(07 Sep 2020, 4:05 pm)Dan wrote I haven't used public transport much since March (not because I don't want to, just that I've had no need to).

I have used the Metro a handful of times now and I've been really impressed with how the standard of cleaning has vastly improved. In all instances there has been a notable 'clean' smell.

Guessing I just caught a bad train then, I admit I haven't been on much; been avoiding the Metro really as it went tits up and it's 50/50 going via bus or Metro so just been using the bus instead when needed.

(07 Sep 2020, 4:40 pm)Adrian wrote Sorry, I might be missing something, but I don't understand the relevance of one being an 'Intercity operator' and the other not. Regardless of definition, the passenger numbers simply aren't there at the moment, with so many still working from home. From reports I've read though, people seem to be refusing to change travel patterns still and rushing for peak trains. There's absolutely no reason why a reservation system could not be enforced, other than down to the willingness to do so. 

This has been a relatively constructive debate thus far, so I don't think we need to go down the route of suggesting people are hiding behind a computer screen. In answer to your question though, I actually think that most 'offenders', at least to face coverings, would comply out of sheer shock of being challenged. Nobody likes to be challenged on something they're doing wrong and I'm confident this would the vast majority of instances.

I've barely used buses and yet the ones I've been on, I've seen face coverings: hung off one ear, warming the wearer's chin, worn as a bandanna, worn under the nose, and so on. It would not take much to point out to passengers that they need to wear their face coverings correctly, but the operators need to empower their staff to do that. Whilst they're making the choice to not enforce, I don't blame staff for not doing it either. It needs to be an instruction from top down. 

Even in the cases of someone refusing to comply, there are options available. I've seen both buses and trains significantly held back at stations to wait for the police because someone has refused to pay their fare. I've even seen a bus held at a bus station for 20+ minutes because a couple of Sunderland's finest decided to crack open a couple bottles of White Lightning or whatever the tipple of choice is these days. I don't think you'd ever go that far down the line over a face covering, and I wouldn't want to see it personally, but I think this highlights that it comes down to a willingness to enforce as operators.

The stopping patterns and the stations they serve mainly, it's easy to enforce a reservation system when your only stopping at a few major stations ie. Newcastle, York, Darlington, Durham etc which are all staffed and have ways to purchase tickets at the station and do reservations within the station with only 5 minutes to go which you can do with LNER now. Once you start serving stations like Seamer, Marsden, Chester Le Street, Meadowhall, Habrough etc it starts to get a lot more complicated especially when half the stations your lucky they having a working ticket machine which I don't believe can do reservations at all so your effectively saying, unless you pay online you can't travel with us and you must have a ticket bought a day in advance (they still use paper reservations). I could be wrong here but I believe guards have been told not to check tickets at all hence how someone spent 2 hours on a Crosscountry train lately deceased, it's pretty much common knowledge trains are free atm for those who don't want to pay.

In terms of the drivers there are some who already are challenging people over masks but it really depends on the person. I didn't mean the computer comment as offence to anyone btw but it's kind of true there'll be drivers who just don't want to cause any form of confrontation and the idea of having to tell people to wear masks with the chance that 1/50 might be an absolute arse and kick up a fuss when your trapped in a corner will be daunting to them. I can guarentee there will be a drivers if you went on with a child ticket when your 40 wont say anything but then some will. The only realistic way you could enforce is to change the terms and conditions and introduce a penalty for not wearing a mask and leaving it down to the RP team to enforce (but they're pretty much non existant - it would work for the Metro though).