On the buses - a return to public transport

Exactly a  week ago I took my first tentative steps back towards using public transport. I did it in style, as the day involved two bus journeys and one by rail. The purpose behind these journeys was to deposit me at the starting point of my North Downs Walk, and then return me home from the end point. They were my first forays into the world of bus and train travel since early March, and represented a welcome return to some semblance of normality.

Except it wasn’t completely normal due to the fact that, in common with my fellow passengers, I had to wear a mask. Now on both bus journeys there was only one other passenger apart from me, and with the driver tucked safely away behind a plastic screen, where was the danger? The other passenger was sat several rows behind me as well, but rules are rules, I suppose, even if they are nothing more than pandering to the Mumsnet brigade.

My rail journey was somewhat different, as the train was more crowded that I expected. Even so there was plenty of room for “social distancing.” Not all passengers were wearing masks though, and it is in situations such as this that covering one’s face might have made a difference. The majority of the culprits were in the under twenty age bracket, with a group of young girls wearing not much more than a combination of cropped top and  skimpy shorts, the worst offenders. (Why do I keep running into females with a minimalist sense of dress?)

The law is quite clear that face-masks MUST be worn at all times whilst on the train, but with no-one present to enforce this  ruling, it is little wonder that travellers are ignoring it. The other concern of course, is that with no rail staff on hand to check on mask compliance, ticket checks and/or sales are not taking place.  

I personally don’t blame rail staff for this, especially given guidelines on social distancing etc. Also, having witnessed past encounters between fare dodgers and revenue staff, I know that these situations can become quite confrontational. You can imagine, some pimply yoof, barely able to string a sentence together, threatening to cough or, worse, spit at a hapless guard or ticket inspector, so in the meantime the railways are missing out on even more revenue.

Passenger numbers are running at a fraction of what they were pre-lockdown and whilst the government’s “magic money tree” has come to the rescue, it is an unsustainable situation, even medium term. As part of their “scare the public into staying at home” campaign, the UK government actively discouraging travel on public transport. Anyone attempting to buy a ticket, even online, was faced with a series of question’s asking if their journey was really necessary and telling them to stay at home. The travelling public were encouraged to use their own, private cars instead; something that goes against the stated policy of all political parties.

Returning to happier times, the last time  I used public transport was on 6^th March, when I travelled up to Burton-on-Trent, to join members of the Beer and Pubs Forum on a pub-crawl of Britain’s premier brewing town. Both outward and return journeys involved two changes of train, and a cross London trip by Underground.

Looking back, I was a little wary at the time, as Coronavirus had already started spreading within the UK. At one point, I even considered avoiding the Underground and walking between Charing Cross and Marylebone stations, as I would be travelling at the start of the morning rush-hour.  

Because I had pre-booked tickets, timed to specific trains, there wasn't sufficient time to do this and, as it happened the tube wasn’t too crowded, but I did change carriages on the outward journey from Marylebone to Birmingham Moor Street. This was due to a person sitting a few seats behind me, coughing his lungs up.

Summing up, I enjoyed last Friday’s bus and train journeys and the sense of freedom that went with them. Any lingering doubts as to the safety of this were soon dispelled and I was able to assuage the fears of Mrs PBT’s  that I was risking my own health as well as that of the rest of the family.

The bus journey was particularly enjoyable, as the bus followed a different route to that which I would normally have taken. There was a bonus too, at Sevenoaks bus station, in the presence of a café that wasn’t just open, but one where customers were allowed to sit inside and enjoy a coffee! The breakfast options also looked tempting, as well as being very keenly priced. With my bus pass due next April, I envisage making a lot more bus journeys, especially if I can combine them with the odd pub visit!