The Mersey Ferry runs a single commuter route: Liverpool's Pier Head — the Gerry Marsden Terminal — across to Seacombe on the Wirral. Woodside Terminal in Birkenhead is closed for a major engineering redevelopment, so Seacombe is the only Wirral crossing for now.
The direct crossing takes about 10 minutes. These direct runs go at peak times on weekday mornings and evenings; outside those hours the same boats run the longer River Explorer cruise loop instead — so the 20 and 30-minute figures you'll see on the route map are cruise times, not the commuter crossing. Either way you get the view: leaving Pier Head you pass the Royal Liver Building, the Cunard Building and the Port of Liverpool Building, with the Museum of Liverpool and the Royal Albert Dock along the waterfront behind them. From the water the whole city front lines up in a way you don't get from the Strand.
Fares
The commuter service is built around Flexi tickets — a bundle of single journeys you draw down as you go:
- 6-Journey Flexi: £11.50 — about £1.92 a crossing.
- 10-Journey Flexi: £16.50 — £1.65 a crossing.
Monthly and quarterly commuter tickets are also available, and any of these gets you free parking at Seacombe terminal. For a one-off trip, pay contactless at the terminal — the gates are contactless-only now. Current single fares are on the commuter portal.
Practical rules for your trip
Where it goes. Pier Head (Gerry Marsden Terminal) to Seacombe only. Woodside remains closed for redevelopment.
Bikes and dogs. Both are allowed on board for free, on both services.
Booking online. Buy a Flexi ticket online and you can scan your pass straight at the entry gates, skipping the main ticket-desk queue. You can buy in advance through the Mersey Ferries commuter portal.
