OUT OF GAS

The curious case of the vanishing £10m bus fleet

- By LIAM THORP ECHO Political Editor

THE date was May 15, 2023 and in the corridors of power at the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, there was excitement in the air.

This was the day that a brand new fleet of buses, recently purchased by the CA, were to make their first journey, with a delighted Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram on board.

The 20 hydrogen buses, complete with striking yellow livery and Metro branding, had been purchased the year before for a total of £10m, with the cash for the purchase coming from the government's Transforming Cities Fund.

‘And it was all smiles as the mayor joined passengers on the very first journey for the very first bus.

Travelling on the busy 10a route between St Helens and Liverpool, the mayor said the milestone was “momentous” and would usher in a “gold standard” of public transport for our region.

But the optimism of the launch day was soon replaced by problems and questions, with the entire bus fleet soon essentially off the road.

While the bright yellow vehicles could often be seen parked up outside conferences or events around the region, they were very rarely found transporting ordinary people - and haven't been for some time.

So why have these once-heralded new buses been stored away in depots for so long?