Merseyside buses 

County advice overview

All buses in Merseyside are accessible and designed for people who are less mobile such as wheelchair users and older people.

This includes the use of low-entrances, wider doors and step-free flat floors, display screens, and priority seating. 

You can find information regarding bus accessibility, routes and timetables on the Merseytravel website.

Key tips

If you have reduced mobility, or a disability, where possible plan your journey in advance so that you know:

• If the destination stop is accessible, and any arrangements you may need to make for onward travel
• Which mobility aids you will be travelling with. (Contact the bus provider if you are unsure whether you can travel with your scooter/wheelchair.)

It may also be worth considering:

• Where the nearest bus stop is and which bus number you will need
• What method of payment is accepted
• If the ticket can be bought online
• Which destination stop you need. (The bus driver should be happy to help.)

For further information, contact your local Hubs Mobility Advice Service.

Operators

Arriva North West

www.arrivabus.co.uk

Stagecoach

www.stagecoachbus.com

Help with cost 

Older Person’s Bus Pass

Merseytravel offers free travel on buses for anyone aged 60 or over who lives in Merseyside. You can apply for a Merseytravel Over 60s travel pass which can also be used on trains and Mersey Ferries river crossings. 

When you reach State Pension Age you will be given your English National Concessionary Travel Pass, often referred to as the Older Person’s Bus Pass. This entitles you to free travel on bus services throughout England from 9.30am to 11.00pm, Monday to Friday, and all day at weekends and on public holidays.

Disabled Person’s Bus Pass

Merseytravel offers free travel on all buses, as well as trains and Mersey Ferries river crossings, for anyone with certain disabilities who lives in Merseyside.

You can find further information regarding criteria and how to apply using the Merseytravel website.

Special assistance 

The Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) has introduced the Journey Assistance Card Scheme. A range of cards are available for passengers with disabilities or impairments which may not be immediately obvious to those around them.  

The cards cover disabilities such as deafness, visual impairment, or simply can advise the driver to allow the passenger to take their seat before pulling away from the stop. 

Cards are available from travel shops. You can also apply for or download a card on individual bus operator websites.  

• Stagecoach – Journey Assistance Cards  
• Arriva – Journey Assistance Cards

Travelling with mobility equipment

Wheelchairs

Operators such as Arriva and Stagecoach operate low-floor buses.

Low-floor buses have a dedicated area for wheelchair users; other passengers are required to give up the space for wheelchair users.

When your low floor bus arrives at the bus stop, you can ask the driver to lower the step or ramp to allow you to board.

Wheelchair users have priority over everyone else for the use of the designated wheelchair space, since this is the only place in which they can travel safely.

Scooters

Not all bus operators can carry mobility scooters onboard. If you are a mobility scooter user, you should check with the bus operator in advance of travel.

Many bus operators have signed up to the Confederation of Passenger Transport UK (CPT) Code, and require you to obtain a mobility scooter permit. 

You will need to apply for a standard ‘permit for travel’ prior to your scooter being carried. Mobility scooter users must be assessed and receive on-bus training from the operator before travelling on the bus for the first time. 

To apply for a scooter permit:

• Contact Arriva: 0344 800 4411
• Contact Stagecoach: 0345 241 8000

The CPT Guide to Mobility Scooters provides further information and a list of bus operators who are now using the CPT Code.

Assistance dogs

All recognised assistance dogs are allowed to travel for free on buses.

Journey planning

Local bus providers have journey planners and will be able to help you with information regarding your journey.

Merseytravel

You can find information regarding bus accessibility, routes and timetables on the Merseytravel website.

Traveline

Traveline is a public transport information and journey planning service. It is a partnership of transport companies, local authorities and passenger groups which have come together to bring you routes and times for all travel in Great Britain by bus, rail, coach and ferry and to provide it in as many different ways as possible.

You can use Traveline to plan your journey and find timetables, before you travel or during your journey. Contact: 0871 200 22 33.

NextBuses

The national NextBuses website will help you search for bus timetables and your nearest bus stop. You can put in your postcode to find your nearest stop and the next bus due. 

SMS text: For live and scheduled arrival information for specific bus stops, text the short code (for example, brkdwtg) shown on the information panel at that stop to 84268 (a charge applies for each return text, on top of the cost of the customer’s initial text message request). 

BusTimes

Provides bus, coach and ferry transport information (under the heading ‘Map’, select Track buses and find bus stops). From here, you can track buses across the UK, access timetables and next departure information, view maps, bus stop details and more.