Liverpool PlusBus

[Haywain]

I'm off to Liverpool soon, and was just wondering if the Liverpool PlusBus includes the football special buses to and from Goodison Park and Anfield. The PlusBus page doesn't indicate that they are excluded but I don't really know if that can be relied on.

Anyone??

 

[8A Rail]

My initial answer would be no with the Liverpool PlusBus ticket. (to be honest never heard of PlusBus until you mentioned it and I looked it up).

The Football buses to Anfield and Goodison tend to operate seperately and operated by Merseytravel - see: https://www.merseyrail.org/tickets-passes/ticket-information/soccerbus/. At the end of the page, it does state "The bus is free to passengers who hold a valid Trio, Solo, Saveaway or a Merseytravel free travel pass"

 

[Djgr]

On the other hand the relevant PlusBus page shows Merseytravel as a participating operator...

 

[Amos]

I am going to the game on Sunday,if I use the soccerbus I will ask them about it.

 

[Haywain]

I am going to the game on Sunday,if I use the soccerbus I will ask them about it.

Could be a day or so late for me!

 

[redreni]

On the other hand the relevant PlusBus page shows Merseytravel as a participating operator...

I had that exact issue in York last season. The bus company seemed to think it was fine not to accept PlusBus on the football specials without bothering to get the PlusBus website updated to say this.

Weirdly the horse racing special bus (run by the same company) was listed on the PlusBus site as an excluded service but the football special wasn't, when in fact both are excluded. They didn't seem to understand why I was complaining and did not undertake to contact PlusBus to get the website updated. Which does mean, unless I'm missing something, that you buy a PlusBus ticket at your peril, since there's apparently no guarantee the participating operators will accept your ticket for travel on scheduled buses within the zones.

In York there are regularly scheduled buses that you can take instead and they do accept PlusBus. I'm not sure if the same is true in Liverpool - I'd expect so.

 

[RHolmes]

On the other hand the relevant PlusBus page shows Merseytravel as a participating operator...

That’s in relation to Merseytravel contracted services which have the operator displayed as “Merseytravel” on all public timetables within the region

In York there are regularly scheduled buses that you can take instead and they do accept PlusBus. I'm not sure if the same is true in Liverpool - I'd expect so.

17 or 26/27 to Anfield
19 to Goodison Park
464 to Tranmere

300/310/345 to Aintree Racecourse

 

[redreni]

That’s in relation to Merseytravel contracted services which have the operator displayed as “Merseytravel” on all public timetables within the region

So before you buy a PlusBus ticket, you're supposed to check all public timetables within the region?

 

[MrJeeves]

They didn't seem to understand why I was complaining and did not undertake to contact PlusBus to get the website updated. Which does mean, unless I'm missing something, that you buy a PlusBus ticket at your peril, since there's apparently no guarantee the participating operators will accept your ticket for travel on scheduled buses within the zones.

If you email PlusBus they'll just add the football buses to the list of excluded services with no further investigation.

At one point all the prices for Brighton PlusBus were wrong for weeks until I send them an email to let them know... (but they're still wrong on the home page and other areas)

Bodes well that the company that runs/built/maintains the website went into administration with debts up to a few hundred thousand pounds too!

 

[Haywain]

Weirdly the horse racing special bus (run by the same company) was listed on the PlusBus site as an excluded service but the football special wasn't, when in fact both are excluded.

I suspect that's just an omission because the PlusBus page is older than the York City stadium.

 

[RHolmes]

So before you buy a PlusBus ticket, you're supposed to check all public timetables within the region?

Only applies to Merseytravel (LCR) contracted services.
Commercial services display the permanent operator.

 

[185]

Unless there's a Railcard I'd forget the plusbus for Merseyside.

The PTEs all zones Saveaway allows all buses, trains & ferries for the entire county. Sold over the counter at any booking office at £6ish after 9.30 and all sat/sun.

All Liverpool, St Helens Southport & Wirral plus tunnel buses, the ferries, all TOCs to Southport & St Helens, and all Merseyrail including out of county to Chester / Eport & Ormskirk.

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Unless there's a Railcard I'd forget the plusbus for Merseyside.

The PTEs all zones Saveaway allows all buses, trains & ferries for the entire county. Sold over the counter at any booking office at £6ish after 9.30 and all sat/sun.

All Liverpool, St Helens Southport & Wirral plus tunnel buses, the ferries, all TOCs to Southport & St Helens, and all Merseyrail including out of county to Chester / Eport & Ormskirk.

And importantly, as mentioned in post #2:

The Football buses to Anfield and Goodison tend to operate seperately and operated by Merseytravel - see: https://www.merseyrail.org/tickets-passes/ticket-information/soccerbus/. At the end of the page, it does state "The bus is free to passengers who hold a valid Trio, Solo, Saveaway or a Merseytravel free travel pass"

 

[Haywain]

Unless there's a Railcard

There is a railcard.

 

[Fawkes Cat]

There is a railcard.

Ok. Per https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promo...h-lancashire/buses-to-liverpool-football-club

Best Value Fares to the game…
Adult Return - £4.00
Young Person – Day - £2.20 (MyTicket)

So if it turns out that plusbus isn't valid, that's the extra which will have to be paid.

