Transport First Bus urges use of masks on board
BOSSES at Bristol’s main bus company First Bus are ‘recommending’ that their passengers continue to wear a face mask from today, as the Government’s requirement to do so is lifted.
The company is embarking on a campaign to persuade people to keep the masks on when on the buses, but the rules will not be mandatory.
First Bus said it was “following Government guidance”, but Bristol and the West of England is set to be among the odd ones out when it comes to the question of whether passengers on public transport should be required rather than requested to wear a facemask from today.
On Thursday, the West of England metro mayor Dan Norris, the man responsible for public transport in Bristol, Bath, South Gloucestershire and North East Somerset, added his name to an open letter signed by six metro mayors across England.
It called on the Government to keep the requirement for mask-wearing to be mandatory on public transport in England, because it is the enclosed space most people will come into contact with others on an average day.
But unlike the metro mayors of West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, Liverpool, North of Tyne and the Sheffield City Region, Mr Norris does not have the power to override the Government’s relaxation of mandatory maskwearing in certain locations.
Last week, First Bus confirmed it would not be requiring passengers to wear masks on its buses, but on Friday it went on to say it was “recommending people do wear a mask.
“At First Bus, the health, safety and comfort of our colleagues and customers remains front and centre,” the statement said. “We are following Government guidance and recommending that those customers who can, continue to wear a face covering on board our buses, especially when services are busy.
“We encourage everyone to respect their fellow passengers and look out for one another.
“Together with practical measures such as enhanced daily cleaning with long-lasting sanitiser and open windows for ventilation to maintain safe travel, our customers can plan journeys on the First Bus App, providing live updates on bus capacity and seating,” the statement added.
Signs and stickers that for the past year or more have told passengers that masks must be worn inside all First’s buses in the Bristol and Bath fleet will this weekend be peeled off and replaced by new advice saying the masks are encouraged.
And passengers on board the buses with a recorded on-board stop announcement will also hear a personal message from Mr Norris asking people to still wear masks.
Mr Norris’s letter to the Government, co-signed with West Yorkshire’s Tracy Brabin, Greater Manchester’s Andy Burnham, Liverpool’s Steve Rotheram, North of Tyne’s Jamie Driscoll and Sheffield’s Dan Jarvis, said masks should stay mandatory.
“As Metro Mayors collectively representing 10 million people, we disagree with the Government’s decision to remove the requirement to wear face coverings on public transport,” it said.
“We believe this puts people who are clinically extremely vulnerable in an unfair position and could affect their ability to travel.
“We call on the government to reverse their decision. In the interim, we will use the limited powers we have to require the wearing of face coverings where we can, despite the practical challenges of that.”