Birkenhead Bus Station is actually one of the best things about Birkenhead! For a start, it gets…read moreyou out of there as soon as you like, secondly it's nice to look at as it's a huge glass frame, thirdly it's warm, and finally it's secure so you won't get mugged here. I remember when it first got built and people would marvel at its sheer beauty.. Well that's a lie, people would just bicker and sigh that their buses were late, much as they still do today. But it's a great sheltered space with bus routes leading over to Liverpool and all over the Wirral as far as New Brighton, Heswall and West Kirby. They have two help desks in case you're not too sure what bus to take, or you need a bus pass or a TRIO or Saveaway. They also have a machine that vends cans of pop, and one with hot drinks. What more could you want?

It's not too bad as bus stations go. But all the announcements are proceeded with a very loud…read moredoorbell. Incredibly cheap and quite a shock if you're not deaf. Spend any length of time waiting there and you will end up with post traumatic stress. It's actually quite close to Conway Park station. However for buses; considering it's the nearly the last stop before Liverpool there's actually a large gap between Liverpool buses if you don't have the right ticket. Merseytravel couldn't even sort out a shared ticket arrangement whilst the rail tunnel is closed. It really should do better in terms of providing a shuttle link between Birkenhead and Liverpool.. considering this link is completely covered by a Merseytravel Monopoly (Tolls, ferries, buses, train .. all ultimately accountable and paid to Merseytravel). There's no cycle way in the Birkenhead tunnel's lower deck for example. It terms of some buses it's built in the wrong place... most notably peak time 471,472 bypass the bus station and go straight to Liverpool. The ding-dong doorbell announcements say it all ... an expensive project .. but couldn't be bothered going the extra mile.

Stagecoach Bus Merseyside is arguably the largest bus operator in the Merseyside region which…read moreincludes Lancashire, Cheshire, North Wales, Wirral - some bus routes even go between these boroughs including the X2 which connects Liverpool to Preston, via Southport, at 2 hours and 16 minutes this is one of the largest bus journeys's I've come across, this, by comparison, is about the same length of time as a train into London and enough to get the train from Liverpool to Preston and back, with time to spare via Transpennine Express or even the slow Northern train! It amazes me how Stagecoach Bus in Merseyside hasn't been reviewed since July 2010, which is nearly ten whole years. In that time, so much has changed and it seems Stagecoach have got worse, perhaps that is through the complacency of being ahead in the region for too long with little competition. Due to how big Stagecoach is, if you're planning to use public transport around Liverpool you're pretty much going to have to use either Merseyrail or this. They do run train services to Anfield on a match-day, however because of traffic around the ground and the fact the bus has a further route to go after the stadium, they are forced to divert however despite having signs around Queens Square Bus Station and telling the bus driver where I was going, no one told me about the diversion and even other match-goers on the bus didn't seem to know, this was after a long wait for the bus which seemed to suffer delays as well to make it even worse (luckily I didn't miss kick-off!) Buses are typical Stagecoach across the UK, not too modern in most regards. Despite the growth of Arriva in Liverpool, Stagecoach are still the main players and it really does seem that from service, time-keeping and overall condition of buses they are taking that too granted, yet still anything beats First Manchester which caused me trouble for a great number of years closer to home and I do think they make their routes a little clearer than other operators, even if they don't factor diversions into it. 2*

Since my last review, I now have a negative comment about Stagecoach much to my annoyance and shall…read moretherefore drop not 1 but 2 stars in its rating. More recently if you take the 21 route or any other Stagecoach bus that travels along London Road, the driver tends to change driver which could sometimes mean a 10 minute wait which is obviously not good if you're in a hurry to get somewhere. If you're lucky, the switch of driver will take place instantly but on one occasion, I had to wait nearly 15 minutes with other disgruntled passengers because the driver did not turn up, so I had to watch the original driver take a cigarette break whilst I was waiting to get to work on time but ended up late all because of poor service and an arrogant driver who did not even apologise to anybody. Other fed up passengers actually got off and waited for another bus and when that occurred, the driver immediately got back on and started driving; I not only felt sorry for those passengers but thought this was rude and felt as though he was playing games. I requested if he could let me off at the traffic lights as I was already late for work but he simply replied "no" with no apology and without realising that he kept everyone waiting longer than expected. I applaud the group of girls who pressed the stop button several times as they got off. It was obvious that most people were annoyed by the driver's actions. Even though it may not be entirely the driver's fault, Stagecoach should sort out their poor timing when switching drivers (very much unlike them); this took me by surprise. I aim to lodge a formal complaint if this happens more than once and I will suggest others also do so if they experience the same.

