Mersey tunnel query - Wirral-Wikiwirral

Hi
Did the Mersey tunnel ever charge per person rather than per vehicle?
A friend has posed this question, wondered if it were true.
Thanks,
Suzy

When the tunnel first opened in 1934, I think I'm right in saying it was 12d, a shilling per person,5p in today's money. can't remember where I read that or how long that method of payment lasted. If it was that method of payment now, the car boots would be splitting at the seams.

http://www.tunnelusers.org.uk/history.htm

It would seem the Kingsway was started off at 10p per car but need to search further for the Queensway.

I can't be certain about this but I'm pretty sure that at one time you had to pay per person, why else would my friend's dad have put me in the back and covered me with a sack? - We went to Lime Street station to pick up a parcel and for the rest of the day I was terrified of being seen. Ah well, at least it taught me my place in life LOL.

It looks fairly certain that the charges were originally per person.

I've got a booklet about the tunnel which says: 'On July 21, 1958, a new simplified toll structure was brought into operation, standardising the toll for a private car at 1s 6d and giving exemption from the payment toll of passengers conveyed in private cars or goods vehicles.'

See also this toll booklet (attached) published about 1963-1964.

Attached picture tolls.jpg

Great thanks for sharing that Yoller.

Surely that just says cars are 1/6d.Only when you get into minibus size does it go over that.It would be a big car for 8 persons.

It's interesting to see that although they had stopped levying tolls on individuals in cars in 1958, they were still charging people who went through the tunnel in taxis and on coaches and buses (I assume that's what they mean by Hackney Vehicles). It was a penny for children and tuppence for over-14s.

I wonder how these tolls were paid when a crowded bus drew up at the toll booth? Did the driver have to hand over cash to cover all on board, or did passengers have to pay individually? No wonder there were always massive queues for the tunnel when I was a kid.