MERSEY Ferries will temporarily suspend the current morning and evening commuter service from Monday due to a reduction in demand during the coronavirus crisis.

Current figures show there are less that 20 passengers per day using the service through self-isolation and social distancing.

Bus services have also seen a decline in passenger numbers and operators are continuing to provide services with revised timetables across the network.

The following advice is for those key workers using public transport for essential journeys:

Check timetables before you travel each day, go to websites, journey apps and social media for the latest information.

Mersey Ferries customers should look for cross river rail and bus services For cross river travel, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has suspended tunnel tolls allowing for reduced cross river travel costs.

Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: "Everyone knows that, other than for essential journeys, you should stay at home and our transport figures reflect that so thank you to people for following that crucial advice to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

"I also know how important it is for our key workers to be able to use public transport, so they can get to and from work to carry out essential services in our communities.

"That is why we are working with transport operators to do everything we can to provide the best and most reliable services possible, against a backdrop of extremely challenging circumstances, whilst protecting both people who have to travel and transport staff.

"I must commend our customers who continue to be extremely understanding and I know you will appreciate that some decisions are currently being made to ensure that we can continue to provide a resilient transport network and options rather than have no services at all.

"I strongly urge everyone to continue to follow the latest official advice, stay safe and thank you."

For the latest travel and timetable information customers should check the Merseytravel and transport operators’ webpages and social media platforms in the first instance and on a daily basis as there are likely to be more changes ahead.