As a stubborn minority using public transport, generally put at about ten per cent, continue to not wear a face covering, the authorities are working on compliance.
In Birmingham for instance the public transport body the Safer Travel Partnership has made a multi-agency team to tackle non-compliance at to bus stations: of police constables and police community support officers from Safer Travel besides staff from National Express and train and bus operator Transport for West Midlands (TfWM).
TfWM reports compliance at around 90 per cent; comparable with Transport for London in October, as featured in the November print edition of Professional Security magazine. TfWM and transport operator data means officers can be sent to areas that have seen lower compliance. The officers use the four E’s approach: engage, explain, encourage and enforce; and the Partnership says that passengers are responding well to officer reminders as many passengers putting on a mask when they’re asked.
Since the beginning of October when the task force began, officers have advised over 5,500 passengers to wear a face covering correctly (covering both the nose and mouth) and have given out about 1,300 masks as donated by TfWM. This does not include people with exemptions, which represent around 14pc of passenger engagements, on British Transport Police data. Safer Travel have also issued six Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) of £200 to passengers for refusing to wear a face covering.
The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, David Jamieson said: “It is vital that people wear their face coverings on public transport to protect themselves, those around them and to help us stop the spread of the virus. Our Safer Travel team have been doing excellent work in engaging with people on public transport and reminding people of the rules which are there to keep us all safe. Officers have been able to give out over 1,000 masks to people to as well as offering advice on how to wear them properly.
“The four E’s approach has been successful on the whole, with high levels of compliance, but people do need to remember that officers won’t hesitate to use their enforcement powers, directing people to leave public transport and issue fines if they refuse to comply.”
Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “The wearing of face coverings on public transport has been compulsory for several months now, and it is great to see compliance as high as 90 per cent. But sadly there continues to be a small minority, as there has been throughout the pandemic, who continue to flout both this and other critical rules, and undo the hard work of the vast majority in trying to drive this virus out of the West Midlands.
“It is therefore only right we now clamp down on this behaviour, and I am pleased that a new taskforce has been established to deal with non-compliance. The stricter people follow guidelines such as this, the better chance we have of bringing the local rate of infection down, reducing the pressure on our hospitals, and ultimately having our local restrictions eased.”
The bus operator National Express brought back staff from furlough to join the task force. National Express UK Safety Director, Mark Heffernan, said: “Everyone knows now that face coverings must be worn when we’re in shops, supermarkets and on public transport, so it’s great to see that customers are complying with the rules. Our buses continue to run for those that rely on us to get to where they need to be and as part of the Safer Travel partnership we’re pleased to be working together to keep everybody safe.”
More details on the TfWM website.
Separately, TfWM has made new byelaws that forbid a range of anti-social acts on its buses including smoking and vaping, drunk and disorderly behaviour, playing loud music, vandalism, threatening and offensive behaviour and obstructing other passengers. Similar byelaws are already in force on trains and trams. Enforcement officers will be able to direct people causing a nuisance to leave the bus or bus station, or issue fines.
Meanwhile on Tyneside, in October Nexus, the public body which owns and manages the Metro trains around Newcastle and Sunderland (pictured), likewise introduced a 12-strong Customer Support team to target anti-social behaviour on Metro, particularly during evenings. More police are supporting extra patrols in the run-up to Christmas.
Chief Operating Officer at Nexus, Martin Kearney, said: “Customers have told us that they want to see us proactively managing compliance with the face coverings rule, and dealing with anti-social behaviour, especially at night. We are delivering that by taking direct action with a new the three-point action plan.
“Nine out of ten people using Metro wear face coverings as required by law, with others being exempt for health reasons, but we know that a small minority still refuse to comply with the legal requirements. This is often linked to other anti-social behaviour such as ticketless travel or groups of young people hanging around stations with little purpose.
“This is something we are committed to dealing with in close conjunction with Northumbria Police and the British Transport Police. The aim is to offer that re-assuring presence that people want to see, especially in the evenings now that the nights are drawing in. The team will work closely with the police to deter anti-social behaviour, tackle fare evasion, and move on any groups of youths gathering at stations.
“Overall crime rates on Metro remain low and customers should have the confidence to travel when they need to. Anyone who gets caught committing crime on Metro faces prosecution, fines, and even a possible ban from travelling on the system.”
Since mid-June, face coverings have been mandatory on public transport – trains, buses, and in Glasgow the Subway – besides stations and interchanges unless an exemption applies such as children under five and those with health conditions.
