The Passenger Transport Authority and Passenger Transport Executive were both established by the 1968 Transport Act. The main remit under the Act is for the Authority to "formulate.. general policies with respect to public passenger transport" and the Executive "carrying out such policies". The 1968 Act gave the Authority/Executive an area that covered Merseyside except Southport and St Helens.

The Merseyside Passenger Transport Area (Adoption of Enactments and Instruments) Order 1973 made provision for the existing Executive to become the Passenger Transport Executive for the County of Merseyside. The Authority was dissolved with the vesting of property, rights and liabilities being transferred to Merseyside County Council. At the same time the designated area became the whole of the County of Merseyside. These changes became operative from 1 April 1974.

The Local Government Act 1985 established a new Passenger Transport Authority for Merseyside on the abolition of Merseyside County Council. The transport Act 1985 amended the functions to take into account bus deregulation and the privatisation of bus operations. The designated area remained the County of Merseyside.

For more detailed information please click on the following links:

24 Hatton Garden (Merseytravel Head Office) (PDF Download - 626k).

Merseyrail (PDF Download - 190k).

Mersey Tunnels (PDF Download - 72k).

Mersey Ferries (PDF Download - 127k).

The Liverpool Overhead Railway (PDF Download - 222k).

Merseyside Tram Facts (PDF Download - 523k).