Public Transport Changes

Public transport should be reformed so that overcrowding cannot occur and people are safely seated at a distance. These reforms may take the form of:
- The return of compartments, or some way to separate groups of seating (e.g. screens);
- Mandatory advance booking on all trains (and possibly other forms of public transport);
- Laws to force employers to permit their employees greater flexibility to use public transport at times when demand is lower; and
- Greater use of technology to allow others to understand when public transport is likely to be quiet.

Why the contribution is important

Public transport which is overcrowded, in particular trains, presents a massive barrier to the lifting of restrictions. This is the setting in which people most frequently are situated close together with others from another household. We need to reduce the occurrence of this in order to slow (and eventually stop) the transmission of the virus.

by TheDancingDino on May 05, 2020 at 01:20PM

Current Rating

Average rating: 4.1
Based on: 13 votes

Comments

  • Posted by Belladonna May 05, 2020 at 13:24

    I agree. My biggest concern about the lifting of restrictions is the thought of again having to spend around 2 hrs of each day, if not longer, commuting to and from work on crowded buses. There needs to be greater safety measures in place for everyone involved in transport - drivers, guards and passengers - before we lift travel restrictions.

  • Posted by Clayton41 May 05, 2020 at 13:31

    How do you get people on and off trains /buses etc ? They are MASS transit vehicles . Spacing between seats on trains ? How do you avoid alighting passengers mixing with those waiting to get on ? It will take time and stewarding ..trains will be delayed . mas crowds in stations ? .its just not going to work ..

  • Posted by kathleentaylor May 05, 2020 at 13:35

    Clear guidance for elderly to stay off public transport unless absolutely necessary and that does not mean going for a leisure outing.

  • Posted by Ranger2dog May 05, 2020 at 13:38

    50% capacity to be allowed max.

  • Posted by JJDunbar May 05, 2020 at 13:39

    The addition of screens will add to the burden of cleaning vehicles. Maintaining strict controls on the number of passengers allowed on each service will be much more effective in slowing the rate of transmission.

  • Posted by KMCgilmore May 05, 2020 at 13:53

    Not sure I’ll be avoiding all public transport. It will not work unless considerable policing at stations etc

  • Posted by TheDancingDino May 05, 2020 at 14:07

    Response to Clayton41:

    Surely it's fairly simple to avoid mixing of joining and alighting passengers? One door in each carriage is joining and the other is alighting. Every train in Scotland has two sets of doors per carriage.

    Also, trains tend to be at greater risk of delay at busy times. If there are no busy times that risk reduces.

    Stewarding wouldn't be needed, but clear platform and door/carriage markings would be.

    Correct, they're mass transit. It's clear to everyone we won't be going back to that anytime soon. This suggestion is to enable their use in some form, which is better than none.

  • Posted by AWood May 05, 2020 at 14:15

    Public transport has become dangerous as operators are only concerned about staff, not passengers. Government should regulate new conditions, e.g.
    Don't allow more than 5-7 passengers on the lower deck of double decker buses, 7-10 on the upper deck, 5-7 on single decker buses depending on their size. On trains and trams request passengers to leave two rows on either side.
    The above suggestion (which I repeatedly suggested to a local transport company which has been rejected each time) is based on evidence from Qantas who in Feb/Mar/April published cases of infection by passengers and their seats on the plane to allow those seated within two rows in front and behind to get tested.
    And a message to our FM: please accept that there are people dependent on public transport who may also face disability issues. Use of public transport has become extremely difficult with many routes no longer running, first buses running too late for the vulnerable people shopping hour or earlier than normal pharmacy hours, more changing of buses required due to closure of route . All these lead lead to higher levels of use of concessionary passes but still for essential journeys.

  • Posted by Fletch May 05, 2020 at 14:30

    Realistically social distancing cannot be achieved on any mode of public transport, whether it be bus or train. Yes, buses and trains could take on fewer passengers, remove some seats, clean and scrub them from top to bottom but you will always be in close proximity to others. Wearing a mask I feel gives a false sense of security and although the vast majority of us are careful, many people are not and people will cough and sneeze and they will be too close to each other.

