An authority representative said the move was part of a series of initiatives brought in by the mayor “to help reduce the cost of public transport in the city region”.

Other measures have included freezing ticket prices on Merseyrail, capping bus fares at £2, offering unlimited daily bus travel for young people for £2.20 and “maintaining the country’s most generous concessionary travel scheme… giving local people travel pass seven years ahead of the national scheme”.

Mr Rotheram said making public transport “more affordable and accessible” was a key part of his mission “to build a transport network for everyone”.

“This £2 unlimited travel offer will help start off 2025 in the best way by helping people get around the Liverpool City Region without worrying about cost,” he said.

He said his administration had “delivered the UK’s first publicly-owned train fleet in a generation” and he hoped “as many people as possible” would use the offer to see the region’s best places “from the coastline of Formby and New Brighton to wonderful museums and cultural attractions in Liverpool city centre”.