A PTE at 40

Outlasting the NBC created at the same time but now a very different organisation, one-post-only contributor Gerry Marshden (sic) writes an off-beat (excuse the pun) account of Merseytravel, the Merseyside PTE, and sends some celebratory pictures, too

Rain did not stop play on the celebratory day. MPTE inherited this former Liverpool AEC Regent V/MCW upon formation till withdrawal in 1976. Buses to the east of the Mersey continued to sport Liverpool's famous dark green & cream till MPTE adopted Verona green or jonquil, in 1974

It was the closest date to its 1st December 1969 formation. Yet, did we have to pick such a cold, rain-sodden November Sunday to celebrate 40 years of Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive? I thought I ought to show my support in case my director general Neil Scales was present. He had more sense.

There may have been no current director general but you wouldn't expect a photo op such as this without ITA chairman Mark Dowd. The immediate post dereg DG Ken Swallow was also present.

On my Merseyrail journey into Liverpool, I reflected upon MPTE’s successes. The zenith was the 1977 completion of the rail loop & link. That and the testament to the DG’s tenacity, transforming Merseyrail in 2003 from Misery to Mastery.

Reputed to be Liverpool's last order and MPTE's first delivery is No. 1111, one of about 1,000 Atlatneans operated by MPTE. Note the shallow Alexander windows, Liverpool peak and detachable anti-scrape brightwork skirt. To its left is a Metrorider of successor company, privatised MTL

But what of the buses? MPTE lost its influence in 1986, other than marginally. Plugging gaps, though essential, is hardly sexy. Neither is the modern art of accessibility planning, ensuring orbital hospital services. So, could the management of decline perhaps be termed a significant achievement? Rationalising out conductors was an early goal and it’s managed decline ever since. Even now, MPTE’s looking to take a chunk out of its bus budget, though this makes it no different to other PTEs (or operators, for that matter).

The Birkenhead-Liverpool-Wallasey original MPTE constituents were joined in 1974 by Southport & St Helen's. The glass fibre-fronted Leyland PD2 with sculpted nearside St Helen's bonnet, so named because the corporation was the first to receive them, assisted drivers in getting a kerbside view. This particularly handsome type lasted till the mid-1970s

Perhaps MPTE’s bus legacy was the demonstration project that introduced the first low floor buses in Britain. Its battery buses were less successful at changing opinion.

Another MPTE inheritance was this old-looking Leyland Panther/Metro Cammell, for early OMO conversions. To the right is a Crosville Bristol RE. Unlike at WMPTE and next door SELNEC PTE, MPTE worked with rather than absorbed local operators, Crosville and Ribble

Loss of direct influence hasn’t stopped MPTE embarking on significant bus infrastructure improvements, including bus stations: Queen’s Square, Birkenhead, Paradise Street—but it still manages decline. Instability at and after Dereg meant passengers fled the bus service. If they didn’t take to their cars, they appreciated the solidity of rail, something I appreciate, sitting comfortably on a Northern Line, packed even on a Sunday morning.

40 years of successes there may have been but MPTE still winces at the loss of the opportunity to build its beloved tram. Paradise or Liverpool One bus station looks a little empty without one

The director general, given the chance, wants to replicate his rail successes on the road. Could this mean SQBPs or even quality contracts, any new government permitting? Those who will celebrate MPTE’s *50th* anniversary in 10 years may be able to judge him.

Stagecoach and successor to the successor Arriva have both invested heavily in new buses, in the last five years. Double decks came briefly into fashion for services to the south and west while, below, an 09-reg VDL/Wrightbus Pulsar 2 passes the 1969-1974 liveries of Wirral (combining Birkenhead & Wallasey) and Liverpool