    If buses or trains take on fewer passengers, then does that mean there will be an abundance of buses and trains for all to travel safely on, or will it mean we have to wait an hour or more for an empty bus? More buses or trains is unrealistic as we just don’t have them and we don’t have the drivers. If we did, then our buses and trains would run a better service in normal times.

    Working a shift pattern is a good enough idea but if all businesses do that, then the rush hour commute will move to say mid morning or early afternoon and what was once a quiet time to travel will be busy so it will just defeat the purpose.

    My commute is about 3 hours in total each day by bus and I certainly do not feel confident to go on the bus at this time. Lockdown has to be lifted and businesses have to return to work but to keep footfall to a minimum and to keep our buses and trains from being overloaded, then if people can work from home then they should continue to work from home for the foreseeable future.

  • Posted by evrydyim May 05, 2020 at 16:55

    Create more local jobs in communities to reduce the need for mass travel to hubs for employment.

  • Posted by JoeOH May 05, 2020 at 18:58

    Let’s look at your ideas 1 at a time:
    The return of compartments, or some way to separate groups of seating (e.g. screens);
    Most commuters travel alone, so you would need a compartment for each - not workable

    - Mandatory advance booking on all trains (and possibly other forms of public transport);
    So if you sleep in or you are late getting to the station or your single train is cancelled you don’t get to go to work that day?

    - Laws to force employers to permit their employees greater flexibility to use public transport at times when demand is lower;
    In many areas of Scotland the rush “hour” starts at 0630 and goes on until 0930 already, and trains and busses between those times are chocks. How much more flexible would employers have to be to enable there to be no crowded trains?

    and
    - Greater use of technology to allow others to understand when public transport is likely to be quiet.
    I thought this information was already available but I may be wrong.

  • Posted by TheDancingDino May 05, 2020 at 20:02

    Response to JoeOH:

    So I don't disagree with anything you've said, but would have hoped for some more constructive discussion to help us all find solutions. We all need to bear in mind that the rationale for this platform is to help find ways out of the lockdown, so you should compare what the suggestions are to where we are today (i.e. if you're not a key worker = no trains at all).

    In response to your comments:

    The return of compartments, or some way to separate groups of seating (e.g. screens);
    Most commuters travel alone, so you would need a compartment for each - not workable
    Response: A screen around each seat of 4 would indeed decrease capacity on a train by 75% (assuming the worst case scenario of everyone travels alone). That's a lesser capacity decrease than we currently have under lockdown. Happy to be corrected if this is wrong...

    - Mandatory advance booking on all trains (and possibly other forms of public transport);
    So if you sleep in or you are late getting to the station or your single train is cancelled you don’t get to go to work that day?
    Response: Bear in mind this is in comparison to where we are just now, not a key worker? You won't be going to work at all on the train. Be smart, built some form of flexibility into the system but also ensure that people remember they have some responsibility to make it work.

    - Laws to force employers to permit their employees greater flexibility to use public transport at times when demand is lower;
    In many areas of Scotland the rush “hour” starts at 0630 and goes on until 0930 already, and trains and busses between those times are chocks. How much more flexible would employers have to be to enable there to be no crowded trains?
    Response: Depends on the employer and the type of work. My employer, for example, states I must start between 08:00 and 10:00 and work 7.5 hours. There's no business need for that, it could easily change to much later in the day. That won't suit everyone, but again going back to what I've said about collective responsibility... can an employer have people work 12:00-20:00 instead of 09:00-17:00? Is that change worth making to release the lockdown a little earlier? I'm sure it is.

    and
    - Greater use of technology to allow others to understand when public transport is likely to be quiet.
    I thought this information was already available but I may be wrong.
    Response: There currently isn't any technology in Scotland that tells you the loading capacity of a specific train, or carriage on a train.
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