Traffic lights in Liverpool will stay green for longer or shorten the duration of red lights for late-running buses, in a new initiative starting this month.
Bus users in the city region will benefit from a new Intelligent Transport System (ITS) that will mean lights favouring behind-schedule buses to help them be more punctual and reliable.
It's being implemented throughout August on two of the region's busiest routes - the Arriva 86 and 86A services, which run between Liverpool city centre, Garston, Liverpool South Parkway, Smithdown Road and Liverpool John Lennon Airport.
The technology will use existing Real Time Information Data to tell whether a bus is late, preventing the need to dig up the city's roads to install fixed detectors - or fitting additional equipment to vehicles.
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It will also use existing mechanisms within the city's traffic signal control system.
According to the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority , the technology will alter signal timings to prioritise those running behind schedule - either extending the green signal as a bus approaches to allow it to pass without stopping, or by shortening the red light stage, reducing the wait.
The initiative comes after bus users in the Liverpool City Region said reliability was a "key factor" in how satisfied they were with using the bus, and the perceived poor punctuality is considered one of the barriers preventing more from using it.
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Speaking at the combined authority's transport committee meeting on Thursday, Matthew Goggins, head of bus at Merseytravel , said: "We expect this to have a really significant impact on bus flows on that corridor, and we hope to roll it out more widely going forward."
Steve Rotheram , Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: “Buses are the backbone of our public transport system and we are determined to ensure that we can deliver the service that the people of our city region deserve.
"That is why we are constantly looking for ways to improve and this new development should improve both reliability and punctuality.”
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The trial will see the ITS introduced at 31 junctions along the 86 and 86A route, with the move also hoped to help reduce emissions and improve air quality.
The project is being delivered through Liverpool City Council and the BusAlliance - a partnership between Merseytravel, the combined authority, Arriva and Stagecoach.
Howard Farrall, Arriva Merseyside's managing director, said: "We pride ourselves on the quality of services we offer across the Liverpool City Region and beyond.
"Giving passengers the best and most efficient services possible while travelling with us has long been one of our main priorities, which is why we are constantly looking for ways to improve what we do.
"This exciting new development will allow us to improve the punctuality of our buses, which can often be impacted by external factors such as congestion, and help to further improve our passengers' journey."
The project is part of a larger £25m programme to improve carriageways and structural maintenance around the city region, upgrade communications and to prioritise bus and freight transport on the Key Route Network. It's one of 15 major schemes.
