got the three.
“In the winter is the worst because of the cold and you could be stood there waiting for over an hour. Then you have to spend money on taxis which is expensive.”
June Rowan, 80, agrees: “I’ve lived here fifty-odd years since the area was built. We’re all from different places like Walton Lane, Anfield and Scotland Road but moved over here around the same time.
“The bus stop where I am is constantly vandalised, and there’s no shelter to sit down or protect you from the rain or the wind. When they do put shelters up they just get wrecked, so I hope these new plans can help with that and maybe get some wardens around here.”
Rose (left), June Rowan (right) with friend (middle) at bus stop in Stockbridge Village(Image: Copyright Unknown)
Almost to illustrate June’s point, every bus stop we visited in the Stockbridge Village area had the following notice pinned to the notice board: “Bus Disruptions: From Tuesday, September 16 2025 until further notice Route 12 will not call at this stop from Tuesday, September 16 2025 until further notice, from 1800 each night, due to antisocial behaviour.”
Many people we spoke to said this exacerbates another existing problem, namely the availability of bus services during the evening. This was a sentiment shared by David Gerrard, 59, who said: “After four o’clock, basically you’re just cut off from the rest of the city.
“If you’re going out for a pint after 6pm its hard because the buses won’t even come onto the ‘farm’.
“What I have heard is they’re planning on bringing the buses back into public ownership, just like Manchester, and I’ve heard from a few people I know there, that it works fantastically. So hopefully, we can get a few more services and better reliability.”
Reliability is a theme which comes up time and again, and is something which Thelma Evans would like to see. Thelma, 74, has some mobility issues and uses a walking stick, so relies on public transport for her independence.
We get talking to Thelma as she gets off the bus, on her way back from the shops in Stockbridge Village, she said: “The bus routes are fine, it’s just when they turn up, that’s the problem, because you’re forever waiting for them, and they’ve got worse over the years.
David Gerrard at bus stop in Stockbridge Village(Image: LDRS)
“They’ve got a timetable but they never stick to it. You look at it and think ‘oh, a bus will be here in a minute’, and then it doesn’t show up, so you have to give yourself plenty of time.
“For example, I was due at the doctors for 11.50am, and I left here at 11.15am, for a two minute journey, because you can’t be sure of the buses.”
The people behind the launch of the Big Bus Survey say they are eager to hear the views of people like Rose, June, David and Thelma, and hope all residents feedback on what works well with the bus services, and what needs to be improved.
More pertinently, the project hopes to map out where people need to go, the places they currently can’t get to, which buses are reliable, and which never show up on time.
Speaking ahead of the survey’s launch, Mayor Steve Rotheram said this was an opportunity for people to help create a transport network fit for the future, adding: “Buses are the backbone of our public transport system, with around 82% of all journeys in the Liverpool City Region made by bus every single day.
Bus stop on Waterpark Drive(Image: LDRS)
“Yet for far too long, passengers have been forced to contend with services that are too confusing, too expensive, and too disconnected.
“From next year, that changes. We’ll start the process of bringing our buses back where they belong: under public control. It will give us greater control over fares, routes and timetables, so we can ensure that passengers always come before profit.”
The Big Bus Survey is now live and can be completed online or in hard copy, with local community centres, shops, doctors’ surgeries and libraries being asked to support and promote the campaign and hold copies of the survey form for residents to complete.