A new report is calling for Liverpool's night bus service to be better promoted and expanded, highlighting its economic and social value. The service has been described as "Liverpool's best kept secret" by a night time economy adviser.
Report highlights poor awareness
The report, titled "Bringing Back Liverpool's Night Bus", was published by the University of Liverpool's Institute of Popular Music and supported by campaigners who helped reinstate the N1 in 2023. It calls for the night time bus service to be better promoted and expanded, highlighting its economic and social value.
However, stakeholders have pointed out some challenges, particularly findings which show that passenger numbers remain below commercial break-even level. A University of Liverpool Guild of Students survey found that only 59% of students questioned knew the N1 night bus existed, while just 18% had used it. Almost half of those who knew about the service had heard about it through word of mouth.
Campaigners call for expansion
The service is described in the report as having poor awareness, and limited routes were identified as one of the main barriers to greater use. Former Liverpool Guild of Students vice president, Kathryn Manley, told the authors of the report: "I think people just don't know about it as much." She added: "The city authorities and the bus companies have to promote it more."
John Hughes, a night time economy adviser who sits on the Destination Partnership Board launched under Liverpool City Region mayor Steve Rotheram, has referred to the night bus as "Liverpool's best kept secret" and wants the service extended. He said: "The jewel in the crown for me now would be to improve the transport infrastructure, because with the parking charges that have come in, it hasn't helped us with the staff."
He added: "They're telling us they can get to work, but they can't get home, and they're having to use at least half their wages to get home of a night. So it was great when they successfully introduced the night bus, and it would be great to build on that, increase services and expand routes to more places in the region."
Public control of buses
In reference to the devolution of bus services in the region, a spokesperson for Liverpool City Region Combined Authority said: "We are pleased to see this report highlight the positive impact of the N1 on the region's vital night-time and cultural economy."
The spokesperson added: "Working with operator Stagecoach and alongside campaigners, students, late-night workers and hospitality industry partners, Mayor Rotheram and the combined authority have brought back late-night services between Liverpool and the Wirral to make travelling home safer, cheaper and easier after last orders or final curtain. In the coming weeks the combined authority will begin the process of bringing our bus network back under public control, giving us the power to decide when, where and how late bus services run to meet the needs of our region's 1.6 million residents."
Advocates are now calling for the rollout of high-visibility promotion, the increase of running frequencies from hourly to half-hourly, and an extension of routes into underserved areas including north Liverpool and broader regional districts.
Shaun Holland from the Liverpool BID Company said: "I think it's absolutely vital. It's a very important piece of the jigsaw puzzle in terms of being able to get people safely out of the city at the time of their choosing after the trains have stopped." He added: "There's capacity for about 70,000 people to enjoy the night-time economy in Liverpool, and from our footfall cameras, we know there's approximately 20,000 people still in the city centre around at 3 to 4 o'clock in the morning. Put simply, the research shows that if night bus services are expanded, and people are made aware of those services, people will use them and that's a situation which benefits everyone."
