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A new weekend night bus service is being launched between Liverpool,Wirral and Chester.

The new night buses operated by Stagecoach will be named the N1, and will follow the same route as the current number 1 daytime service.

The service will run every Friday and Saturday night from Friday, September 9 with the last buses leaving as late as 3.05am.

The N1 is running as a trial as part of the Liverpool City Region Bus Alliance and will be reviewed in December 2016.

Under the new routes:

· The last bus to Chester from Liverpool Sir Thomas Street is 1.35am.

· The last bus to Ellesmere Port Bus Station from Liverpool Sir Thomas Street is 3.05am.

· The last bus to Liverpool Whitechapel from Chester Bus Exchange is 1.35am.

· The last bus to Birkenhead from Chester Bus Exchange is 3.05am

The new service will cover Liverpool, Birkenhead, Rock Ferry, New Ferry, Bromborough Cross, Eastham Bridle Road, Little Sutton, Great Sutton, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire Oaks, Bache and Chester.

Stagecoach Gold buses will be used on the route and daytime dayrider, weekly megarider passes and Xtra tickets will be accepted at night. Single and return tickets will also be available.

The bus number will change from 1 to number N1 between midnight and 1am but the route will not change

Elisabeth Tasker, managing director of Stagecoach Merseyside and South Lancashire said: “The N1 addresses a key need for people across Merseyside and Cheshire and we’re delighted to be extending our services and providing people with the means to travel about and enjoy themselveson a Friday and Saturday night.

“We’re confident this service will be highly popular and will enable people to get home from work or play comfortably and affordably on our luxury Stagecoach Gold buses”

Arriva axed its weekend cross-river night bus services in July 2014, saying they had become too costly to run due to falling passenger numbers.

It previously operated night buses from Liverpool to Moreton, West Kirby and New Brighton.

Passengers faced a further blow in April last year when the 500 and 501 night buses, which ran from the city centre to Hamilton Square and New Brighton, were withdrawn.

For a full N1 timetable visit www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/merseyside-and-south-lancashire/night-buses-on-the-1-liverpool-to-chester