Wirral Bus Changes from 25 October: New Routes, Hospital Links and Tickets

If you catch a bus anywhere on the Wirral, your route number is probably about to change. From Sunday 25 October 2026, Wirral's buses join the Liverpool City Region's publicly controlled Metro network, and almost every local route gains a number starting with 4. The 17 becomes the 417, the 41 becomes the 441 and the 82 becomes the 482.

Most routes and stops stay the same. The bigger changes are two new hospital services, a handful of withdrawn routes, rerouting in Prenton, Wallasey and West Kirby, and the end of Arriva-only and Stagecoach-only tickets. This guide is built from Merseytravel's Wirral network listing, dated 14 October 2026, and its bus changes page.

What bus franchising means for you

Until now, private companies such as Arriva, Stagecoach and A2B decided which Wirral routes to run, when and at what fare. Under franchising, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority sets the routes, timetables, fares and standards, and pays an operator to run them. Wirral is the second area to switch, after St Helens in September. Merseytravel says Knowsley, Liverpool and Sefton follow in summer 2027.

The Combined Authority awarded the Wirral contract to the Go-Ahead Group in January, trade title routeone reported, and the network listing names its Go North West business as the new operator. The network listing shows it taking over the routes previously run from Arriva's Birkenhead and Stagecoach's Rock Ferry operations, along with A2B's local services. The new publicly owned buses being rolled out carry the yellow, grey and black Metro livery, and complaints and lost property move to a single Merseytravel customer service system.

A few routes that cross into Cheshire run under permits rather than the franchise and are unchanged: the 1/X1 Chester to Liverpool, the 22 Chester to West Kirby and the N1 night bus from Allerton to Birkenhead.

New hospital connections

The two new services are aimed at Wirral's hospitals, which Wirral Council leader Cllr Paula Basnett said in Wirral View should never be harder to reach "by a lack of transport".

Arrowe Park Hospital

• 483/484 (new): an orbital circular from Arrowe Park Hospital via Greasby, West Kirby, Hoylake, Meols, Moreton and Upton and back. Every 60 minutes Monday to Saturday, on Sundays and in the evening. It replaces the 81 West Kirby to Arrowe Park, which had no evening or Sunday journeys.
• 441 and 442 (were 41 and 42): Mill Park to Birkenhead to Arrowe Park, every 30 minutes on weekdays.
• 481 (was 181): Heswall to Arrowe Park, hourly.
• 418 (unchanged): Birkenhead to Arrowe Park to New Ferry, hourly.

Clatterbridge

• 453 (new): Thingwall Corner to Clatterbridge and Wirral Grammar, hourly on weekdays and Saturdays. Merseytravel says it links Irby and Heswall to Clatterbridge. It turns the old 653 school bus into an all-day route; the 653 itself continues until July 2027.
• 416 and 417 (were 16 and 17): Moreton to Clatterbridge to Mill Park, every 30 minutes, with evening and Sunday journeys added on the 417.
• 410 (unchanged): New Brighton to Birkenhead and Clatterbridge.

The 414 is also rerouted to run via St Catherine's Hospital and Prenton.

Routes that change or are withdrawn

Unchanged in route and frequency: 409, 410, 411, 418, 432, 433, 437, 464 and 487, plus the 1/X1, 22 and N1. Merseytravel notes that all services may still see minor timetable changes, and school buses do not change until January or September 2027.

What it means where you live

Birkenhead and Prenton

The 216/217 Birkenhead circular and the 423 are withdrawn. If you live on Prenton Hall Road or Holm Lane, the 491 no longer passes, though Prenton Hall Road is still served by the 418 and the rerouted 414. The 492 and 495 through Beechwood and Noctorum double their evening and Sunday frequency to hourly.

Wallasey, Liscard and New Brighton

The 106/107 becomes the 405/406, runs hourly instead of every 90 minutes and serves Victoria Parade. Mount Road loses it but gains the 414A instead. A new hourly 408 circular links Liscard and Seacombe.

Bebington, Mill Park and New Ferry

The 416/417 to Clatterbridge and the 441/442 to Arrowe Park both start at Mill Park, and the 473 serves Poulton Lancelyn. The 418 and 464 through New Ferry are unchanged.

West Kirby, Hoylake and Heswall

The 407 no longer runs beyond Town Meadow, so between Moreton and West Kirby you need the 438 or the new 483/484, and Merseyrail for Liverpool. The 482 now continues to Heswall via Thurstaston, which with the 22 gives two buses an hour between West Kirby and Heswall. Off-peak 471 and 472 journeys to Liverpool no longer go as far as Cook Street.

Tickets and fares from 25 October

Arriva-only and Stagecoach-only passes stop being valid on Wirral franchised buses on 25 October. Merseytravel is accepting existing passes for a short grace period:

• Daily passes: until Monday 26 October
• Weekly passes: until Sunday 1 November
• Monthly passes: until Tuesday 24 November

Concessionary passes for older and disabled people, and Merseytravel over-60s passes, work as normal. Capped tap-and-go fares across the whole network are not due until autumn 2027.

Maps, timetables and help

• Wirral bus network map (October 2026)
• New timetables on Merseytravel
• Cross-boundary ticket acceptance for routes into Cheshire

Merseytravel staff will be out answering questions at these times:

• Monday 19 October, 11am to 2pm: Cherry Tree Shopping Centre
• Tuesday 20 October, 10am to 2pm: West Kirby concourse, outside the leisure centre
• Wednesday 21 October, 10am to 2pm: Birkenhead bus station
• Friday 23 October, 10am to 2pm: Asda Arrowe Park
• Sunday 25 and Monday 26 October, 10am to 3pm: Birkenhead bus station
• Monday 26 October, 10am to 3pm: Pyramids Shopping Centre, Birkenhead

Look up your route's new number in the table above before Sunday, and if you travel on Sundays 25 October or 1 November, check our Merseyrail closure guide too: Wirral Line trains do not run under the river on those days.