Brighton & Hove Buses welcomes government funding and makes further timetable changes
Brighton & Hove Buses has welcomed the government’s decision today to provide £167m of new funding, which will be made available to bus operators for at least the next 12 weeks.
Brighton & Hove Buses’ Managing Director Martin Harris said this positive development reflected the bus company’s own determination and commitment to ensuring key workers and people making essential journeys can get to where they need to by bus.
As part of this commitment, Brighton & Hove Buses will introduce a special timetable from Sunday 5 April, with an emphasis on maintaining early morning bus services for key workers and connecting communities for essential journeys, while reducing some day and evening services.
Martin said: “The additional funding made available by government will help us continue to ensure passenger load numbers are well managed and to maintain the two-metre guidelines while still getting key workers and other people to where they need to be.
“The service patterns are designed to ensure we observe the government’s 50% passenger loading limit for each journey. In reality, few journeys will get near to this limit but we will monitor this very carefully.”
The new timetable includes a temporary reduction in daytime and evening buses and halt to night bus routes.
There has been a 90% drop in passenger numbers following the government’s advice for people to limit their travel to essential journeys during the coronavirus.
Martin said: “We are working hard to provide the right level of service for our communities. Our primary focus is get the city’s NHS staff and other key workers to and from work and keeping people connected when they need to travel to buy essentials and collect prescriptions.
“This will mean that fewer journeys will operate in the day and in the evening but we are making sure we run buses at the times when they are most needed. We continue to offer a network that provides citywide coverage, despite the challenging circumstances.
“I am exceptionally proud of how our drivers and other frontline colleagues have risen to the challenge of keeping services going and how well we have all supported one another during these difficult times.”
Martin said the company was grateful to passengers who were supporting the requirement to maintain social distancing on the bus, where possible. Social distancing posters will soon be appearing on buses to emphasise the importance of this.
The bus company is also encouraging people to use contactless or mobile phones to pay their fares, rather than cash, to reduce the risk to drivers.
Meanwhile, Brighton & Hove Buses is maintaining an enhanced cleaning schedule, including bus deep cleans, while paying particular attention to frequent touch-points, like hand rails and stop buttons.
You can find all the new special timetables here. The changes come in on Sunday 5 April and will last until further notice.
Brighton & Hove Buses welcomes government funding and makes further timetable changes