(28 Aug 2022, 3:12 pm)stagecoachbusdepot wrote Not sure that is the case for the majority of the population.  Many, many workplaces still close on bank holidays.  As do a lot of the places people may need to attend e.g. non-urgent health services.  Apart from blue light services etc, retail is probably the main area that is open and even then in the main does so for much reduced hours (meaning among other things fewer staff journeys as less shifts to cover).  I suspect for a lot of people their travel needs are different with more focus on leisure trips rather than 'having to be' somewhere whether that is a workplace, meetings or an appointment.

I agree. The vast majority of Mon-Fri business operations don't operate on a bank holiday, and they tend to run on a skeleton staffing, if at all.  

(28 Aug 2022, 4:40 pm)DeltaMan wrote If a company has an enhanced service but they can't get enough volunteers (most drivers will want a day off too, no matter how much dosh you throw at them), then what? Are we comfortable forcing some drivers to work when they don't want to?

If the service needs to be provided, then they shouldn't be relying on volunteers. It should be a normal working day, with the bank holiday rolled up into leave entitlement, like a lot of other industries do. 

Blue light services are often cited as the example of those that work around the clock, but really the list is far greater than that; power generation, water, telecoms, broadcast, IT & network engineers, retail & hospitality, and even the security industry. They all likely want the day/night off, but you can't have a complete shutdown of the country every bank holiday or weekend.

It's not about forcing anyone to do anything, but as a service provider, you need to meet the needs of those who want to use the service.