A BUS OPERATOR has been declared Good To Go as it strives to be Covid-secure.
The news came hours after Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that people could use public transport if they are returning to workplaces from August 1.
Reading Buses received the marque from Visit England, which has been inspecting companies to see how they are keeping their fleets as safe from coronavirus as possible.
Measures include additional cleaning of buses, limiting passenger numbers and ensuring that drivers are kept away from passengers.
Visit England says that to receive the award, businesses need to show clear evidence of following the Government’s and the industry’s guidelines concerning cleanliness and social distancing.
The news was welcomed by the company’s chief executive officer, Robert Williams, who said: “We are delighted to be given this certification which means we can confidently say that when our customers need us we are Good to Go”.
Robert listed some of the measures that the company has undertaken. “We have worked incredibly hard to keep our operation running during this difficult period.
“The measures include key elements:
- Extra cleaning of buses, with special attention paid to frequently touched areas such as hand poles and bells
- Installing hand sanitiser stations on all our buses
- Limiting capacity on our buses to allow for social distancing – currently allowing for the ‘one metre plus’ rule
- Ensuring all buses have screens for the driver and that seats directly behind them are blocked off
- Increasing service levels to normal frequencies to allow extra capacity to match easing of lockdown restrictions
- Installing social distancing measures, plus information posters, within the depot to help keep our employees safe.
“We ask our customers,” he added, “to remember they should always follow the Government guidelines on travelling by public transport whilst the virus is still around.”
Yesterday, Mr Johnson said: “So in England … we are making clear that anybody may use public transport, while of course encouraging people to consider alternative means of transport where they are available”.
