Launching on Monday 25 July, Warrington’s Super Summer Service is set to transform bus travel for nine weeks until 4 October. It aims to entice people of all ages back onto the bus for their evening journeys – whether they are heading into town to catch a film or grab a meal, meeting up with friends, or visiting the new Youth Zone.

There will be enhanced timetables, with more frequent buses every evening every day, making the bus a much better, easier and convenient choice for people looking to explore Warrington.

Evening services, after 7pm every night, will also have super-cheap fares, with a single ticket to ANY destination within the Borough of Warrington – on any Warrington’s Own Buses, Arriva or Go North West bus – costing a maximum of £2 for adults and £1 for children.

And there will no restrictions on when concessionary pass holders can use their pass. People who catch the bus from a Warrington Borough bus stop will no longer have to wait until 9.30am for their pass to be valid, and can get on-board at any time of day, seven days a week.

The Super Summer Service will offer:

• An enhanced timetable for evening services from 7pm, seven days a week
• Cheaper fares during the evening enhanced timetable, with children/adults single fares at no more than £1/£2 respectively on any bus across the entire network (Please note, there will be no change to those services which are already capped at £1.90 single)
• The removal of the 9.30am weekday restrictions for concessionary passes, with pass holders able to travel at any time of the day, 7 days per week.

Funded by Local Transport Fund money allocated to the council by the Department for Transport, the ‘Super Summer Service’ is the latest part of the council’s work to invest in bus services in the borough, delivering an attractive, modern service which is affordable, reliable and responsive to local people’s needs.

Everyone is being encouraged to use the service during the nine-week trial period, as the popularity of the project will help shape the development of long-term plans to drive up the attractiveness and reliability of buses in Warrington, whilst driving down fares.

Warrington Borough Council’s cabinet member for transportation, highways and public realm, Cllr Hans Mundry, said: “This is a really exciting project, which will transform our bus services throughout the summer months and, at the same time, hopefully transform people’s thinking about the bus as a viable, attractive way of exploring Warrington.

“There is so much to for people to enjoy here – from our fantastic restaurants and bars to our shops and cinemas. The Super Summer Service will make it easier, more convenient and cheaper for everyone to do it all by bus.

“People can look forward to a greatly improved evening offer, better connectivity to key town centre locations, including Time Square, Golden Square, the Cultural Quarter and the Youth Zone plus the many wonderful places to visit in Warrington outside the town centre, where passengers can take advantage of cheaper fares and big benefits for concessionary passengers.

“This initiative is one of many we will be delivering in the coming months and years as part of our Bus Service Improvement Plan to help address reduced bus patronage during the pandemic and encourage many more people to consider swapping the car for the bus. We all know the huge environmental benefits increased bus usage brings – we now want to deliver a first-class bus service that people can count on.

“Initiatives like the Super Summer Service are an important part of this work, and will help set the scene for some of the revolutionary changes coming to our bus services in the near future. By 2023 – thanks to our Bus Service Improvement Plan and ZEBRA project – we will be providing our residents with a cutting-edge, all-electric bus fleet that is more modern, reliable and cheaper for everyone.

“If you have never really used buses before – or have stopped using them, there’s never been a better time to get on-board. We hope as many people as possible will take advantage of the benefits on offer over the summer, as the results of this pilot will help to inform decisions about the future of Warrington’s bus network.”

Councillor Cathy Mitchell, Deputy Leader of Warrington Borough Council and Chair of Warrington’s Own Buses, said: ”Our Super Summer Service initiative gives people a great incentive to leave the car at home and take the bus instead. At the same time, it will bring big benefits to existing bus users, which is great news.

“We hope the enhanced evening timetables and cheaper fares will prove to be an attractive proposition to anyone looking to explore everything Warrington has to offer this summer. And I’m delighted that the initiative will also allow people to use their concessionary pass at any time of the day.

“All in all, the Super Summer Service is a fantastic boost for our bus offer – and just the first of many exciting improvements we will be making to the service in the months ahead.”

Warrington’s Super Summer Service – and all of its benefits – runs from Monday 25 July until Tuesday 4 October.