City bus company under fire again for electing not to insist passengers wear face masks under Covid law

Although “reserving the right” to refuse entry to people getting on board without a face covering, in practice, the city bus drivers are saying it is unenforceable unless referred to a police officer.

David Barnes told the Peterborough Telegraph that he has been shielding in Covid-19 lockdown until recently having to make several trips to doctor appointments.

He said: “This meant travelling on the bus. I was shocked to find that on every bus I took people were allowed on multiple times without face masks, and in most times not even asked where their masks were.

“On Friday I was alone on the bus and I told the lady driver that I hoped she was going to be strict with masks - she said we have no option, Stagecoach have said they must not refuse passengers without masks.”

He branded the lack of enforcement “crazy” after numerous reports during the pandemic of public transport workers and passengers contracting the virus.

Mr Barnes said the citizens of Peterborough were being put at risk: “It is the law and one of the biggest risk areas for a spike is public transport and ours is not bothering.

“I cannot see an easier enforcement of the mask rule than on the buses. The driver has to interact with the passengers, he/she asks where is your mask? No mask they don’t get on.”

He has twice written to Stagecoach on the matter and contacted local MPs Shailash Vara and Paul Bristow who are getting touch with the transport operator.

He also raised the issue with City Councillor Julie Howell who has taken it up with Medical Director for Peterborough, Dr Liz Robin.

Wearing a face covering is now law on all public transport in England and Scotland for the safety of fellow passengers and employees.

A Stagecoach East spokesman said: “Our experience is that the majority of passengers have been following the new rules.

“Most passengers are looking to do the right thing and are very supportive of the changes. However, we know that it will take some time for passengers to adapt to this new requirement. As with any change in any part of life there may be instances where people forget or aren’t aware and we are helping our passengers to understand the new guidance.

“We have detailed information on our buses and across our website and social media channels, and we will continue to remind people of the importance of following the new rules to help themselves and their fellow passengers.

“The government has also published a list of categories of people who are exempt from wearing face coverings. Our free journey assistance card is available at stagecoachbus.com and customers can use this as an easy way of showing they come into this category.”

They added: “As with many other changes being made as a result of the pandemic, responsibility for complying with the new government regulations lies with individuals themselves. We will continue to appeal to customers to act responsibly and provide them with all the information they need to plan their journeys and use our services safely.”

People who are exempt from wearing a face covering include a child under 11 or if you have a physical or mental illness or impairment, or a disability that means you cannot put on, wear or remove a face covering.

According to Stagecoach’s newly updated answers published to explain its policy, the company states: “If you do not wear a face covering you will be breaking the law and could be fined. We reserve the right to refuse people travel if they’re not wearing a face covering.”

But it adds: “In line with the government guidelines, we are asking our drivers to engage, encourage and explain the new regulations to customers. The regulations are still very new and it will take time for everybody to adapt. Our drivers do reserve the right to prevent people from boarding the bus if they feel this is the right course of action.”

The company continues: “Ultimately, only police forces have the powers to enforce the new regulations by fining those not wearing face coverings as required. We’ll continue to appeal to customers to act responsibly and follow the Government’s rules.”

Drivers will have discretion to take the most appropriate form of action and this may include in some limited circumstances contacting the police as a “last resort”.

Police have been given the authority to issue fines of £100.