Buses and the coronavirus

[squizzler]

Here is a video put on twitter (and facebook) by Libertybus of Jersey. It is an excellent example of how companies can provide reassurance, woo customers back on board, and hopefully readers will soon report similar initiatives by their local operators going forward.

LibertyBus (@LibertyBusje) Tweeted: If you're worried about getting back on the bus then here's what we've done to help keep you safe. https://t.co/jiPTYhvDvW

 

[Flange Squeal]

I thought this news story was worthy of mention. A French bus driver has been declared “brain dead” after being repeatedly punched by people they refused travel due to not wearing compulsory face coverings.

Bus driver is left brain dead after he was beaten up for refusing to let group of passengers without masks get on board in France

A bus driver in France was declared brain dead today after being attacked by several people he refused to let aboard because they were not wearing masks.

The alleged attackers tried to board a bus in Bayonne last night without tickets or masks, which are mandatory on public transport across France.

When the driver, in his 50s, tried to prevent their entry he was repeatedly punched in an assault that left him with a serious head injury.

A police source in Bayonne, near the Atlantic resort of Biarritz in southwestern France, said one person was in custody and other suspects were being sought.

The driver was unconscious when brought to hospital, and doctors declared him brain dead on Monday, the police source said.

Regional bus services were disrupted Monday after several of the driver's colleagues refused to work in protest against the brutal attack.

The bus company voiced support for the protest and said the impromptu strike was 'completely legitimate', French media said.

Another group of drivers walked to the hospital to show their support for the man, who is being treated in a grave condition.

Fellow bus drivers said they were shocked but not surprised by the attack after a spate of assaults in recent days, according to Sud Ouest.

The drivers said there had been 'daily tensions' with passengers in recent days and blamed a lack of security on public transport.

Masks became compulsory on public transport as France edged out of lockdown in May and June.

Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...brain-dead-beaten-insisting-masks-France.html

 

[scotrail158713]

I thought this news story was worthy of mention. A French bus driver has been declared “brain dead” after being repeatedly punched by people they refused travel due to not wearing compulsory face coverings.


Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...brain-dead-beaten-insisting-masks-France.html

That’s shocking. I hope anyone wanting drivers to police masks reads this and then reconsiders their view - if I was a driver I wouldn’t bother.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

Rosso tweeted the following earlier today:

We’re looking forward to seeing more of you on board and capacity restrictions are being lifted

Everyone should wear a face covering, and please try to sit only in the window seats, unless you’re a family who can sit together.

Light at the end of the tunnel!

I hope other operators (bus and rail) take note.

 

[anthony263]

Goodness! That's a refreshing attiitude.

Adventure travel are the same

 

[anthony263]

That’s shocking. I hope anyone wanting drivers to police masks reads this and then reconsiders their view - if I was a driver I wouldn’t bother.

Ive shown this to my wife and family. Proves I was right to be wary about bothering to get passengers to wear masks

 

[PG]

Ive shown this to my wife and family. Proves I was right to be wary about bothering to get passengers to wear masks

Exactly! Leave policing of restrictions to, er, the Police.

 

[anthony263]

Exactly! Leave policing of restrictions to, er, the Police.

End of the day me and the wife have an 8 month old daughter. I want to be there to watch her grow up. I go to work to earn money not to enforcevlaws etc otherwise I'd had joined the police not become a bus driver

 

[anthony263]

plus I've already been told I had the virus at some point in the past and I've had no illness or symptoms which frightened both me and the wife.

At the end of the day you can get this virus in a lot of places however I'm suspected of having MS but I'm not gonna,let fear stop me

 

[AdamWW]

In Wales, the position is a bit unclear.

The Covid FAQ says: "Can I use public transport? Yes. There are., however. fewer train services and many buses have reduced capacity.... Please follow the guidance on using public transport."

This looks pretty promising for those of us without cars who would like to be able to take advantage of the new freedoms to have a day out, visit family, and maybe even have a holiday.

Sadly the linked guidance then gives a very small list of essential journeys which are the only ones permitted on public transport.

This doesn't seem the best way of presenting the information. Until recently the guidance document was several weeks old so I assumed it was out of date.
But it has now been updated with the "essential travel only" message retained so it still seems to be policy - or at least gives bus companies ample justification to say that it is.

 

[anthony263]

Welsh Government/TFW's are looking ar re organising bus network in Wales and the funding

 

[AdamWW]

Welsh Government/TFW's are looking ar re organising bus network in Wales and the funding

Well that's nice.

But I would have thought that giving a clear message for now wouldn't need "looking at"?

Saying "Yes you can use the bus but please follow the guidance" and then the guidance saying "Well actually unless your journey is on this list of things we consider essential then no you can't" doesn't seem the right approach to me.

 

[anthony263]

I agree a consistent message would be great for both passengers and companies. Its starting to show thst we can't keep the 2m rule on buses . Despite worries bus use is picking back up again

 

[Jamesrob637]

I've not seen more than 2 or 3 on the buses near me lately and anybody in/from Greater Manchester will know/know of the 192 Stockport - that includes the 192 also.

I saw buses with 2 on them even during the restrictions - mostly 1, occasionally 2, sometimes 0. So bus usage is still extremely minimal here. Buses are often having to stop because they're running early, which is an issue because many of the bus stops away from the A6 aren't caved in to the pavement so it means blocking a live lane on roads that are nearly as busy as pre-COVID-19 off-peak.

