The decision to rethink an overhaul on how buses run through the centre of Liverpool have been welcomed by a city business leader.
After having announced earlier this year that many bus routes were to be completely withdrawn, now Merseytravel has said some key city centre streets - such as Dale Street, James Street and Hanover Street - will still be used.
Paul Cherpeau, chief executive of the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, said the changes meant the voices of local businesses, commuters and campaigners had been heard.
He said: “We welcome the proposed changes that will continue to encourage commuters to use the bus as a sustainable way of getting to their place of work.
"It is encouraging that the concerns of business, highlighted by the chamber as part of the consultation, have been acknowledged and that the major commercial districts areas around Dale Street, James Street, Lord Street and Hanover Street will still be serviced during peak hours.
"It is now key that when more detailed information is published it demonstrates a genuine offer that will deliver a level of services to these areas with capacity to deal with peak hour demand."
The plans to change the bus routes, part of a much wider plan to transform the city's highways, were announced in April.
But the proposals, centred on the vast majority of bus services to and from the centre stopping and starting at only two bus stations, caused a huge backlash from commuters and city centre residents.
Many said the plans to only focus services around Queens Square and Liverpool One bus station would leave them having to walk further and drive people away from using public transport, with a shuttle bus between the two stops left as the only city centre provision.
Merseytravel has now said some peak services will continue from Queen Square into the commercial district, whilst others that were to terminate on Duke Street will now run on to Hanover Street.
It added that more detailed information about the proposed revisions, including the specific routes affected, will be released in the coming weeks.
The authority said it hoped news of the changes would address commuters' concerns.
It added that the "key principles" of the original bus re-routing plans remain, with boarding and alighting points for the majority of services generally focussed in or around Queen Square and Liverpool ONE bus stations, with a frequent cross-city bus service running between both bus stations for those who need it.
As with the original proposals, the vast majority of bus users will be able to get on and off as they do now - but the revisions mean that "significantly fewer users" will now be affected by city centre re-routing changes.
Despite this week's announcement, Mr Cherpeau said there was still work to do to improve transport links in the city centre.
He said: “Businesses tell us that transport connectivity is key growth enabler but that the movement of employees and customers can be slow and poorly integrated.
"We will continue, therefore, to press for a truly integrated transport plan for Liverpool which enhances our attractiveness as a business destination.”
Announcing the changes on Wednesday, Cllr Liam Robinson, Chair of the Liverpool City Region’s Transport Committee said: “We hope that these revisions will go a long way to addressing the key concerns of bus users, while still supporting Liverpool City Council in its vision for a transformed, cleaner, greener city centre which does involve changes to road layout. Merseytravel, the city council and bus operators have been working closely together with the aim of getting the balance right.
“It remains that the vast majority of people will be able to get on and off as they do now, others may end up closer to their end destination and some may need to walk a bit further, though with the option of cross-city bus provision between the two bus stations if they need it.”
