A bus ticket from the city centre to Penny Lane costs £2.30. Before routes were deregulated - or privatised - back in 1986, the same journey would have cost around 30p. That's the equivalent of just 93p today.
As the ECHO's Political Editor, Liam Thorp, said this week: "Ever since Margaret Thatcher deregulated bus services outside of London, there has been a free-for-all system in place, where private operators can essentially do as they please and decide what services to run and what fares to charge. It is a system that favours the transport corporations and the rest of us have to deal with what they decide."
That's why Steve Rotheram, the Metro Mayor, wants to bring in a franchising system, where private operators would run services - like Merseyrail - but local leaders would have control over fares, timetables, and routes.
But would cheaper fares and more regular buses be enough to tempt you to use public transport? Or would the Metro Mayor's office have to do more to get you out of your car?
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