Go North West has been selected by Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) to operate bus services across the Wirral, as part of the first wave of contracts awarded under the city region’s bus franchising programme.
The contract will see Go North West take responsibility for services in the Wirral from 26 October 2026, following a highly competitive procurement process involving multiple international and national operators.
Under the contract, Go North West will operate over 40 routes, using a fleet of 117 buses, with 500 colleagues transferring across from existing operators. The services will form a core part of the future integrated bus network for the Wirral, designed to deliver reliable, simple and high-quality bus travel for local communities.
Liverpool City Region Combined Authority is due to award a further five bus franchising contracts during 2026, with the full network expected to be operational by summer 2026.
Nigel Featham, Managing Director of Go North West, said: “We’re hugely proud to have been selected to operate bus services in the Wirral. This is a significant vote of confidence in our people, our approach and our track record in delivering high-quality contracted bus services.
“Having been the first operator to mobilise large-scale bus franchising contracts in Greater Manchester, we’re excited to bring that experience to the Liverpool City Region. We have an exceptional team at Go North West and we’re looking forward to working closely with LCRCA to deliver reliable, best-in-class bus services from day one.”
Go North West is part of the Go-Ahead Group, one of the UK’s leading public transport providers, delivering more than a billion bus and rail passenger journeys each year. The Group has extensive experience of working in partnership with public authorities to operate successful franchised and contracted transport networks across the UK.