 

[Belperpete]

In Wales, the position is a bit unclear. The Covid FAQ says: "Can I use public transport? Yes. There are., however. fewer train services and many buses have reduced capacity.... Please follow the guidance on using public transport."

The guidance doesn't appear to have been updated since June.

I note that Lloyd's are consulting about introducing pre-booking for their TrawsCymru services.
Lloyds Coaches

(Monday 6 July) Do you travel on TrawsCymru services? In these days of restricted numbers on board vehicles we are looking at pre-booking. Do you want to share your views with us? Click here to access the questionnaire https://forms.gle/coHWwZ3cqwZYP5A96

 

[AdamWW]

The guidance doesn't appear to have been updated since June.

It might not have changed since June, but it now has a July "update" date which suggests that if it hasn't been updated, that's because the contents are still valid.

 

[route101]

Found it interestig the first buses in Glasgow have seats blocked of with sashes , yet in Edinburgh with Lothian its the common sense approach

 

[MrTurbostar170]

One person per double seat on Stagecoach from tomorrow:

https://twitter.com/Stagecoach_East/status/1280881882545164289

There will be greater capacity on our buses from tomorrow! The latest guidelines are:

One Person per double seat

You must wear a face covering unless exempt

Please leave the seat behind the driver free Find out more about travelling safely:

 

[RomeoCharlie71]

One person per double seat on Stagecoach from tomorrow:

https://twitter.com/Stagecoach_East/status/1280881882545164289

This won't apply in Scotland, however.

 

[route101]

This won't apply in Scotland, however.

Was on a Stagecoach bus in Scotland few weeks back with no seat sashes.

 

[RomeoCharlie71]

Was on a Stagecoach bus in Scotland few weeks back with no seat sashes.

What is with the sudden interest in seat sashes? There is no legal obligation for operators to use these on buses. In fact some operators have started removing them! We cannot continue leading our lives under constant instruction like this, common sense prevails.

For what it's worth, Stagecoach have applied tick/cross stickers to seat rows indicating where to sit, and have been applied since the 29th June. So the service increase wasn't really an increase at all.

 

[AdamWW]

It might not have changed since June, but it now has a July "update" date which suggests that if it hasn't been updated, that's because the contents are still valid.

View attachment 80510

And I have now had it confirmed from the Minister for Transport that the essential travel requirement remains in Wales.

(With no suggestion of a timescale for it to be removed, or attempt to show any understanding for those stuck indefinitely at home if they do what they're told - the capacity is needed for key workers so tough).

 

[Mag_seven]

What is with the sudden interest in seat sashes?

They have them on the buses where I am here.

I've also seen "sorry bus full" signs on some buses.

Why can't we just accept that social distancing is not always possible on public transport and that is why we have to wear a face covering. We really can't continue with this "reduced capacity" nonsense for much longer if we are going to get the economy going again.

 

[RomeoCharlie71]

Why can't we just accept that social distancing is not always possible on public transport and that is why we have to wear a face covering. We really can't continue with this "reduced capacity " for much longer if we are going to get the economy going again.

I think the biggest challenge will be when schools return - and for once, Scotland will be facing that challenge before England!

 

[anthony263]

And I have now had it confirmed from the Minister for Transport that the essential travel requirement remains in Wales.

(With no suggestion of a timescale for it to be removed, or attempt to show any understanding for those stuck indefinitely at home if they do what they're told - the capacity is needed for key workers so tough).

Stupid first minister can sod off for all I care. No need for lockdown now many of the younger generations are fed up and police have said to us they are seeing more people ignoring social distancing

 

[Bikeman78]

And I have now had it confirmed from the Minister for Transport that the essential travel requirement remains in Wales.

(With no suggestion of a timescale for it to be removed, or attempt to show any understanding for those stuck indefinitely at home if they do what they're told - the capacity is needed for key workers so tough).

TFW are still blasting the message out over the PA. Bit late once you are already on the train. Cardiff Bus seem to have a more relaxed attitude. They have never had seats out of use. At the height of lockdown, the buses I saw had zero to five people on so spreading out was easy. Now that numbers are slowly rising, people just get on even if there are already 10 people on the bus. Either way, seats labels are an expensive waste of time.

 

[AdamWW]

TFW are still blasting the message out over the PA. Bit late once you are already on the train. Cardiff Bus seem to have a more relaxed attitude. They have never had seats out of use. At the height of lockdown, the buses I saw had zero to five people on so spreading out was easy. Now that numbers are slowly rising, people just get on even if there are already 10 people on the bus. Either way, seats labels are an expensive waste of time.

There might have been an announcement like that on my way home on the train yesterday but as the windows were open and it was a bit quiet, mercifully I have no idea what they were saying.

 

[Belperpete]

It might not have changed since June, but it now has a July "update" date which suggests that if it hasn't been updated, that's because the contents are still valid.

View attachment 80510

And it now appears to have been updated again:

First published: 22 May 2020
Last updated: 8 July 2020

 

[AdamWW]

And it now appears to have been updated again:

Ah yes.

It starts off quite promisingly by "encouraging" people to leave public transport for those for whom it's essential, and to "consider" all other forms of transport first.

But further down we're back to the idea that you "should" only use public transport for a short list of essential reasons.

Oddly one of the four permitted reasons is "for daily exercise".

 

[RomeoCharlie71]

As the face coverings on public transport thread is locked, I thought this would be the best place to say: Nicola Sturgeon has announced in the past few minutes (in her parliamentary briefing) that wearing a face covering on public transport, for the foreseeable future, will be as normal as wearing a seatbelt in a car.