(07 Sep 2020, 12:42 pm)Drifter60 wrote I’m not sure if that’s a direct quote or not but I’m not planning on using buses any time soon for this precise reason. The impression I get from the managing directors Facebook Lives, passenger comments on social media and reports on here don’t instil me with any confidence that it’s safe. 
People not wearing masks because drivers don’t challenge and social distancing hard to enforce. It’s the same reason I’m doing click and collect and not going into supermarkets or if I do need the shops I go off peak. I’m not particularly vulnerable but I don’t want to pass it on to family or older relatives. 
I also don’t buy this “it’s not shop staff or bus drivers to police masks or social distancing ”. That’s like saying it’s not a barman/barmaid’s job to challenge 25 on alcohol sales, it’s a part of the job!

I was going to have a look and see if i can find the exact quote, but I didn't realise he'd done that many Facebook Lives! I'm sure there was more context to the quote and it's not as bad as I remember it being.

Another way of putting it, one which I've brought up quite a few times is that they'd have no issue enforcing the requirement that passengers pay for their ticket, but asking them to wear a face covering is too much. I get that they can't verify the fact that people are exempt, but they could at least say "Do you have a face covering?" or "You should really be wearing a mask". But from my experience, that just doesn't happen.

I personally don't feel unsafe on the bus, compared to going to places like the MetroCentre or ALDI. Whilst cleanliness standards on board buses has dropped considerably since the beginning of the lockdown, likely due to them carrying more than twice as many passengers, at least they appear to be trying in that regard!

It also probably helps that I'm not petrified of catching COVID like a lot of people are. If I get it I get it, nowt I can really do short of staying in the house for the rest of my life. At some point you have to just 'get over it' and realise it's going to be sticking around for a while and you just have to get on with life!
We need to stop looking at the mortality rate, and start looking at the survival rate.