Liverpool City Region residents look set to continue benefiting from some of the cheapest travel costs in the country, as a range of proposed transport fares and charges go before the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority later this month.
Under the new proposals for Mersey Tunnel tolls, local residents would retain access to the lowest fare for Class 1 vehicles. For those with a T-FLOW account, the discounted rate would rise by just 10p to £1.60. The cash toll – along with the T-FLOW rate for non-residents – would also increase by 10p to £2.40.
Even with the change, Liverpool City Region residents, who make up around 51% of all tunnel journeys, would still pay more than £1 less than the maximum amount permitted under the Tunnels Act, which is expected to be £2.90.
In more good news for young people, the price of the hugely popular MyTicket – which offers unlimited all-day bus travel for under-19s – will be frozen at £2.20 for the ninth consecutive year, keeping it among the best-value child travel tickets in the UK.
The region will also continue to offer the most generous concessionary travel scheme outside London, enabling local residents to access free travel passes from the age of 60 – seven years earlier than the national entitlement.
All other increases remain below inflation, bucking the national trend.
Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:
“Whether you’re travelling by bus, train, or car, we want to make getting around our region as fair, accessible, and affordable as possible- all while tackling rising costs and driving forward major improvements to our transport network.
“Local residents will continue to enjoy some of the cheapest travel prices anywhere in the country, the most generous concessionary travel scheme in the country – and for under-19s, we’ve held the cost of a MyTicket at just £2.20 for the ninth year running, giving young people the freedom to travel without the worry of rising fares.
“And the really big changes are just around the corner. From next year, you’ll start to feel the difference as we take back control of our buses, beginning in St Helens and Wirral – putting power back into the hands of passengers. And, for the first time in more than 60 years, a brand-new Mersey Ferry will be built right here on the banks of the river, marking the start of a new chapter for one of our region’s most iconic journeys.
“These are bold steps forward – and they’re all part of my vision to deliver a modern, world-class transport system that our region truly deserves.”
Under the Tunnels Act legislation tunnel tolls are allowed to rise in line with inflation, however the Combined Authority can consider economic and social factors when setting tolls – and has consistently used its power to keep tolls as low as possible for all users, and more recently particularly for city region residents.
The Queensway (Birkenhead) and Kingsway (Wallasey) tunnels have a combined age of almost 150 years and require millions of pounds each year to help keep them open and safe. Future investment programmes also ensure Liverpool City Region residents are provided with high quality cross-river services.
In recent years, investments include an £11m LED lighting upgrade to the Queensway Tunnel which mirrored a similar project completed in the Kingsway Tunnel in 2018 at a cost of £7.5m – reducing the carbon output by 60 per cent. A further improvement saw the replacement of 36 jet fans which keep fresh air flowing throughout the Kingsway Tunnel at a cost of £1.5 million.
Millions of pounds have also been invested in modernising Mersey Tunnel payment systems including the introduction of T-FLOW video tolling in 2021, and an improved tap and go card payment system in 2024.
The new technology has halved transaction times and improved traffic flow – reducing air pollution on the toll plaza during busy periods. It has also seen a significant change in the way the toll is paid for – with less than 8% now paid by cash, and almost two thirds (63%) using T-FLOW.
Although the Mersey Tunnels are a critical cross river route for the city region and a key bus corridor supporting economic growth, they are not part of the national road network and receive no government funding to support their operation.
Any surplus generated by the Mersey Tunnels can only be used to reinvest into transport infrastructure and service improvements across the city region – such as supported school bus services and reducing public transport fares.
A report to this month’s Combined Authority also proposes below-inflation changes to fares to multi operator tickets and Mersey Ferries, to ensure services remain sustainable and affordable.
The Combined Authority meeting will take place on Friday 12 December. If agreed the new schedule of tolls and fees would come into effect from April 1 2026.
READ MORE: Record £1.6bn investment set to revolutionise transport across the Liverpool City Region