Per https://www.plusbus.info/liverplsthp.html

Day prices:
Adult: £4.20

Child: £2.10

Railcard holder: £2.75

And per https://www.merseytravel.gov.uk/tickets-and-pricing/ticket-types/saveaway-ticket/

Adult​

One area
1 day
£4.60

If the plusbus is valid, there's a saving of £1.85 by getting a Railcard plusbus over a Saveaway. If it turns out not to be valid there's a small amount of hassle on the bus and an extra cost of £2.15* over getting the Saveaway in the first place.

*(Cost of Railcard plusbus + fare actually paid) - (cost of Saveaway) = (£2.75 + £4) - £4.60 = £2.15

Get a Saveaway: likely make a saving and avoid the hassle.

And get a card one from the Lime Street mainline ticket office...

 

[Speed Whiskers]

I'm not sure if the Soccerbus (Sandhills station to Anfield) and the 917 (city centre to Anfield) would be classed as Merseytravel services as both are operated by Stagecoach and appear on the Stagecoach website (as cited in post #15).

The PDF version of the 917 timetable on the Merseytravel website mentions that it is operated by Stagecoach:

https://merseytravel.adidocdn.dev/timetables/Bus/917_LFC1AUG21.pdf

Bus timetable
917 Liverpool (Commutation Row) - Liverpool Football Club (Anfield)
This service is provided by Stagecoach

This information is the same as provided on the 17 timetable which is an every day service.

https://merseytravel.adidocdn.dev/timetables/Bus/17-16Apr23.pdf

Bus timetable
17 Liverpool - Aintree University Hospital
17A, 17X Liverpool - Kirkby
This service is provided by Stagecoach

(Apologies if I've not cited/quoted links correctly - this is my first post and it is a lot easier to read posts than write them)

 

[johntea]

Good luck anyway, I use PlusBus on 4 buses a week for work (not in Liverpool, just on a perfectly valid operator on a perfectly valid route) and can almost guarantee at least half of those trips every week result in a blank stare often followed by a grunt by the bus driver!

I really wish they would roll out an eTicket or whatever the technical jargon is these days for the product to avoid the hassle but sadly I doubt it will ever happen!

 

[David57]

Good luck anyway, I use PlusBus on 4 buses a week for work (not in Liverpool, just on a perfectly valid operator on a perfectly valid route) and can almost guarantee at least half of those trips every week result in a blank stare often followed by a grunt by the bus driver!

I really wish they would roll out an eTicket or whatever the technical jargon is these days for the product to avoid the hassle but sadly I doubt it will ever happen!

I can assure you that a plusbus ticket is one that a driver will not see very often.

 

[MrJeeves]

I can assure you that a plusbus ticket is one that a driver will not see very often.

I think it very much depends on the area. In Brighton and Crawley, PlusBus tickets are rather common, front page to track on Ticketer and rarely refused or have faces pulled at.

 

[Haywain]

I think it very much depends on the area.

The area where it will not be seen very often is most of the country!

 

[Deafdoggie]

My instinct would be say it's not valid, as PlusBus is normally just scheduled buses and not specials and extras. If an ENCTS pass isn't valid, I'd say PlusBus isn't either.

 

[Haywain]

Thanks for all the feedback. As I don't intend to take more than two bus journeys, the Saveaway doesn't seem to be worth buying. I can either pay two £2 singles or use the PlusBus and end up 75p down if it isn't accepted on the football bus after the match but £1.25 up if it is.

 

[Wallsendmag]

Thanks for all the feedback. As I don't intend to take more than two bus journeys, the Saveaway doesn't seem to be worth buying. I can either pay two £2 singles or use the PlusBus and end up 75p down if it isn't accepted on the football bus after the match but £1.25 up if it is.

At least next week you can walk to the ground.

 

[Djgr]

At least next week you can walk to the ground.

Yes, there's a signed walking route from Liverpool Lime Street

 

[Willie Bee]

I can assure you that a plusbus ticket is one that a driver will not see very often.

Last year my wife and I visited Glasgow and bought PlusBus tickets.

We boarded 5 buses throughout the day and on EVERY ONE, the driver initially said we couldn't use the ticket. After explaining what they were, we were able to board.

I just assumed the PlusBus scheme must have been pretty new, meaning the drivers were not aware of it.I even emailed PluisBus with my thoughts, since many a user being told no would simply accept the fact and end up paying for a ticket

To my surprise, the scheme is not new at all .. it actually started in 2002.

Maybe it just isn't well advertised.

We love it .. we were in Edinburgh a few weeks ago and the PlusBus ticket can be used on all buses as well as the trams (excluding the one stop at the airport)

 

[L401CJF]

I drove buses in Merseyside for 8 years, never once saw a plus bus ticket although we were told about them in training and the buses had the green "plus bus valid" stickers on the cab door. We were told they also sold them in Chester but never saw one there either.

Its hard enough convincing bus drivers in Merseyside that a rail ticket issue Merseytravel All Mode Saveaway pass is valid....

 

[Wallsendmag]

Yes, there's a signed walking route from Liverpool Lime Street

Next week Luton are in Newcastle

 

[David57]

Next week Luton are in Newcastle

And no doubt 'The Hawain' will be there!

 

[Haywain]

And no doubt 'The Hawain' will be there!

No idea, but I will be.

 

[ian1944]

Won't the cost of getting into Anfield totally swamp the pound or two difference between alternative bus fares fares being considered here?