News release
21st January 2021
Merseyflow app use increasing as January traffic levels dip sharply in lockdown
January 2021 is set to be one of the quietest month on record for traffic levels across the Mersey Gateway Bridge.
By contrast, November’s ‘lockdown’ had little impact on traffic levels, which were twice as high as they were at the time of the spring lockdown in April 2020, according to the latest Mersey Gateway quarterly dashboard.
The latest quarterly figures, which are presented in the quarterly Mersey Gateway dashboard and cover October – December 2020, also show:
- The merseyflow app was used to pay for a record 24% of journeys, showing how popular it has become since it was first introduced just over a year ago.
- Almost 90% of journeys made by unregistered customers were paid for via the merseyflow app or website. By contrast, just 6% of unregistered customers – those who don’t have a merseyflow discount account set up – chose to pay by phone.
- PCNs continue to fall relative to journey numbers – journey levels have dropped by 24% compared to this time last year, whereas PCNs have dropped by 32%.
- Almost 98% of all crossings were paid for on time – the percentage of people not paying on time remains very small.
The number of people using the app is continuing to grow month on month. Merseyflow customers can now use it to set up a profile and use auto-pay every time they cross the bridge, giving another 24/7 quick and easy payment option alongside the website.
This option is helping reduce the number PCNs issued and contributing to the ongoing improvement in payment on time rates, which now stands at almost 98% for all journeys.
Mike Bennett, Managing Director of the Mersey Gateway Crossings Board, said: “The Mersey Gateway Bridge traffic levels are proving an interesting barometer of activity across different lockdowns. We are clearly seeing that the January lockdown has had a much bigger impact on traffic levels than the November restrictions, which reflects the wider challenges the country is facing.”
He added: “The merseyflow app has proved incredibly popular since it was introduced just over a year ago and the fact that we now have more and more people using it and are issuing fewer PCNs because more people are paying on time is good news all round.”
Neil Conway, Chief Executive of merseyflow, said: “The vast majority of journeys across the Mersey Gateway Bridge are made by customers who have a registered discount account with us, so they don’t need to do anything to pay each time they cross, providing their account is in credit.
Where people haven’t registered for a discount, almost 90% of these one-off journeys are being paid for by customers through either the merseyflow app or website, so it’s clear that most people are choosing digital channels to pay for their crossings.
Whilst the Merseyflow Walk-in Centre remains closed due to the lockdown restrictions, our contact centre and 24/7 auto phone payments systems are still there for customers who choose to pay by phone because we recognise that not everyone is comfortable with digital options.”
The quarterly merseyflow dashboard provides a range of in-depth statistics and graphs which show information on the number of crossings made, average daily traffic, number of PCNs issued, methods of payment, payments made on time, total revenue and what percentage of this comes from PCNs.