Liverpool One Bus Station is right behind the Hilton Hotel close to both the One Shopping Centre…read moreand Albert Dock, it is probably the worst of the two bus stations within the city centre, compared to the other Bus Station which is still within walking distance of the one, with the added benefit of being close to Lime Street Station, in Queens Square. It is an outside bus station but the stands do have shelters which might not offer much protection in heavy rain or wind, but it's the same sort of idea around Queens Square. There were very few staff around the station, even on a busy day such as before kick-off at the Manchester City - Liverpool game at Anfield (meanwhile there were staff around Queens Square), making it hard to get any sort of information which considering how badly the buses were being delayed, it really would have helped! Each stand has full real-time departure boards but not all of them seemed to be working fully, I'd even say it wasn't clear or easy enough to see what stand goes where, which should be laid out better. Compared to the bus station at Queens Square, this one is really run down and not fit to serve the city centre of a large city especially one built to serve and name after the country's 9th largest shopping centre. I really hope it does get an improvement soon with more services coming from it, as it seems since the late 2000s (and 2011) when this station got a large amount of good, positive reviews it has continued to go on a downward slope.

Just across the road from the Albert dock, or in the opposite direction, from the main shopping…read morecentre, this is a modern bus station which is accessible to everyone. There are raised kerbs to enable level boarding at all ten bays, and automatic sliding glass doors beside the departure points. There are plenty of places where you can sit to wait beside the bus shelters but it can be a bit draughty. The Travel Centre for your tickets or information is open from 9.00am to 5.30pm Mondays to Saturdays and 10.30am to 4.30pm on Sundays. (I found the man in there quite helpful) There are toilets, including a parent and baby facility and disabled toilet (radar key required in the evenings which is available from staff) The bus station is staffed 24 hours a day and there are CCTV Security Cameras.

Queen Square Bus Station is one of the two main bus stations in Liverpool city centre, alongside…read morethe Liverpool One Bus Station, obviously as in its' name the Queens Square Bus Station is located in Queens Square which is close to St John's and Liverpool Lime Street Station, unlike the Liverpool One bus station, it mainly serves the Merseyside area, albeit some services do run a little further such as to Preston via Southport, albeit the latter service is much quicker to get the train to one of those cities. The layout and setup of Queens Square Bus Station is quite different, it mainly involves around 13 glass bus stands with different numbers, each serving different services, the bus stands are clearly labelled hower this approach has two big drawbacks - It's harder to tell which bus goes where without area knowledge, a map or some sort - It is harder to get in-between stands, some are far away from each other when multiple buses from multiple stands serve different areas, for example on a match-day there's 3 different areas of Queens Square in which you can get a bus to Goodison Park, home of Everton Football Club, or two on any regular day. - The stands are in order however when it splits it's then hard to find further stands, and as you cross the road it loses that order. There are generally staff around the bus station area, but it's been pretty hit and miss on numerous occasions whether they were actively going to help, or just stand there picking up their salary not caring about customers, for example recently there was a confusion with the bus diverting earlier than expected, with no one there to explain if the bus would actually be going where it should, especially on a busy matchday service this should be better - although Stagecoach Buses do share responsibility for this. I did like the live bus times on each individual stand, but then again you have to go to each individual stand to see them, having one main board perhaps in the information area would be so much better showing common destinations, what bus to get and from what platform, which makes it easier than risking going to one bus stand when a bus going to the same place would arrive sooner from the other, similar to what they have in Newcastle Upon-Tyne. Overall, this is the better bus station in Liverpool for more local and regional journeys and the area is a good, central location close to shops (St John's), hotels (Marriott) and numerous restaurants, and basically as you are in the city centre, you're near so much more than the businesses which run alongside the bus-station, nowhere near perfect and with numerous improvements but this is pretty much my go-to place when needing to travel around Liverpool outside of the city centre, and it isn't a bad place to go so it does warrant a solid three-star rating.

Situated in Queen Square, is where most of the public get off from the bus to access the city…read morecentre. The bus station is modern with spacious accessible bus shelters with each bus shelter incorporating bus timetables and information screens. The site of the bus station is on a long and rather steep incline but well designed and easy to understand. A pelican controlled crossing and tactile guidance pathway is provided for easy crossing from one side to the other. There are also induction loops and a help point in each shelter should you require any emergency assistance. If you require any further information or want to purchase save-away ride tickets, there is a travel centre nearby where you can gain access to complete bus timetables as well as other related tourist travel information. Staffs are friendly and can provide general details.

There was alot of homeless people sleeping (I do not have a picture as that would be rude to take a…read morepicture of them) my train got delayed for 2 hours I don't recommend this.

From the outside, Wigan Bus Station looks nice with a relatively new sign, from the entrance from…read moreThe Galleries area but on the inside, it is just your typical bus station and in a way resembles Bury station, with a few platforms split off in a few mini-stations. They is a lot of buses which go from here, including to Manchester, Southport, Bolton and The Trafford Center, but I can't help but feel most of the buses are unneeded and go too far, for example Manchester is only around half an hour on the train, but getting the bus here is 85 minutes and when Southport is also around 1/2 an hour on the train, but still the bus takes nearly 2 hours which is ridiculous, considering services available from Wigan Wallgate. I think it is misleading for people who may not know the area for buses to take so long, when the train takes only a fraction of this, and going on one of these journeys is in a way a punishment, and I'm sure it wouldn't be much cheaper (if anything) than getting the train. I feel to get the best of public transport, the station should work with Wallgate and North Western to encourage people to use the train for longer journeys, and then this station can become a local hub, with more buses going to local destinations which will help benefit Wigan and local towns, and give people a better deal. As a station this is merely average and is your typical bus station, with a newsagents etc, it isn't terrible as it is good to have in central Wigan but sadly I don't feel it deserves over 2 stars.

