Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram has confirmed plans to introduce a rapid transit bus system if he is re-elected in May.

But reaction to the plans, which would be similar to the Glider system that runs in Belfast, has not been entirely positive. The ECHO revealed the proposals for the new system, aimed at serving key locations like Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LJLA) and the Anfield and Bramley Moore Dock football stadiums.

Following our report this weekend, Mayor Rotheram - who is hoping to secure a third term in office at May's elections - took to social media to confirm his plans. In a post on Twitter/X, He said: "Any modern region is only as good as its public transport. To help improve connectivity, I'll introduce bus rapid transit similar to the Belfast Glider."

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He added: "It will run between Liverpool city centre and Liverpool Airport and both Anfield and Bramley Moore stadiums by 2028."

In our weekend report, we revealed why transport chiefs have moved towards a bus rapid transit idea when it comes to serving some of the most popular places in the region.

Liverpool South Parkway is promoted as the station for LJLA and is well-connected to the airport. But it is three miles away. There's an obvious issue when considering linking the rail network to the airport - there are many things in the way. There are houses, buildings, roads, shops, cables and plenty of other infrastructure that would make it difficult to plan a route. Anfield Stadium, another site in need of far better public transport service, is in a built-up area and would be a difficult place to create a new rail link.

But there has been a mixed response to the announcement. While some who have experienced the Belfast Glider have welcomed the news, others have suggested the proposals amount to little more than a glorified bus.

Reacting to Mayor Rotheram's announcement, Adam Melia said: "Nowhere near good enough. You may as well just put dedicated bus lanes in and add a few more routes. Would be exactly the same result for presumably a lot less money."

Melissa Riggs added: "How would this differ from a bus in dedicated bus lanes? Removing them was never something which made sense to me. We have loads of buses. Thousands of them. Some of them are the same number, going the same place, at the same time. Feels like a gimmick."

Another person described the proposals as a "missed opportunity", adding: "Our roads are over crowded and in poor condition (and) a 'glider' bus won’t change this."

But several people, including some with experience of using the Belfast Glider system, welcomed the mayor's announcement.

Robert Murtagh added: "As someone who lives just outside Belfast having lived in Liverpool and who still travels to Liverpool for work, this is fantastic news."

Tom Bowell: "Bus rapid transit is a proven model of quality transport all over Europe & beyond, despite some commentators labelling it a 'glorified bus' or rather cynically a 'trackless tram'. Great to see Steve Rotheram proposing it for Liverpool! Look forward to seeing more BRT in the UK."

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