Passengers talk about bus travel during Covid
Brighton and Hove and Metrobus has interviewed passengers about their experiences of travelling by bus during Coronavirus.
The bus company interviewed passengers at busy locations, including Brighton Station, Churchill Square and Crawley Bus Station, asking what it had been like catching the bus since the pandemic began.
Passengers spoke about people following government guidelines on wearing face coverings and observing social distancing and the bus cleaning the company was doing.
One passenger said: “Everyone seems to be cooperating with social distancing and I’ve noticed that everyone seems to be wearing masks”, while another said: “I’m glad to be back on the bus, I’ve got my freedom back”.
Bus company Managing Director Martin Harris said: “We know it has been an uncertain and anxious time for everyone, especially with regularly changing government guidance on areas like essential travel, social distancing and face coverings, but we’ve done our best to keep our passengers up to date and to reassure them it’s safe to travel by bus.
“I can’t stress enough, please put on a face covering to protect yourself and others, unless you are exempt. It’s really important to keep your face covering on for the entire journey so it covers your nose and mouth. Put it on and keep it on.”
Martin said buses were cleaned up to five times a day, with cleaners jumping on buses during the day to clean frequent touch points, like handrails and stop buttons, and giving buses a thorough clean at night.
There are hand sanitiser dispensers on every bus and cash payments are restricted to reduce contact.
He said that on-board announcements and signs advised people about the importance of social distancing, face coverings and keeping windows open. Bus capacity limits are clearly marked on the outside of buses by the door and repeated at the driver’s cab, complying with government guidance on social distancing on buses.
These limits equate to around 50% of usual capacity.
There is also information on the bus company’s website, social media and at bus stops. Passengers can check how busy their next bus is using the live journey planning tool on the Brighton and Hove Buses’ website, said Martin.
“From schedulers to cleaners, drivers to engineers, we’ve kept going throughout the pandemic, taking keyworkers to and from their jobs and keeping people connected and I’m proud of every one of our colleagues,” said Martin.
For more information on safe travel, face coverings and journey planning visit: https://www.buses.co.uk/