More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
Passengers in Kent who rely on the bus are afraid there will not be room for them when more people return to work on June 15.
Bus companies are running more services and aim to keep them in line with customer demand, but passengers worry this may not be enough.
Sarah Bird, a security guard from Chatham, cannot drive and relies on the 101 bus route between Medway and Maidstone to get her to work in Maidstone.
The 43-year-old said: "After two months of lockdown, it's only been the past week they have been enforcing a strict 11-people-on-the-bus policy on a single-decker. Before we could not social distance and the vast majority of people were not wearing masks.
"Last week, I was half an hour late twice and late home once because buses were full. Though I am not known for running late to work, my boss was annoyed with me and was not understanding of the situation."
After lockdown restrictions eased on Monday, Kent companies such as Arriva and Stagecoach have been running more buses on their routes as more people return to work and school.
Arriva has advised passengers to check whether more services are being run on their routes as they work to keep buses running in line with demand.
Stagecoach now runs 70% of the services it was running pre-lockdown and only lets buses fill to 20% capacity. The company is working closely with local authorities to ensure its services meet demand.
Drivers can still let only a certain number of people on the bus at a time and will display when a bus is full and therefore unable to stop unless someone is getting off.
Passengers are also advised to wear facemasks when social distancing is not possible, not to stand on the bus and to sit next to people from the same household as them.
Mrs Bird is more at ease with travelling on the bus this week but worries about what is to come. She added: "It's been good this week, as they have brought the double-decker bus back and now run three buses an hour instead of two. But I'm worried about what will happen on June 15 because many shop workers take my bus and would fill at least every row before lockdown.
"My bus usually runs once every 10 minutes and still has queues, so even if they go back to 10 minutes in a few weeks some of us are going to have to miss our bus. My job is stressful enough, I shouldn't have to deal with that too."
Mrs Bird is not the only passenger with concerns. Cameron Havel, founder of the Medway Passengers Group on Facebook, is aware of others with similar fears.
He added: "Many people are concerned buses will have a sudden influx in passengers. Although the government are saying don't use the bus, many people have no other option.
"Before the pandemic, many buses were often full or running with a large number of people on. So with social distancing in place and companies having a limited numbers of vehicles, it could become very difficult to catch the bus.
"With this limit on usage and a huge drop in passengers, bus operators' revenue has been hit. I am sure in recent weeks most buses would have been running at a loss.
"But I would like to say I’m very impressed with Arriva’s and local bus operators handling of a challenging situation and doing their best to keep those who need buses moving."
To aid the situation, the campaigner has set up an independent survey for bus travellers to share their experiences, which will be forwarded to the relevant operators in the hope the service can improve.
Oliver Monahan, area managing director at Arriva, said: “At Arriva we are committed to running vital services to support workers and people needing to undertake essential journeys at this time. Rest assured that during these times of change we are continually monitoring service levels in line with demand and will, wherever we can, adapt our services to meet this."
Joe Mitchell, Stagecoach's managing director said: “I’m hugely proud of the fantastic efforts of all of our colleagues in recent weeks. Our own key workers have made a huge contribution to the national effort and we’d like to thank every one of them and our customers for their support.
"Buses are going to continue to play a crucial role in the country’s recovery ahead. As well as helping restart our economy, they are vital in bringing normality back to many areas of our daily lives. They keep families and communities connected and have a major role in delivering a safer, cleaner and healthier society."
