BUS users have the opportunity to comment on major proposals to change to the town’s network from today (Monday, June 27).

Merseytravel says its vision, which affect some supported services following cuts in public sector funding, will make the network "simpler and clearer".

It says consideration has been given to how "increasingly limited public resources can be focussed where there is most need".

Transport leaders add that the impacts of changes have been "mitigated by re-routing or extending existing commercial services where possible to negate the need for a service supported by public funding".

The latest round of consultation follows events in May which saw more than 600 people attend and more than 200 offer their feedback on their frequency and pattern of bus use, including those services publicly funded by Merseytravel, and what might make them use buses more.

St Helens is the second area to be reviewed as part of a wider review of the whole Liverpool City Region bus network over the next 12 months

Merseytravel admitted there are changes that will not suit everybody but did point to several areas where they believe there are improvements.

• New direct service from St Helens town centre to Haydock Industrial Estate, seven days a week throughout the daytime and evening

• A service every two hours from St Helens Town Centre to Ormskirk & Edge Hill University from the current three times a day provision

• New Bus Provision for Waterside Village Housing Development in Lea Green

• Improved Sunday morning bus provision between Widnes and St Helens with a regular hourly service, compared with the current two early morning services and then no service until the afternoon.

Proposals are available for view and comment online at www.merseytravel.gov.uk/busreview until Monday, July 4, or via a drop-in event to be held at Church Square from 10am-5pm on Tuesday, June 28.

A Merseytravel statement read: "Historically bus routes have been considered on a piecemeal basis and the idea is to consider the commercial network and the supported network – that which relies on public subsidy via Merseytravel – as a whole for the first time to ensure it best reflects current working and living patterns, new developments and how they are served."

To make the network easier to understand there are also plans to make the evening network to reflect the daytime services both in route and number

The proposals endeavour to ensure that everyone is within reasonable distance of a bus service.

The changes would come into effect in September 2016.

Cllr Liam Robinson, chair of Merseytravel said: “We are grateful for the input we had from St Helens residents on their patterns of bus use and what would get them to use it more. We now want comments on these detailed proposals before we finalise the plans.

“We’ve worked hard with bus operators in re-scoping the network and believe the proposals will offer a network that is clearer, simpler and with some real benefits.

“We recognise that there may be some proposed changes that don’t suit everybody, but we’ve been looking at how we can best meet people’s needs within budget constraints due to government spending cuts.

“This is us working innovatively, through the Bus Alliance when other areas outside the Liverpool City Region, due to budget pressures, are seeing some communities left without any bus services.”