DIAMOND Buses are ‘good to go’ say company chiefs as lockdown restrictions ease.
And the firm is encouraging people in Redditch to feel confident about returning to their local bus services again.
Diamond now holds the ‘We’re Good To Go’ and ‘Safe Travels’ standard marks in recognition it’s following government and industry Covid-19 guidelines.
There’s more seats too following an industry-wide risk assessment review, led by the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) which concluded that in some circumstances it is now acceptable to use every forward facing seat on the vehicle.
In a statement, Diamond Buses said: “These new extra capacity guidelines are an encouraging development for the bus industry, which means problems of overcrowding and people being unable to board due to the bus being at capacity, should now be much reduced and people can travel more freely and confidently.”
The firm says face coverings will still have to be worn except for those passengers who are exempt, both for the entire journey and when boarding and alighting.
Diamond meanwhile says it continues to use enhanced cleaning procedures and passengers are asked to keep windows open to allow fresh air to circulate around the bus.
Newer reliable vehicles are also coming into service with lower emissions and nearly all buses are now fitted with CCTV to improve safety and security.
The firm, part of Rotala, says it is also looking at more flexible ticketing with systems such as ‘Tap-On/Tap-Off’ technology, introducing on-board next stop announcement screens and passenger Wi-fi services.
