Liverpool night bus proves its value – now the focus is on reaching more people

Liverpool’s night bus is helping people feel safer, save money and get to and from late-night work – while generating an estimated £4.93 in social and community value for every £1 invested.

Those are among the findings of Bringing Back Liverpool’s Night Bus, a new report produced by the University of Liverpool’s Institute of Popular Music, which looks at the impact of the N1 since its launch and the campaign that helped bring late-night bus services back following the Covid-19 pandemic.

The research shows the difference the service is already making, but also points to what needs to happen next. Greater promotion, more frequent buses and wider routes could all help the N1 reach more people across the Liverpool City Region.

Since launching in December 2023, the N1 has supported more than 57,500 passenger journeys, connecting Liverpool city centre with South Liverpool and Birkenhead during the early hours of Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Independent analysis by Liverpool-based social value consultancy RealWorth estimates that the service creates around £542,000 in annual social value, compared with an estimated annual gross operating cost of £110,000 – a Social Return on Investment of 4.93:1.

Passenger research also found:

• 85% said the N1 improved their feelings of safety
• 84% reported significant financial savings
• 52% used the service to travel to or from work
• 79% used it to get home from a night out
• 44% said they would not have made their journey without it
• 32% used the service at least once a week

How the campaign to bring back the night bus began

For Liverpool City Region Music Board, the report marks the latest stage of work which began when venues, promoters and night-time workers started raising concerns about the loss of late-night public transport after Covid.

At a Music Board consultation in March 2022, venues told us that people were struggling to get home after shifts, audiences were having to cut nights short and limited transport was affecting their ability to stage later events.

Future Yard in Birkenhead was one of the venues particularly affected by the loss of cross-river transport.

Craig Pennington, Chief Executive and Co-Founder of Future Yard CIC, said:

“The lack of late-night transport was having a very real impact on our staff and audiences. People working late could find that much of what they had earned disappeared on a taxi home, while some audiences were forced to leave events early or decide not to come at all.

“We heard stories of people being unable to get home and having to sleep in dressing rooms. The return of the N1 has helped remove some of those barriers and given people a safer, more affordable option.

“We now need to make sure the service is properly promoted and developed so that it can support more venues, workers and communities across the city region.”

Following the consultation, the Music Board worked with the University of Liverpool, Future Yard, Liverpool Nightlife CIC, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, Merseytravel, Liverpool BID Company and other partners to gather evidence and build support for the return of a night bus.

Research supporting the campaign found that 196 music venues in Liverpool city centre were licensed to operate beyond midnight at weekends, with a potential combined capacity of around 60,500 people. More than 500 staff were estimated to be working across those venues on a busy weekend night.

A public survey attracted 2,600 responses, with 98% supporting the return of night buses. While 91% said they would use one to get home from a night out, 53% said they would use it to travel to or from work.

The evidence helped make clear that late-night transport was not simply about supporting a night out. It was also vital for the people working in venues, hospitality and other jobs long after most public transport had stopped.

In November 2023, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram announced the return of the service, with the N1 beginning its initial trial the following month.

What difference is the N1 making?

The latest findings show that the service is supporting workers as well as people enjoying Liverpool’s nightlife.

More than half of surveyed passengers had used the N1 to get to or from work. Some respondents said taxis previously cost the equivalent of several hours’ wages, while others said the night bus had enabled them to accept late shifts or jobs that otherwise would have been too expensive or difficult to reach.

Safety was another clear theme, with 85% of passengers saying the N1 improved their feelings of safety.

Jon Collins, Chair of Liverpool City Region Music Board and Chief Executive of LIVE, said:

“The return of the night bus showed what can be achieved when the music sector gathers evidence, works with partners and makes a clear case for change.

“The findings now show the difference the service is making. It is helping people feel safer, save money, get to work and take part in the city region’s cultural life.

“But it is also clear that the service has much more potential. We need to make sure more people know about it, look seriously at increasing its frequency and consider how late-night routes could serve more communities across the Liverpool City Region.”

Liverpool’s ‘best-kept secret’

Despite the positive impact, the research also highlights a major challenge: not enough people know the service exists.

A University of Liverpool Guild of Students survey found that only 59% of students questioned knew about the N1, while just 18% had used it. Almost half of those who were aware of the service had heard about it through word of mouth.

The report describes the N1 as “Liverpool’s best-kept secret” and identifies poor awareness, hourly departures and limited routes as some of the main barriers to greater use.

It recommends:

• significant and sustained promotion of the N1
• testing a more frequent, potentially half-hourly, service
• expanding routes into North Liverpool, wider parts of Wirral and other Liverpool City Region districts
• including night buses within an integrated regional transport plan
• improving and promoting safety measures, including lighting, CCTV, staffing and real-time travel information

The Liverpool City Region’s move towards bus franchising also creates an opportunity to look at late-night transport differently – recognising its wider social value rather than judging individual routes purely on commercial profitability.

Jon added:

“Liverpool is rightly proud of its music, culture and night-time economy, but those sectors depend on people being able to travel safely and affordably.

“The campaign helped bring the night bus back. This evidence now gives us the opportunity to build on that success and make late-night transport work for more people.”

Read Bringing Back Liverpool’s Night Bus

The report was authored by Dr Richard Anderson, Research and Innovation Associate for MusicFutures and the University of Liverpool’s Institute of Popular Music, and Professor Mathew Flynn, Director of the Institute of Popular Music and Co-Director of MusicFutures at the University of Liverpool, and a member of Liverpool City Region Music Board.

The research was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council Impact Acceleration Accounts Grant.

Download the Report: Bringing Back Liverpool’s Night Bus