(08 May 2020, 2:57 pm)LeeCalder wrote I've made a couple of journeys on the 82 to the shops and back, it's difficult to keep your distance regardless of where you sit if there's more than approx 5 passengers.
It'll be interesting to see how people take the Government announcement, as inevitably you'll have people thinking lockdown is over and they can do whatever they wish.
The Government and Department for Transport advice for bus operators is that buses should be at no more than 50% of their intended capacity, excluding seats which have been temporarily taken out of use.
So for an Optare Solo that usually has 30 seats but currently has 6 tip-up seats taken out of use, the guidance from the Government and Department for Transport would be that the bus does not exceed more than 12 passengers (50% of 24).
Go North East has aimed to not exceed more than 30% capacity at any given time on the majority of journeys (so for an Optare Solo, this would be 7), using the DfT's guidance only for the busiest of journeys, and have actively encouraged drivers to inform a manager if they feel buses are overcrowded.