National Express will check the temperature of passengers before allowing them to travel when it resumes services next month.

The firm said its drivers will use contactless hand-held devices to carry out the screenings.

Anyone with a reading above 38C (100F) will be prevented from boarding and given a full refund due to fears they could be infected by coronavirus.

Other measures being introduced to enhance safety and hygiene include only allowing passengers to sit in window seats, halving the capacity of vehicles.

Travellers will also be required to wear face coverings, while enhanced disinfection of coaches will be carried out.

National Express suspended its operations on April 5 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

On July 1 it will resume serving intercity routes across Britain with reduced frequencies.

It will call at more than 180 locations but overall mileage will be around a quarter of the pre-pandemic level until demand grows.

Chris Hardy, managing director of the firm’s UK coach operation, said: “We have always put safety as our number one priority and right now, this is more important than ever as we play our part in getting the country moving again.

“As restrictions begin to ease and people plan to start travelling once again, we are adapting how we operate to help keep everyone safe.

“We also appreciate that people are unsure about committing to travel plans at the moment so have changed some of our terms and conditions to give reassurance when deciding whether to book.”

National Express is not actively advising its customers to avoid non-essential travel.

This is in contrast with train operators, which are urging passengers to “use an alternative if you can”.