North West Bus Service Changes due to Coronavirus outbreak

[knutstransport]

RE: North West Bus Service Changes due to Coronavirus outbreak

(05/05/2020 06:22)M60lad Wrote:  I would have thought Buses will have an increase in service when people start going back to work as theirs a lot of people that do rely on public transport to get them to and from work (wherever that may be) and running an hourly service wont suit them.

For example I work in Manchester and when I eventually go back to work if I miss my bus home I've got an hour to wait for the next bus as I've only got an hourly bus service to/from Manchester at the moment.

The current plan (based on leaked documents) seems to be the government will expect office workers who can work from home to continue to do so and other people who are currently not working will start to return to work - with some exceptions like schools and pubs remaining closed for now. They'll also encourage staggered starting and finishing times to try and prevent overcrowded public transport services and so that workplaces are quieter.

With trains DfT can tell franchised operators to return to the usual service level and if they get fewer passengers than expected then DfT can give them revenue support.

While DfT could offer a bus operator grant to bus operators they'll probably leave it up to local authorities so what happens with commercial services and if DfT provide extra funding for local authorities will it be enough?