North West Bus Service Changes due to Coronavirus outbreak

[iMarkeh]

RE: North West Bus Service Changes due to Coronavirus outbreak

(10/05/2020 10:13)knutstransport Wrote:  Surely how many people you can fit on a bus, while maintaining social distancing depends who is on the bus. For instance, if 4 people who work together share a house together and they use the bus to get to work then they can sit together on the bus while maintaining social distancing guidelines. If, on the other hand, you have all people from different households on the bus then you would need to ensure no-one sits next to them or behind them or in front of them to ensure social distancing guidelines are followed.

Also if it's a shuttle bus where everyone is getting off at the same stop, you could perhaps say there's room for 2 or 3 standing passengers at the front, as the people sat at the back won't need to get off before them.

One thing that will need to be considered is how often buses are cleaned, especially how often the stop buttons and poles are wiped cleaned. Will the drivers be willing to do that between trips or will it create industrial unrest if managers suggest it?

I 100% agree with your first and second point. I think it would be hard to monitor. As we have seen with the lockdown, people will take the rules into their own hands and will do whatever they can to see friends. Shuttle buses would have to be agreed on a route by route basis with unions.

On your last point, I'm not sure if it will continue but Arriva Chester is paying a driver to sit at Chester interchange and clean buses as they come in between trips. Some Stagecoach Chester drivers are also using their layover to clean the buses. I can't comment on other areas.