A zero-tolerance policy aims to make mask-wearing even more prevalent.
Earlier in Lockdown 3, almost all the major UK supermarkets announced they would be toughening their stance on people refusing to wear masks on public transport – and now, TfL have joined them. Seven months after wearing a mask became mandatory on public transport, TfL has announced plans to step up the enforcement of mask-wearing on Tubes and buses. Though around 90% of passengers appear to be complying during the busiest times of day, the push will focus on those ignoring the regulations.
Aside from anyone who is medically or otherwise exempt from mask-wearing (if you fall into this category, you can get a free card or badge from the TfL website), everyone using public transport should be wearing a mask. To help push compliance to higher levels, and help control the spread of the virus, TfL has expanded their team of enforcement officers, with around 500 officers now actively patrolling public transport. They’ll be handing out fines to those who refuse to wear face coverings, and TfL reports that 1700 fines have been issued since the face covering edict began.
It appears that enforcing the rules are popular with the general public; 75% of people surveyed told TfL that they support enforcing the rules on face coverings, a number which rose to 86% amongst the over-65s. As in previous lockdowns, the guidance remains for Londoners to stay home, and only travel for legally permitted reasons – and for goodness’ sake, don’t forget your mask…
In other transport news, higher Tube and bus fares have been confirmed by TfL.
Also published on Medium.