Since the Government’s ‘Plan B’ restrictions were lifted and regulations are relaxed across England on Thursday 27 January, Transport for London (TfL) has been reminding customers that face coverings remain a requirement to be worn on its services. TfL intends to retain the condition of carriage requiring all customers using any TfL service or station to wear a face covering unless they are exempt. Those who do not comply could be prevented from entering the network or asked to leave TfL services.
Following the Government’s decision to remove working from home guidance, TfL said it has seen public transport use grow in recent days as London recovers from the pandemic. In early December 2021, prior to the introduction of ‘Plan B’ measures, ridership on its buses was reported to be regularly reaching 75% of pre-pandemic levels.
In recent weeks, TfL said it was seeing weekday bus ridership up at around 4.25m journeys per day, or about 70% of pre-pandemic levels. At weekends, bus ridership remains closer to pre-pandemic levels, with TfL figures indicating that millions of Londoners are regularly using public transport across the city, which it says shows continued confidence that services are safe, clean and reliable.
Lilli Matson, TfL’s Chief Safety, Health and Environment Officer, said: “We’re looking forward to welcoming many more people back to our network as they return to offices and workplaces across the capital. London’s recovery from the pandemic hinges on transport and we are ready to play our role in moving people around the city, allowing them to reach work and leisure destinations and keeping people safe.
“Customers are still required to wear face coverings throughout their journeys on our services in order to keep each other and our staff safe, and to reassure Londoners that the network is as safe as possible. We’re operating a good planned service on our network and making sure that it’s as clean as possible with staff ready to assist and offer advice where needed.”
TfL said that its enhanced cleaning regime also continues to ensure the transport network is cleaner than ever. Trains, trams, buses and stations are being cleaned with hospital-grade cleaning substances that kill viruses and bacteria on contact and provide ongoing protection as part of the operator’s efforts to maintain customer confidence and regain lost revenue. Independent testing by Imperial College London has been carried out monthly since September 2020, taking swabs of touch points in stations, buses and air samples in ticket halls and up to the last verified testing round in December 2021 TfL reported that it had found no traces of coronavirus on the public transport network.
The transport network is also well ventilated, with bus windows modified to keep them propped open and a range of air extraction and ventilation systems retro-fitted, to ensure the flow of fresh air through the vehicle. TfL says it is operating a near-normal service across the network to help social distancing, but warns that factors like staff absence and busier services as people return to work may mean that social distancing is more difficult at some times than others.