We are traveling to Manchester to fly tomorrow Glad we are…read moreearly, the route is blocked for the day and we have to take two prepaid diversions to Victoria to finally get to the airport by 1800 hours. We plan ahead , hotel stay at airport tonight. No drama. Get a nice meal

I'm not really whether a particular station is the main station or not, but this seems to be the…read morestation where you catch trains to other parts of the country, even if that other part sort of happens to be Manchester. While it isn't a particularly huge station, it is does have quite a few facilities that make it a decent place to pass through, especially since you can dump your luggage in a room for dumping luggage, and also have a beer at the pub. It's also reasonably close to the city centre, and many of the places that one would want to visit if they happen to end up in Liverpool.

And when he eat the cookie he got good Formby…read more This is a super cute little station that is located on Merseyside on the way to Southport, and it's part of the Liverpool area and one of the nice stations that you'll see. It's an impressive and resplendent site (and sight) as it looks brand new, even though it's actually really old. And this station does a great job connecting Formby to the other parts of the greatest city in the UK. Liverpool.

This station looks like it's big, but it really isn't. You get off the train and think--wow, surely…read moreup those stairs inside that big brick building there's a cafe and a shop! But the only thing up there is a ticket booth, a vending machine, and some loos. There are two massive, enclosed shelters either side of the tracks for waiting in, which is great--but I can't help thinking they could have used the space better. There's not a whole lot around here, but there is a park on Duke Street and the local library branch is across the street from the park.

This little hub has a mere four bus stops, and connects the little Wirral village of Heswall to the…read morerest of the wide world. It's adorable, and conveniently located on Telegraph Road which is lined with shops, cafes, restaurants, and more. Take a right out of the station and walk up just a little way and you will come to a Costa, a pizza place, and a small book shop, Linghams (which also has a café inside!) Who could ask for anything more? Or, if you want the library, take a left and walk down. The fire station is also there in case you start a fire on the way (ha ha), and the police station only a little further down beyond those.

This is a cute little bus depot, with just four stops connecting the folks of Heswall with the rest…read moreof the Wirral Peninsula. You can get as far as Chester as you depart from to the left of this station, and as far as Liverpool if you depart from the right. The buses are frequent and clean, and the drivers.. Well they're miserable, like all bus drivers! There is a great little cafe connected to the bus station called Gill's Cafe, it's cheap, great quality and incredibly friendly. Aside from the cafe, there's a charity shop and a pub. So if you miss the bus you can go and buy a tatty old book a then go for a pint to peruse your newfound novella! The station is very safe as it's in a big open space in the centre of Heswall, just five minutes away from the local police station! It's one of the best kept stations that I've seen on the Wirral!

Ormskirk station is a proper old English train station. It makes me think of the Narnia books--yes,…read morethe books, not the films. I grew up on the books, and that's probably partly why I fell in love with England and eventually moved here. Naturally it's been done up to modern standards, but it still has the feel of an old railway station, making one almost wonder if at any second Miss Marple might hop off the train. Definitely a favourite station of mine in the North West.

Six months ago I would have given Delta 4 or maybe even 5 stars but their standards seem to be…read moreslipping. Delta used to be my first port of call if I was stuck for transport but now they're the last company I get in touch with. Recently, when you call they either don't answer or answer after a long wait, you then get told "sorry, we don't have a cab in your area, call back in 30 minutes". Not ideal when you've just missed your bus to work and you were hoping for a quick fix. They do provide 24 hour ring back which is useful, but most taxi companies do these days so I suppose it's nothing special.

I don't tend to get taxis on a regular basis, so my experiences with companies like Delta are…read morealmost entirely restricted to late-night trips home from town or Southport. Thankfully, the only bad experiences I've had when getting taxis home are with the absolutely idiotic black cab drivers that charge forty quid and refuse to stop more than once without putting the meter on first. Cretins of the highest order, we only get them if we really have to. Usually though we manage to get through to Delta no problem (late night Friday and Saturday can take a while sometimes, persistence is the key) and when we do we rarely have any problems. The wait can occasionally be a bit long but it is usually understandable and each driver we have had has been more than happy to put up with our drunken ramblings/conversations and has made many stops without any fuss (black cab drivers, take note). Their prices are easily the cheapest around (when going from Liverpool to Formby, at least) and their call back option means you can stay in your club or takeaway of choice for as long as you want without fear of your taxi driving past you. So if you're looking for a taxi home go with Delta and, whatever you do, avoid the black cabs at all costs.