Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to monitor the implementation of his Department’s Safer Transport Guidance for Operators, particularly with regard to social distancing on public transport; how the public can report non-implementation of that guidance by public transport providers; and what the sanctions are for public transport providers that do not adequately implement that guidance.

The success of vaccine deployment has paved the way for the gradual lifting of restrictions and this marks a new phase in the pandemic response where people manage the risks to themselves and others as the country learns to live with the virus. The Safer Transport Guidance for Operators contains non-statutory guidance that does not supersede any legal obligations relating to health and safety, employment or equalities and it is important that operators continue to comply with existing obligations and conduct risk assessments to identify any specific actions they need to take.

At step 4, social distancing rules were lifted, and the public will no longer need to stay 2 metres apart from people they do not live with. Guidance also sets out that the Government expects and recommends that people wear face coverings in crowded areas such as public transport. It will be open for individual operators to consider developing their own face covering policies if they wish to do so. We will continue to work with operators to support passenger safety by ensuring service levels are high, asking passengers to plan ahead for their journeys, making hand sanitiser available and supporting ventilation where possible.