Ride, Rhythm & Rain. (Liverpool 'River of Light Festival' 2019)

Arriva BT66 MTU. Volvo B5LH with Wright H45/21F body.

During November 2019, the City of Liverpool held a city wide Son et lumière as a way of brushing off the early winter blues.

At my age, I no longer need "A ticket to Ride" just a bus pass and "With a little help from my friends", who keep an up-to-date set of timetables, I can get  “Here, There, and Everywhere” or in this case Stagecoach Gold service 417, so I stand at the bus stop in the hope it “Don’t Let Me Down”. The comfortable Scania/Alexander Dennis E40D with coach seats makes the journey on “The Long and Winding Road” a pleasure and there is no need for me to “Drive My Car”.

Arriva SL64 JHU. Alexander Dennis E40D H47/31F.

“Do You Want to Know a Secret” - Liverpool has the finest architecture of any city in Britain. It is an excellent choice for any "Day Tripper” regardless of the weather, and today it is mainly rain although at one point I did think “Here Comes the Sun” which is problematic for photographs at this time of year with so many tall buildings. When it comes to bus hunting, the various city centre termini are well spread out and require some forward planning to prevent excessive walking but “We Can Work It Out” and it's “Getting Better” all of the time. The good news is that a new traffic management system is planned which should reduce on-street terminals and make more use of Liverpool One (Paradise Street) bus station thereby reducing the chaos in Queens Square.

Starting my tour at one of the highest points in the city centre, opposite Lime Street Station, I'm the only "Fool on the Hill" as gentle rain adds to the gloom, but traffic is slow outside the Liverpool Empire so buses "Don't pass me by" as they queue where bus lanes once kept things moving. Around the corner at the top of Queens Square, the endless stream of buses is held at traffic lights giving the Radio City Tower a chance to shine in the background. Continuing down the hill, the junction of Queens Square and Whitechapel provides the next photo opportunity where buses heading north and tunnel buses heading onto the Wirral are "All together now".  Avoiding the major works to improve pavements as part of the city centre 'connectivity', it is a short cut through the pedestrianised alley ways around the reconstructed Cavern Club where "Eleanor Rigby", no longer buried in the church where nobody came, sits overlooked by Cilla Black and surrounded by all the lonely people: where do they all come from? The Town Hall provides the backdrop for the first light display which is a selection of giant illuminated inflatable white rabbits, very Jefferson Airplane. Onward via the drum n bass light show at Liverpool Parish Church, across the road to what bus blinds once displayed as Pier Head , Arriva and Stagecoach now call Mann Island, why can’t they just "Let it Be".

Arriva SL64 JFK. Alexander Dennis E40D H47/31F.

In daylight, the Liver Building and a new black, glassed building opposite provide excellent focal points for photographs of buses terminating here. Tonight, it is the light show on the buildings that are the main attraction and "You’ll never walk alone" as the crowds sweep us along towards the rejuvenated Albert Dock, past a Routemaster, American school bus and fake steam bus all now acting as food outlets. The “Magical Mystery Tour” bus stop has a Setra in full psychedelic livery awaiting sightseers and is close to a walk through the time tunnel; sadly just a tunnel of white lights that tonight only transport you as far as Liverpool One Bus Station which is now devoid of Arriva's full electric BYDs - no doubt lacking sufficient charge after a full day’s work to continue through the evening with all lights blazing.

Arriva SL64 JDO. Alexander Dennis E40D H47/31R.

It has been a long day, “I’m So Tired” it must be time to “Get Back” to Cooks Street, the starting point for all tunnel buses until 9pm when they start short working from Sir Thomas Street, don't  “Ask Me Why”. All tunnel buses are provided by Arriva apart from routes 471/472 which are joint services with Stagecoach under a Merseyside PTE quality contract. Tonight Stagecoach Gold will provide my "Ferry cross the Mersey" and “When I Get Home” it will be time for a nice cup of tea.

With the weather as it was, "Something" tells me I should have been here "Yesterday" because it was a “Good Day Sunshine”.

I recon that's 25 to the Beatles and 2 to Gerry and the Pacemakers.

Halton DK03 TNL. Dennis Dart SLF with East Lancs B43F body.

Heading home Stagecoach buses departing Liverpool city centre.