DOZENS more electric buses are to be rolled out across the region as the area got its first look at the publicly run vehicles.

It was confirmed last week how £26m is to be invested into the purchase of 50 new electric double decker buses as part of a wider decarbonisation of the region’s public transport offering.

Appearing alongside Louise Haigh MP, Secretary of State for Transport, at Labour’s conference in Liverpool, Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram unveiled the new livery for the vehicles that are expected to hit the region’s roads in 2026, starting in St Helens.

In October last year, it was confirmed the combined authority would bring its bus services back into public control.

With hundreds of millions of pounds being drawn down from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS), a tranche is being used to purchase another 50 vehicles, taking the total number of electric buses to 108. The design and colour scheme, as well as its Metro branding, mirror the city region’s £500m fleet of trains which came online in January 2023.

It was confirmed in July how the Merseytravel name is also to change to Transport for the Liverpool City Region (TFLCR) to bring the region in line with areas such as Manchester and London with their own distinct regional transport branding and would be rolled out with the Metro system across the area.

Mr Rotheram said: “Today is a landmark moment in our mission to build a London-style, green transport system that works for the people of our city region.

“With an additional 100 fully electric buses ordered in just the past few months, we’re showing the rest of the country what a climate action strategy looks like in practice, cleaning up our air with fewer emissions. This is about more than just reducing emissions – it’s about creating a bus network that puts passengers first, making travel cheaper, greener, and more reliable for the hundreds of thousands of people who rely on it every day.

“By bringing buses back under public control, we’re ensuring decisions are made locally – and putting the public firmly back at the heart of public transport.”

With franchised services set to begin in St Helens in 2026 and introduced across the region by the end of 2027, the new system will allow greater local control of fares, timetables and routes.

Ms Haigh added: “This is a fantastic example of local leaders racing ahead to deliver better services for their communities. “Liverpool City Region deserves a reliable, iconic and green bus network – and Mayor Rotheram is delivering on that vision through his plans for public control.

“This Government is committed to supporting local leaders across the country to deliver on their transport priorities and breaking down barriers to delivering better buses.”

As part of the wider CRSTS announcements last week, it was confirmed a station delivery board for the city region is to be created that will work in partnership with industry officials to bring rail stations across Merseyside back into the control of local leaders and the combined authority, as well as £96m for the construction of Liverpool Baltic.