A Liverpool entrepreneur who runs a popular matchday travel service for football fans has voiced serious concerns that the region's move to a franchised bus system could force his family business to close.
From Taxi Driver to Matchday Maverick
Tony Mullane, a former taxi driver with over three decades of experience, launched Taxi One in May 2011. His inspiration came after being told he couldn't pick up passengers at bus stops while working as a cabbie. A chance discovery of a special restricted licence in a library allowed him to legally operate a shared taxi-bus service, primarily ferrying Liverpool FC supporters to Anfield on matchdays for just £2 per journey, with OAPs travelling free.
His service has grown to employ 12 drivers and offers an alternative to the official Merseytravel Soccerbus. "I thought I'd hit the jackpot at first," Mullane said, reflecting on building the business. "What we do is give the punters a choice."
The Threat of Public Control
The future of this choice is now in doubt due to the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority's landmark decision in October 2023 to adopt a bus franchising model. This move, championed by Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram, will reverse nearly 40 years of deregulation.
The model will give public officials control over fares, routes, and timetables across the six boroughs of Liverpool, Wirral, Sefton, St Helens, Knowsley, and Halton. While buses will carry the Combined Authority's branding and be publicly owned, day-to-day operations will be run by commercial companies like Arriva and Stagecoach.
The rollout is scheduled to begin in St Helens in 2026, followed by Wirral, with the entire network expected to be operational by the end of 2027. This makes the Liverpool City Region only the second area outside London to implement such a system.
Tony Mullane fears his niche operation won't survive the change. "The service is now under threat because Mayor Rotheram is taking the buses back into public control," he stated. "All the small family firms are now being hung out to dry. There's no guarantee my business will have a future."
Authority Response and the Path Forward
A spokesperson for the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority defended the franchising plan, stating it would allow the network to be run "in the interests of passengers rather than private shareholders" and enable better integration with other transport like new trains and ferries.
Crucially for operators like Mullane, the authority indicated that services for events, which sit outside the core daily network, would have a pathway. "Operators providing services to and from events... will have the opportunity to apply for separate service permits," the spokesperson confirmed.
A consultation on these specific service permits is planned to open in early 2026, with more details to follow in the coming months. This process will ultimately determine whether businesses like Taxi One can continue providing their specialised matchday travel options under the new franchised regime.
