Bus passengers in London will not have to pay to travel and will board by the middle door under new measures to protect drivers from coronavirus.
Transport for London (TfL) announced customers “will not be required to touch in” with their payment card or device from Monday.
This is to avoid passengers approaching the driver’s cab, where all buses have a card reader.
Bus travel in the capital normally costs £1.50 for unlimited journeys within an hour, up to a maximum of £4.50 per day.
TfL introduced the changes after 16 bus workers in the capital died after testing positive for COVID-19.
Middle door only boarding has been trialled on 140 buses across nine routes, with the operator saying it was “confident” that the low number of people using public transport means passengers can keep a safe distance from each other.
Key workers are the main group using public transport at the moment after everyone was told to stay at home during the pandemic. The Government announced on Thursday that the lockdown will continue for at least another three weeks.
After the announcement London Mayor Sadiq Khan today called for compulsory masks to be worn on tubes and buses after 26 Transport for London (TfL) staff members died of coronavirus.
Khan also said that once the lockdown is lifted ‘all of us’ may need to wear face masks in order to stop the spread of Covid-19.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast this morning Khan said he is lobbying the Government to change its advice on wearing face coverings to add ‘another layer of protection’.
Khan said that wearing a non-medical facial covering makes it less likely you may inadvertently give somebody else Covid-19.
In total 26 TfL workers have died after testing positive for Covid-19 and one 63-year-old bus driver recently said the network was ‘putting her life at risk’ due to the conditions.
He added: ‘It’s heartbreaking, I’ve had 16 bus drivers who have lost their lives, it’s personal to me. It’s really heartbreaking and my condolences to those families.
‘We’ve gone above and beyond advice we’ve been given by the experts.’
He continued: ‘The evidence I’ve seen is if you wear a non-medical facial covering it doesn’t necessarily limit your changes of catching the virus. What it does do, if you yourself are pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic, it reduces the chances of you giving the virus to somebody else.
‘And so wherever you can’t keep your social distance you should be wearing a facial covering.’
Medical guidance around wearing masks has been unclear and many have been left wondering whether or not they are an effective tool.
